The House Annavittoria / garden in the village of Monticchiello

This is a beautiful house with a private garden with great views of the Val d'Orcia. The kitchen is well equipped, and herbs for cooking grow in the garden. The town is a traditional Tuscan town, and it is not overrun by tourists and gift shops.

What a wonderfull charming house-like-a-home in the middle of the little town Monticchiello! A great advantage during this warm hot summer the temperature in the house is cool, even without airco. Evening views admiring the sunset out from the "garden of olives", with fresh wind coming from the valleys, where we dream of now, being back home. The pittoresc and medieval town lies in the middle of a green valley, where all roads lead to other towns waiting to be discovered! We had a great holiday in the Annavittoria house, a warm and nice place to return in the evening after having explored the Italian countryside. Greetings to our charming and helpfull hosts Mr and Mrs Giuseppe, whose advise and information lead us to villages to explore, and even restaurants to visit! Johan, Ingrid and Jasper - Antwerp-Belgium

The charming Annavittoria home is in a typical small Tuscan hilltop, walled fortress town. The pictures don't do it justice, it is much roomier and more comfortable than it may appear. Olive trees in the back yard and an orchard next door provide increased privacy The immaculate house was well furnished and the kitchen has pretty much everything you needed. A minor exception (well, major to us) was the lack of an espresso / coffee machine we knew how to use. There was an aluminum, stove top espresso maker which we just couldn't get the hang of. A small but daily frustration. The washing machine has detergent available, the wood burning stove has wood stacked outside. The village of Montechiello is gorgeous, authentic, ancient and very very small. It's wonderful to wander around and explore the narrow winding streets. There are three good to excellent restaurants and a cafe. The cafe is sometimes open in the morning, at no particular time (usually) and also serves lunch. There are several small retail shops selling art or clothing. The museum in town is very interesting and is the only place I know of to get a soda or snack. The town is about a two hour drive from Florence. While there may be another way to get there, you'll need a car to explore the region. Driving and parking in the town is not allowed for tourists (as in most of the ancient cities in the area) so you'll park in an unpaved lot and walk uphill about 2-4 blocks to the town and your house. There are numerous walled medieval Tuscan villages scattered around within easy driving distance. A couple are 10-15 minutes away. There's no need to describe all the terrific towns, shopping, restaurants and spas in the vicinity, Giuseppe, the outstanding young managers of the Annavittoria house, will give you plenty of information, including detailed texts as well as face-to-face orientations. No need for guide books (always out of date), mention Giuseppe's name and you become almost a local in many places. As an example, the best meal we had in Italy was at a restaurant (five tables) in a tiny village we probably wouldn't have visited. Don't miss Podere Il Casale, a working farm three miles down a dirt road. They offer lunch, dinner and cooking classes as well as a tour of the farm. We would definitely recommend this to a friend.