We had a wonderful stay at this villa in the Umbria/Tuscany region. We booked it because it met…read morealmost all of our requirements: size, cost, flexibility, niceness, and special organized events. The property has the main house and a guest house. We had the guest house for a week which had 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms (a good ratio so that couples did not have to share bathrooms). The property is very pretty and quiet. Close to the small town of Citta della Pieve for quick groceries and close enough for day trips to Rome, Florenze, wine tasting, etc....There is free wi-fi, 2 pools, a pool table, and a private drive. We did the "welcome dinner", Italian cooking class/dinner, and a wine tasting trip through the owner (Jacopo). All of them were great and reasonably priced. The welcome dinner was a prepared dinner for all the people on the night we arrived. A couple of ladies did all the cooking and cleaning! The food was delicious and it was great to not worry about all of that stuff when just showing up. He has his own line of wine and olive oil from his property which great. He leaves wine there and operates on the "honor system". Nice when you need an extra bottle or two. One note: there is no way to play music from phone or computer. So if you want music, bring a speaker or something. It would be pretty quiet without one. The main house is huge and I think has 9 bedrooms. I also had my luggage lost flying to Italy and Jacopo was also very helpful making phone calls to the Italian company and trying to get the bag back to me. I'd definitely recommend this villa to anyone.

Awe inspiring rooms with fantastic service. You feel like you are royalty in your own palazzo in…read morethe center of town

Cannot say enough good things about Palazzo Tolomei and the lovely staff there. The space is…read moremagnificent - truly fitting the ambiance of Florence. Many of the rooms have incredible frescos painted on the ceilings and the room I stayed in could more accurately be described as an apartment with more space than I had imagined. All rooms were spotless and charmingly decorated. The staff is availble to answer any question and truly make you feel like a guest in a dear friends home. Restaurant recommendations from Daniella spot on. Perhaps the best thing were the magnificent breakfasts with authentic sweets baked by local woman. There is an elevator which makes most but not all floors easily accessible...would warn those with issues climbing stairs to simply request a room that you can reach via elevator. Palazzo Tolomei was the perfect place to stay in Florence...located on a historic street, minutes walk from Duomo and endless wonderful restaurants and shopping. Very reasonable rate. Truly highlight of my trip to Italy.

Went for the cooking class- had so much fun! Learned so much, and the food was so great, got to…read moreenjoy all the food we made and lots of wine. Our host and chef were great. We went with a group of family and friends and had a great time!

From the owner: Nell'amabile campagna di Chianciano, adagiata tra vigneti secolari e meravigliosi ulivi, avvolto…read moredai colori e dai profumi delle valli toscane...sorge Palazzo Bandino. Palazzo Bandino: nove appartamenti, quattro camere con bagno, servizio di I° colazione, ristorazione tipica solo su prenotazione, con la possibilità di organizzare lezioni e corsi di cucina e di vino per individuali e piccoli gruppi; visita alle cantine con degustazione e spuntini di prodotti tipici. Di recentissima apertura l'Area Relax "Sensi DiVini" con tanto di piscina idromassaggio riscaldata per massaggio dorsale, lombare e idro a cascata per il beneficio di tutto il corpo, vasca idromassaggio esterna riscaldata, percorso kneipp, doccia emozionale, sauna finlandese e hammam ( bagno turco). Ma questo non è tutto! Nelle tue vacanze benessere in Toscana potrai rilassarti nel raxul (hammam munito di possibilità' di programmazione personalizzata) e ricevere massaggi in cabina su prenotazione.

My wife and I cooked with local B&B owner, Mariangela. Just the three of us, shopping, preparing,…read moreeating and drinking...1030-1430. What a great time...she's very friendly, relaxed and knowledgable about Firenze, Toscana and Italia. Do it!

We had Florentine steak four times while we were in Italy and this place was our favorite. The meat…read morewas tender and rich and flavored with plenty of garlic and rosemary. The tagliatelle with mushrooms was fresh and delicious. They don't speak English here but we managed with pantomime and the few words we knew! Super friendly folks. A highlight of our entire vacation.

We stayed one night in this appartment and it was a very nice experience. We arrived around 11 at…read morenight at the airport and after we phoned to ask if we could walk from the central trainstation (a bus took us form the airport to the trainstation) the girl from the appartment told us it was very close to the trainstation and she would pick us up there. In the background it sounded like she was at a party.When we arrived at the trainstation we gave her another call (by this time I think it was close to midnight) and she arrived within 5 minutes to show us the way. The appartment was located right in the centre of town in an old building. The rooms were pretty simple but with a good bed and very cheap. When we asked about the noise we heard when on the phone she told us there was a multicultural festival going on and that we should come. So after refreshing ourselves a bit we went to the festival, something we wouldn't have done if she hadn't told us, and it was great! a german beer bar, Brazilian salsa bar, Tunesian Kebab stands, lots of students, good atmosphere. It was a good basic appartment with really friendly and helpfull staff showing us stuff we wouldn't have found otherwise.

This hotel is at a wonderful location. It's less than a 20-minute walk from the Firenze SMN train…read morestation. It's very close to Ponte Vecchio, like 2 blocks and less than 3-minute walk. Staying in the main building is easy because there is one small elevator that takes you up to the third floor. However staying at the adjacent building is tougher because you need to access more stairs (no elevator). I stayed in a room in the annex. I think this room would be great for families because the bedrooms were separated. There was a small are through the first door. Then there was a second door. The first bedroom had a double bed. The second room had a sofa that turned into a bed. There were two bathrooms - one bathroom had a shower and toilet, the other only had a toilet. Upon first impression, the space was very cold and echoey. There were high ceilings and high windows. We turned up the heat and lights and the place felt more cozy. Noise is not an issue for me, but I could hear everything outside. I feel like noise in the alleys get amplified because of the walls. One night at midnight, I heard "chug! chug! chug!" At 7:00 AM, I heard the bells ringing. Especially from our room in the second floor annex, this could be an issue for light sleepers. Breakfast is provided. I found the breakfast room very cozy. There was staff to make cappuccinos every morning. I enjoyed the food selection; it was very simple but filling. Another bonus about this hotel is the tower (torre). From the breakfast room, you can climb more stairs to reach a rooftop terrace where you can have a cool view of Florence, including the duomo and clock tower. From the adjacent building, there is another terrace that you can access from clear/see-through stairs.

Quaint hotel close to the Uffizi. Stayed here for two nights and had a really pleasant stay. Our…read moreroom was a four-person one, and had a queen size bed in addition to two twins. You're given a physical key (only one available). There was an air conditioner. The shower had good pressure and there is a mini fridge. There's a small elevator as well as stairs going up the four levels. Breakfast is available and there is a tower that's open 24/7 with an amazing view of the city. I would recommend coming up here during sunset. There's bar service until 9pm and they give free peanuts. Shoutout to Vivian who kept everything at breakfast running smoothly. She did an excellent job of checking in on everyone even when all of the tables were full while maintaining a cheerful, pleasant demeanor (and she even does all of the cooking!). Her in was similarly amazing and made a great cup of cappuccino. There were scrambled eggs and bacon in addition to all of the pastries (get the pistachio croissant), yogurts, cereals, and cold cuts/veggies. There's a 6 euro charge per person per night for the city tax (cash or card accepted). They have luggage storage available. Check in is at 2pm. The front desk was friendly and helpful. Overall, it was a great stay and a good option for staying in city center.

Stayed here in May 2007 during honeymoon trip to Italia, visiting Venezia, Firenze, Sienna/ Tuscany…read more& Roma over 2 weeks. The planned stay was for 2 night at this Villa, though little did I know it will be the best part of the whole honeymoon, even so that we extended the stay by 2 nights. Luckily it was right before peak travel season and we were able to; missed using their pool, since it was too early for the season. Host Franseco was amazing, really warm, welcoming and friendly. He showed me around, walked us through the legendary history of this castle through World Wars, his mother's amazing story of first ever woman to compete in the local horse race competition (forgetting the name), he even shared some especial local desert liquor with us one night... he made us feel at home, we even played with his pony (Jimmy?), his cat & he dropped us off the last day to the city center (he was going to watch a big club soccer match). Place is amazingly beautiful, small village, 2 restaurants (we loved the family run place- don't miss their ribolita...yum!!), very charming villa. We rented a scooter and rode around Tuscany/ Chianti region, checking out various villages in the area. Hands down, my best foreign trip ever, and the highlight was the stay at this villa & exploring Tuscany. I've been itching to go back since... hopefully some time soon, and this time- I'll make sure to go later than early May, so I can enjoy their amazing pool with a scenic view of the mountains, overlooking Sienna valley! Oh I'm getting the travel bug as I right this. Franseco was awesome!

What a cute and awesome place to stay! The nuns that run the guesthouse were like cute little…read moregrandmas who quickly learned my name and wanted to make sure I got a good breakfast and let me keep my car in their parking lot a little late. The rooms are simple, nothing fancy. The location could scarcely be better, right next to the basilica of St. Clare. There is an awesome garden that is a lovely place to read and the breakfast was one of the healthiest and most filling I ate anywhere in Italy. I'd come back here again and again and again!

Yeah. That's right. We did it. We stayed at a convent. In Assisi…read more Nuns, curfews and rules abound. Oh my! Wake your ass up to loud harp music playing on the entire PA system at 7am sharp. Get it on down to breakfast because you ain't sleeping - that harp music ain't stopping until breakfast is over. THIS IS SERIOUS, people! BABY JESUS IS WAITING!!! You better get your ass back to your room with your key visible on the wall before 11pm or you will be promptly locked out, no questions asked. Big Jesus said so. It may be hard to believe given such rules that these sisters were incredibly kind, welcoming, helpful and nice. But they truly were, they made our stay most memorable. A big plus is that if you plan to do the pilgrimage to St Francis' cave, this convent is exactly where you want to be in Assisi to begin the pilgrimage (as close as possible to the bottom of the mountain). I don't think there was a better view in all of Assisi than from our balcony. The convent itself is gorgeous from the outside - gardens included - and equally gorgeous inside. Until you get inside your room, then it looks like you are about to have day surgery. But, once we pushed our beds together and turned out the lights, the room looked really, really good. ;)