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.

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.

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. ;)

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

The last time that I was in Italy we stayed at this lovely hotel in the center of all the…read moreattractions. Super convenient to everything. It was right next door to the Hard Rock Cafe, American and British school for English classes. The hotel is surrounded by all the best shops and restaurants. We were literally in one of the best locations for Florence. Our room was nice, so no complaints in my book. I can be quite picky, so I would have no problem with staying here again. They kept the room clean each day and provided clean towels and great service.

Couldn't have picked a better place to stay during our vacation to Florence. Unbelievable…read morelocation, with easy and fast access to everything Florence has to offer. Maybe a couple of blocks to the Duomo. My wife and I spent a week there and would definitely recommend it to anyone. I keep thinking back to waking up in the mornings to the sound of bells ringing throughout the city, looking down on the streets while the smell of Cafe Americano and pastries drift up from below. The room was clean and the A/C was fantastic. What a hidden jewel in the heart of Firenze!