An amazing place right in the heart of Florence! The Residenza Giotto is located in very Central…read moreVia Roma, at the corner with the Duomo square. It's a small B&B made of 8 rooms with balcony, and a kitchen with a beautiful terrace. In the Summer you can enjoy breakfast looking at the magnificent Duomo and Giotto's belltower! Staff is extremely friendly, and helping every need during breakfast time. Wi-Fi in the rooms is free. And if you're lucky as I was, you can even fall asleep watching the belltower!

We stayed here for 4 nights and it was perfect! Giorgio and Silvia, who run the quaint and tidy…read moreB&B, were very friendly and welcoming. The B&B is centrally located next to the Duomo, in Florence's city center. We enjoyed an excellent view from our balcony of the church and bell tower. Also, each morning we were served a delicious breakfast with coffee. Next to the dining area, we could step outside onto the porch to enjoy the view of the Duomo. Silvia and Giorgio also provided excellent restaurant recommendations with a helpful map. Also they called to make reservations at both the Uffizi and Accademia museums for us. Reservations can be confusing and hard to set up for non-fluent Italian speakers. Giorgio and Silvia both speak fluent and clear English, by the way. The rates for our stay were very reasonable and well worth it, for the high quality of service and comfort we enjoyed. There is free Wi-Fi internet that had a strong signal for our entire stay too. Summary: Great vacation B&B, friendly and efficient service with at a reasonable rate! "Molto bene!"

We booked late and were happy to get the last room available at the property, the "small room"…read morecalled the Elena. This room is very small but super nice for the price! I have no complaints about the room. It was clean, comfortable and well furnished. While it was indeed very small, we were able to move around with no problems. The bed was cozy but comfortable and hard, like most beds in Italy; (some extra pillows would've been appreciated, we had to roll up our clothes underneath to create a makeshift pillow). Everything was in perfect working order and the room's decor was homey and comfy. The common areas are adorable with a communal kitchen, workspace with computer, and tea / dining room. There are even two friendly fish by the entryway (I really wish they had a bigger bowl, though -- I am worried about their health and happiness)! The owner has really thought of everything -- there were tourist books in various languages, a nice coffee machine, fresh flowers in the room, an in-room refrigerator, nice toiletries and even umbrellas to borrow by the door. Upon check-in, the staff was eager to offer suggestions for places to see and things to do. On our departure day, they called us a taxi. It was great service. The room had a very modern bathroom with a lovely rainfall overhead showerhead with terrific water pressure. The bathroom space was cramped but not unworkable. There was no bidet, only a kitchen-style sprayer that came out of the wall. We laughed at that but we don't use bidets anyway. The property is difficult to find. Look for the Hard Rock Cafe (it's across the street) and the new Nespresso store (it's right next door). You can walk there from the train station but I wouldn't recommend it if you are carrying heavy bags. The location is phenomenal; you can walk just about anywhere you'd want to see in the city. I was thrilled with the location. I almost hate to write this review because I don't want to secret to get out! The #1 best thing about this hotel was the in-room A/C! It is INDIVIDUALLY CONTROLLED and cooled our room down like an icebox! This is so very important in Italy and Europe in general and as an American from a desert city, I know heat and I like to be cool. We were chilly as penguins at this property. The Elena small room had zero view, but it didn't matter to us (see my photos of the view from our room). We only slept there so I didn't care if we had a city view or not. The entire city is steps outside your door! We enjoyed the complimentary breakfast. It was served at a cafe around the corner / a short walk away. You can take a table inside or outside without paying any extra. We had breakfast there twice; the first time the employees seemed SUPER annoyed at all the B&B guests and were less than friendly and welcoming. The second day it was smiles all around. And yes, we speak Italian and communicated with them in their native language (though others did not; they were really annoyed at them)! Good, fresh and sweet pastries and tasty espresso. Note that this B&B is in a very old building that is shared with full-time resident tenants. You will see locals coming and going with their dogs, groceries, etc. There is only one very old-style cage elevator that, if it is ever out of service, you'd have a very hefty climb up several flights of steep stone stairs. Just be aware of this if you have mobility issues. I'm not sure a wheelchair would fit in the elevator either, just FYI. This is a beautiful, romantic B&B. And don't you dare call it a "hotel," the owner really, REALLY hates that! He will correct you (again and again) if you do.

Stayed here for two days location was GREAT! Staff was friendly really liked the decor... You are…read morereally centrally located. My only complaint is when I booked the room online it clearly stated it had AC... The first night was horrible we had the AC on and it only pumped in hot air also the room we where in was sooo hot. After having a horrible nights sleep and being attacked by misquito's I called over to the main desk a woman answered when i asked about the AC her only response was " We recently switched the AC to heatas it was cold a few days ago" I asked if anything could be done as the room is miserably hot. The only thing she said was "i'll notify the owner" so we went out around Florence seeing all it had to offer only to come back to a VERY HOT room.

Most amazing stay with them in 2017. Hope it reopens soon.! Can still get their wine (LaLastra) in…read moreupstate NY!

Just outside of Siena this place is a jewel. I hesitate to actually do a review because it will…read morebook up faster, however the owners deserve a great review. The couple that owns this vineyard is super sweet and the staff is really excellent. Everything, and I mean everything, was fantastic. We stayed one night but I wish it was more. The "light" dinner they prepared was one of the best meals on our recent trip, all was fresh, well prepared and the wine tasting to go with it was also very good. The room was a little slice of heaven and very quite at night which was a welcome change from the city. The views were stunning, I walked the vineyard early in the morning and loved it. Don't believe me? Check out the photos!

Just like "Under the Tuscan Sun". We stayed a couple of nights there and explored Tuscany…read morerestaurants and wineries. Elena was a great host that was some years back and I understand they have expanded their facilities since that time.

This is a gem of a location to tour tuscany, Siena, and their lovely wine regions. The owner,…read moreElena, is warm and welcoming offering many great suggestions, booking reservations for us and offering a delightful evening making a homemade dinner in her kitchen cooking class--the wine flowed and we had so much wonderful food and had a chance to meet other visiting guests who were equally enchanted being here. The grounds and amenities are lovely--Elena found this estate more than 18 years ago in terrible shape but used her fashion design background wisely! We cannot recommend this place enough, everyone is raving about how lucky we are to be here.

Amazing food, friendly service and great house wine! Being people who love good food, we had a…read moregreat time. We strongly recommend this place. The prices are very reasonable too.

Charming little B&B in a 14th century building in the heart of Lucca…read more They have 5 colour themed rooms, we had the delightfully cosy green room. The young owners are extremely helpful and welcoming. They gave us great tips on local aperitivo bars. All rooms have private bathroom, tv and minibar. Breakfast is huge and delicious. Highly recommended.

We arrived to a very warm welcome from both Giulio and Gaia the owners of this former 14th century…read morepalace. No lifts back then and none now but dont let that bother you at all as its only 1 floor up. The room was airy and spacious tastfully decorated, clean and complete with tv, mini bar and lovely en suite. Location is wonderful, only 2 mins walk to the Guinigi Tower and less to the main shopping street. Despite its central location the hotel was quiet and relaxing. Now on to the best bit, if you like eggs you will love this place. How do you like them? Just say and they will do them for you, alongside breakfast buffet of cereal, breads, meats, fresh fruit and the best coffee in Lucca. We are going back asap and hope to many times over. Go on give yourself a treat and book NOW.

Rita Lucherini's hands on cooking class was a delight. With one day's notice, she picked us up at…read moreour hotel in Barga. In her large kitchen we made bruschetta, farro soup, 4 kinds of pasta from scratch (tagliatelle, maccheroni, ravioli, and spaghetti), 4 sauces (pomodoro, ragu, Salciccia , and butter with fresh sage), and tiramisu. Lots of chopping and simmering and getting our hands "dirty"! While cooking we had white wine, then red with dinner. She's a great teacher. Nothing fancy, just how to make good food in a simple way. Price was 85 euro each....we thought that was quite reasonable for 5 hours of cooking and eating, with recipes to take home! She's Italian, born in Scotland, so excellent English. Rita also has a few apartments and a B&B called La Mezzaluna, so she offers 4 and 7 day cooking experiences with some side trips to nearby places in Tuscany. Much less expensive than the upscale, pricey things I've seen advertised. I think her website is www.residencelamezzaluna.it She's also on Facebook.

From the owner: Have fun and join our cookery and wine tasting holiday in this beautiful part of Northern Tuscany…read more Combine cooking and wine tasting and learn all the basic Italian cooking techniques and traditions la bella "Garfagnana and Serchio Valley has to offer. We will visit our local market, wander the streets of Barga, known as one of the prettiest villages in Italy and we shall visit Lucca and Pisa .The most part of the time there are concerts, folk festivals, outdoor food festivals (where you can savour typical products), theatre, Barga Jazz and the Opera Barga. Available is my 4 night and 7 night holiday which includes accomodation all meals airport and local transfers,cooking and wine tasting sessions plus live entertainment with Alex. You may want to join my daily lesson which lasts 4 hours and we will then savour together our meal prepared with a glass of finest Tuscan wine. Come to La Mezzaluna and Cook and Dine with Rita Tuscan Style..