Tuscany
Villa Agosto
Borgo Bucine
Villa Colle
Castello Niccolo
Villa Ristoro
Casale Rubino

Villa Ristoro - Six Rustic Houses Surrounding a Village in Tuscany

First class vacation village near Arezzo, an hour south of Florence and forty minutes to Siena. The cottages and apartments, tucked in among vineyards and olive groves, are charmingly restored and exceptionally well-equipped for the value offered. They are all walking distance to a small village that has grocery stores and restaurants.

Six farmhouses renovated for vacationers are scattered around the hill that is crowned by a small town that has all the essential services within an easy walk. Each farmhouse has great countryside views, its own swimming pool, plenty of parking, as well as a shared washing machine.

Every cottage and apartment is unique in configuration but all are similarly well-furnished with high quality Tuscan-style furnishings, a mixture of reproductions and antiques. The bathrooms are tiled and have very good fixtures. The full kitchens are  equipped with basic cooking equipment, dishes and flatware. Most of the buildings are fieldstone with plastered interior walls that sometimes show charming glimpses of the underlying stonework, most show the original, exposed beams and all have cool easy-care 'cotto (terracotta) floors. The lighting tends to be good so you can usually find a well-lit spot to read.

Each apartment has its own terrace with table, chairs and barbecue as well as a parking spot. You will find a pair of loaner bicycles at each cluster of accommodations, free for your use.

The management office is located in the property winery located on the main road. The family's beautiful villa is located in the village where they host events such as weddings, and, when events permit, they welcome vacation guests for a weekly wine tasting of their excellent wine.

We have stayed at this property.  Our opinion:

• We really enjoyed our stay.

• These are a good value, good quality accommodations. 

• The pool was well maintained.

• The kitchen equipment is basic, no microwave or drip coffee maker appreciated by Americans.

• Some of the living rooms did not have enough sofa space or easy chairs to seat all the guests.

• The managers were welcoming and helpful, easily reached with the in-apartment telephone, but also quite busy.

• We were concerned that there were, as is usual in Italy, no screens on the windows, but our hosts' assertion that mosquitoes were not a problem were proven true and we didn't see a single one during our August stay.  We still recommend bringing mosquito repellant.

• We love the area with lots of hill towns to visit, great views, and an easy one hour drive to Florence.

Request your dates. Phone US 781.275.1055

Villa Ristoro in Tuscany Details

Tuscan Estate with Pool

Each cluster of cottages and apartments has its own pool, shared washer, and loaner bikes. The Valle pool is particularly nice with two levels.

Each accommodation is unique in layout but all have exposed beams, rustic furniture, a mixture of antiques and reproductions, and cool 'cotto floors.

Click on map to enlarge

Villa and Apartment Descriptions & Prices

Villa Valle 

Margherita (Daisy): Sleeps 2+2 – 1 bedroom, 1 bath, 700 sq ft, 65 sqm. An independent cottage with a little tower (the former dovecote?) on three levels. On the ground floor is a large living room with dining area and kitchen with oven, refrigerator with freezer, dishwasher and four burner stove top, and bathroom with shower and bath tub. The mezzanine level has a closet and the third level is an open room with a queen sized bed. Double sofa bed available in the living room. Photos.

Violetta (Violet) : Sleeps 4+2 – 1.5 bedrooms, 1 bath, 700 sq ft, 65 sqm - Two floor apartment with a private terrace with table and chairs and barbecue. Ground floor with large room that contains the living room area, dining area and kitchen with oven, refrigerator with freezer, dishwasher and four burner stove top. On the second floor there is a bedroom with queen sized bedroom and through a bedroom with bunk beds, a bathroom with tub and separate step-in shower. Double sofa bed in the living room. Photos.

Ciclamino (Cyclamen): Sleeps 4 + 2 – 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, 915 sq ft, 85 sqm. Two floor stone cottage with a private and spacious covered terrace furnished with table and chairs. On the ground floor is a large living room with dining area and kitchen with oven, refrigerator with freezer, dishwasher and four burner stove top, and half bath. On the second floor is a bedroom with queen sized bed and second bedroom with bunk beds and a bathroom with shower over tub. Double sofa bed available in the living room. Photos.

Lilla (Lilly): Sleeps 4 – 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1075 sq t, 100 sqm. A second floor apartment reached by a private staircase. Private covered terrace outside. Large living room with dining area and kitchen with oven, refrigerator with freezer, dishwasher and four burner stove top. Bedroom with queen sized bed, twin bed room and two bathrooms, one with step-in shower and one with bath tub. Photos.

Gelsomino (Jasmine): Sleeps 5+2 – 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1190 sq ft,  110 sqm. Large living room with dining area and kitchen with oven, refrigerator with freezer, dishwasher and four burner stove top, one twin bedroom, bedroom with a queen size bed and a single bed, and two bathrooms with showers. Double sofa bed available in the living room.

Primula (Primrose): Sleeps 5+2 – 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 970 sq ft, 90 sqm. Two floor apartment. On the ground floor is a large living room with dining area and kitchen with oven, refrigerator with freezer, dishwasher and four burner stove top and one bathroom. On the second floor are two bedrooms with queen sized beds, a single room and one bathroom with shower. Double sofa bad available in the living room.

Prices

Euros

Weekly Rates

High Season

Dec 30, 07 - Jan 7, 08

Jul 5 - Aug 16, 08

Dec 27, 08 - Jan 2, 09

Mid Season

Mar 22 - 29

May - Jul 5

Aug 16 - Sep 13

Low Season

Sep 16 - Dec 30, 07

1 Jan - 22 Mar

29 Mar - 17 May

Sep 13 - Dec 27, 08

Violetta 4+2

€790

Ciclamino 4+2

€1090

Lilla 4+2

€900

€950

Primula 5+3

€1040

Guest Comments

Our apartment in Tuscany [Lecci in the Giglio complex] was very nicely appointed and enjoyed a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. The big drawback was no a/c in 100 degree weather. There were also no fans. We requested a table fan and the owner supplied one on our second day. We had planned to have some "down" days relaxing in the apartment and by the pool combined with some touring days. We revised our plans because the extreme heat made it impossible to relax in the apartment during the day. So, we spent all of the days touring. We were located adjacent to a villa that is used for parties. There was a wedding the weekend we arrived including a band that played into the wee hours for the first 2 nights of our stay.  [The main villa near the Giglio complex does host weddings and events usually on weekends. The other Ristoro complexes are farther away and do not experience the sound of the music. Pat]

The best restaurant in town is the one just off the market square with the fish in a refrigerated case out front...I'm sorry I don't recall the name. We ate there 3 times. Our traveling days were spent exploring local hill towns and the bigger cities of Florence, Pisa and Siena. We drove to Pisa, but I would not recommend driving. Lots of traffic and road construction. Take the train! Florence is an easy train ride from the nearby town of Bucine. Bucine does not have a ticket counter in the station...tickets can be purchased from the newsstand up the road. Florence was great. The Duomo museum was very interesting and not crowded. A great follow-up to visiting the Duomo. The children also enjoyed the Science Museum and climbing to the top of the Duomo (a much tougher climb than the leaning tower in Pisa or Il Campo in Siena!). Advance tickets for the Uffizi are a must as the lines are very long otherwise. Likewise, the Accademia requires advance tickets to avoid a very long line. The Bargello is a little gem of a museum that is not crowded. It has odd hours, closes around 2:00, but is a great place to see Renaissance sculpture including some by Michelangelo and Donatello. For souvenirs, Il Papiro has beautiful stationary. In Siena, an easy drive from our villa, we climbed the tower in the civic square Il Campo. Only a limited number of visitors are allowed at a time so the wait can be quite long in the middle of the day. We went late afternoon and only waited about 15 minutes. Lovely views from the top. I highly recommend Ristorante Guidoriccio near Il Campo. The food was delicious and the owner very personable. It's nice to visit both Siena and Florence for the contrast between a Renaissance and more medieval city.

Arriving early (or late) is also key in Pisa. Unfortunately, we arrived midday and had to wait several hours to climb the leaning tower. In Pisa, you purchase your ticket to climb the tower in advance; again a limited number are allowed up at a time. So, the tickets are timed. We waited about 3 hours to climb the leaning tower...climbing towers was definitely a highlight for my sons, aged 10 and 13. Of the smaller towns, my favorites were Pienza, a lovely little town featuring a Renaissance palace that we toured, and Chiusi which features Etruscan ruins. All of the hill towns have stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

Diane S., Indiana, July 2007

I just want you to know how very much we enjoyed our house [Ciclamino], the view, the amenities, the weather, the village of Pieve, the wine tasting, Elizabeth [manager], the village dog who adopted us and we named Osso Buco--everything was perfect and wonderful. We ate every meal on the terrace, and soaked up the gorgeous view. We enjoyed the market in Pieve, the two restaurants in town, and Le Cantine in the next town. Pieve is a tiny village that looks like it should be in a movie. The pool was great, and kept immaculately. Being a flower person, I loved the lavender, roses, and other flowers throughout the grounds, and was fascinated with the wisteria covered walkway to the little house where the clothes washer was, amidst the olive trees. It was a lovely trip, and I just wanted you to know how very special it was.

If you go over, and see Osso Buco, please give him a hug for us. He's a smallish short haired black dog, very friendly. He slept on our front door step every night, and I know he misses us ! He was very well behaved, and never tried to come into the house. Someone taught him very good manners, although he stole the butter off our table one morning, and liked to run off and hide our shoes behind the house.

My husband and I slept on the sofa bed every night, and slept better than we ever sleep at home.

Thanks so much for everything, and the amenities of spaghetti and breakfast food was a wonderful treat.

Regards, Jean Frederick, June 2007

I keep forgetting to send you a report on our trip. Of course there’s nothing relaxing about traveling with a 2.5 year old and a 6 month old (who doesn’t sleep through the night) but we had a great family adventure. The house was adorable, the view spectacular and the pool and grounds perfectly manicured without feeling like Disneyworld. The staff was terribly charming (we decided that Sergio needs a wine show on Food Network) but the other businesses (wine producing and other villas) definitely distracted them from being very responsive. The lack of screens was problematic since there were mosquitoes. 

Although I wasn’t a big fan of Per Bacco’s café or restaurant (maybe our lack of Italian was working against us), I thought the other two restaurants in town were very good. We were invited to a wine tasting at the big villa which was wonderful…there was a (delicious) full meal afterward. The town was a little sleepy but Arezzo was a nice surprise. We had to lure our toddler with promises of gelato and dvd watching to make the trip, but it was a good way to get a small meal on tourist hours and to feel like we were getting out there. We did one overnight trip to Siena which was nice and as you know we ended the trip with two nights in Florence which was a perfect way to wind down and ease our commute to the airport early Sat morning.

Thank you so much for helping us pull all this together so quickly. We are very grateful and I gave you the “full” report only so you can help future guests. We had a very memorable vacation and Nina now says Buonasera like a native.

Michele M, September 2006

The accommodations were great.  The views were great, the pool was great.  The kids especially loved the pool. Only drawbacks were the insects at the pool and the lack of staples in the house (no soap, dish soap, laundry soap etc.)  The Germans staying in the house next door were laughably unfriendly and we made a big joke out of it. The location was fantastic. The little town was perfect and the little restaurant in the square was great. We went twice and made many friends. The food was fabulous and the wine of course was local and very good. My boys played lots of soccer with the local kids and my oldest was invited to their weekly match. The little restaurant at the gas station/bar was ok but very friendly. We got all our directions and help from the family who owned it. If you want to watch TV, get instructions on working it. We couldn't figure it out but that was fine. You were great.

Jessie, K, July 2006

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