Casa Virginia, San Sano - Gaiole in Chianti - Siena and Chianti

We stayed as 2 couples in Casa Virginia and it met all of our expectations, and more. Maria Elena was a great host, helpful when needed and didn't bother us when not. The location was great for us, out of the way and quiet, about a 20min drive to Radda for provisions etc but never a problem as we stocked up on our way back form days out. The views from and around the villa are typical fabulous Tuscany and we will definitely be returning and would heartily recommend staying in this beautiful villa.

Check out Grotta Del Rana in the village, fabulous food and a nice little bar on the side with great choice of drinks and a small deli, perfect Tuscany vibe.

Elena and Massimo went beyond expectations to welcome us and help make our stay enjoyable.
Pool was lovely, villa comfortable and spacious, we even cooked pizza in the outdoor oven!

Tasting menu at Castle Brolio was superb. We loved Siena.

A great place to spend relaxed time with adult family. Wonderful views with local walks & restaurants & vineyard in the village.

Restaurant in Lecchi, a nearby village, excellent food & very friendly owners. Vineyard in the village, casual evening with simple food, friendly family who had time to chat about the history & wines. A lovely day in Siena with an easy 35 minute drive.

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We hebben een heerlijke week gehad in Casa Virginia, alles was tot in de puntjes verzorgd. Het zwembad was fantastisch. Host zeer responsief en gaf goede tips. Uitzicht en directe omgeving prachtig.

We hebben allerlei uitjes gedaan vanuit San Sano. Oa de Diborrato waterval en Siena waren erg leuk. We hebben gegeten in het dorp en in een dorp verderop (Lecchi), de laatste was onze favoriet!

Quite possibly one of the most fantastic vacations we have taken as a family; in no short part because of Elena and Massismo. Not only was the location completely as described prior to arrival - it was superior. After arrival their assistance with planning our adventures, combined with fantastic communication, ensured a great stay. This was possibly the hardest review I have written - as I am torn between being honest.. and lying to ensure noone ever books this again so I have no competition. Honesty, however, prevails.

Too many to share here. The village of San Santo was small and quaint - but exactly what we wanted. The winery tour to nearby Castello di Selvole was definitely (graciously arranged by Elena) was certainly a high point.

It’s a beautiful villa inside and out. It’s the last villa in a small village. You have sweeping views of the rolling hills of Tuscany, with vineyards, olive trees, and other small villages. And you can walk from the villa through a charming small village with one restaurant ( it’s pretty good, too!)

Inside, my favorite room was a sun room, something I’ve not seen in Italy before. It had nice light from morning until the afterglow of sunset was finished. (Most villas are built into the hillside and are quite dark inside.) The villa had every appliance, tool, dish, everything you could possibly need. I’ve never seen a condo or home rental so well-stocked.

Outside, there are three distinct areas you can choose to sit based on whether you want sun, want a breeze or not. Two of them are covered if there’s rain. That doesn’t count the pool area, which is huge—the pool itself was plenty big enough for me to keep up my home routine of swimming laps.

Elena and Massimo were wonderful hosts, offering to bring anything we need and bringing us gifts we didn’t expect. Elena encouraged me to contact her on WhatsApp anytime I had any question.

Malborghetto in nearby Lecchi is minutes away. It’s so good, I don’t understand why it doesn’t have a Michelin star. Great food, very friendly, English spoken fluently. Radda is my favorite town in Tuscany. It’s a 15 minute drive from Casa Virginia. It’s just large enough to have several good restaurants, a wonderful deli/grocery, Casa Porciatti and its companion wine store where Riccardo will quickly learn your taste preferences and recommend wines that you will love. He will teach you if you want about Italian wines and which ones go best with which foods. Radda is small enough that it is not overrun with tourists. In fact, most of the tourists seem to be Italians.

Casa Virginia is in the small village of San Sano. It is well located, a short drive to the next village of Lecci which has a small store or 10km into Radda which has an excellent COOP. There is a small trattoria in the village where we are a number of times and enjoyed the food.
There was a good market on Sunday in Panzano.
The house is quite comfortable but lacked enough lounge room seating for the six of us (it was getting cooler in the evenings)
The kitchen was good but there were no basics such as oil etc that we are used to when we stay in equivalent accommodation is Australia. We arrived on Saturday afternoon and found the shops closed so that was a little problematic as we had our grandchildren with us and needed to stock up. Minimal cleaning supplies were included. We did get some more at the start of week two
The beds were ok but the pillows definitely needed to be replaced.
They loved the pool which was still warm enough for swimming.
The view across the vineyards was glorious.
Overall we did enjoy our two week stay at Casa Virginia

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La maison est très bien située, avec une vue magnifique. L'extérieur est particulièrement agréable, avec de multiples terrasses et un couvert, tous bien agencés, pour profiter de chaque moment de la journée. Le jardin est beau, soigné et typiquement agrémenté de gros pots de plantes qui donnent beaucoup de cachet.
Nous avons été un peu déçus par la piscine. L'eau est propre et régulièrement entretenue, cependant le revêtement du bord est usé et taché (accumulation d'huiles solaires selon les propriétaires), et cela a sali de façon indélébile tous nos vêtements de bain. Le mobilier de piscine est également un peu vétuste.
La maison a été rénovée avec soin. Chaque chambre dispose d'une salle de bain, ce qui est très agréable. Les lits ne sont par contre pas très confortables malheureusement. La cuisine est bien agencée, pratique pour cuisiner à plusieurs et manger en famille sur la terrasse adjacente. Il y a peut-être un peu trop de vaisselle et d'ustensiles, dont certains mal entretenus par les locataires précedents. Enfin, les propriétaires sont accueillants et disponibles.
Globalement, c'est un endroit charmant, à recommander, mais dont le rapport qualité-prix pourrait être amélioré.

Wonderful experience with the most amazing hosts. The house is so comfortable and charming, the pool and the garden are a dream!

Il Malborghetto and La Grotta della Rana Valpicciola Badia di Contibuono

The villa Casa Virginia was absolutely stunning with a beautiful landscape and a fantastic layout. Three very nice and spacious bedrooms with impeccable bathrooms, allowed us to all have our own private space. The kitchen had everything you need and more. The dining area was big enough for 4-6 people, and just a bit dark, but the living area was fabulous with opening doors to the olive garden. It is an idyllic house with all the comfort you would like to see. Unfortunately, it was too early in April to have the swimming pool in use, but it was anyway too cold. I can only imagine how beautiful it will be when it is a bit warmer. The only constructive criticism we all could think of was the limited wifi capacity, but with our phones, it all worked fine and it is anyway a shame with such surroundings to be on your phone or computer. We will definitively aim to come back. Also because the hosts were charming, very helpful, and welcoming both before our stay, at arrival and at departure.

When you stay at Casa Virginia, but also if you stay anywhere in the neighborhood of Lecchi, you have to go and have dinner at Ristorante Malborghetto. Not only do they have fantastic food (I had a hard time keeping others away from my plate, so good was it), but they also had fantastic service. All staff was super friendly but in a very genuine welcoming way. In our five days there we ate twice in the restaurant because it was just such a pleasant experience. A must-go