Torretta Barbischio

From the moment Isabella met us and showed us around the villa with her son we were in or own little Hill top paradise. What a setting and what fabulous facilities over 6 levels (house and garden having 3 each). Bedrooms were all luxurious and very comfortable as was the lounge. Large and well equipped kitchen met all our needs and those of the visiting chef who is highly reommended. Stunning gardens and pool area to relax in the sun. Small gym is a great addition for fitness enthusiasts. The views at all times of the day are simply awesome. Highly recommended.

Visited Osteria Il Papavero, which is a very short walk from the villa, twice during our holiday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Great traditional food in a simple setting.

The villa is in a stunning location with spectacular views! It has been refurbished to a high standard and the pool and terraces are beautifully laid out and make the most of the views.
You can happily spend many hours relaxing by the pool, enjoying the views and eating on the terrace, so it's difficult to tear yourself away, but of course there is so much to see at nearby Radda, Siena a little further, and Florence although that is a longer round trip.
We found the overall "To Tuscany" experience very professional from the booking, to the welcome at the house by Isabella and her son(who were lovely and very helpful), and the general upkeep and cleanliness of the house.
We would not hesitate to use "To Tuscany" again and can certainly recommend Torretta Barbischio as a delightful location!

The local restaurant Osteria Il Papavero(it really is only 50m away!) is excellent and we ate there 3 times. You will need to book in peak periods, especially Saturday evenings. You can play tennis at Gaiole(3km) at the Commune sports centre and it is possible to book in advance by calling in(we brought our own rackets). We greatly enjoyed a family cooking evening lesson together--there is a cooking school in Gaiole but it was shut for August so we booked at Fagiolari at Panzano in Chianti(30 minutes) and had a very good experience there.

Bravo to the owners of Torretta Barbischio! We had an amazing three weeks in this lovely and well appointed villa. The owners have taken special care to provide beautiful furnishings and well designed living areas. Isabella and family and Paolo were extraordinarily helpful and provided excellent services. The outdoor spaces featuring amazing views and gardens are spectacular. We can't say enough good things about this lovely villa. Thank you!

We took advantage of the 90 second walk to Il Papavera numerous times over the 3 weeks. Francisco and Claudio are wonderful hosts. We also visited our favorite restaurant - perhaps in the world - at Badia a Coltibuono. Vineyards at Podera Ciona and Castello di Ama were wonderful.

Fabulous villa with incredible views over Gaiole. Exactly as described and very well equipped. Loved the pool. Lots of little extras which we didn't expect like mini toiletries including sun lotion! We had a great time and were incredibly impressed with Isabella and her family who hold the keys. Good location between Firenze and Siena.

Loved Il Papavero just a few feet from the villa door. Great food and really friendly people. Siena was every bit as beautiful as we'd heard. Radda a short drive away and a beautiful place for a wander. Coop shop in Gaiole was very well stocked providing almost everything we wanted. Castello di Ama was great to visit and do a little wine tasting - but do book!

Fabulous place! We enjoyed a wonderful week and totally relaxed at this amazing location. Scenery and view from the terrace and pool breathtaking. Isabella and Gabriele so welcoming. Il Papavero footsteps away - brilliant food for a special occasion.

Il Papavero was fabulous but quite expensive. Gaiole still relatively sleepy but gearing up for high season - can recommend the cheap and tasty pizzas from main square restaurant. Worth travelling to the small but perfect vineyard and olive farm recommended by the owners.

Wonderful home and everything was as advertised. All of the people that we met who take care of the property were first class.

It was everything it seemed to be from the website and more. Beautiful and tasteful renovation, well appointed, pool and gym much valued, views extraordinary. Key holder provided outstanding service, both on arrival and with regular cleaning. Excellent local restaurant and centrally positioned.

We ate at the restaurant in Barbischio on the first night, which was lovely. On your recommendation, Mikala came in and cooked for the four of us on Monday night. She was charming, the food was very good (particularly the ravioli in butter and sage sauce, which was silky smooth) and she was also very efficient. We also very much enjoyed truffle hunting in San Miniato and our visit to Panzone (including lunch with "Dario the butcher" in his main restaurant, which was outstanding).

Everything!! The view of the rolling hills with the vineyards and olive trees was breath
taking. The villa was meticulous. The Tuscan kitchen was beautiful, we cooked in
it one night and had a visiting chef another night and found it had everything we needed. While the villa is somewhat remote for some, (about 45 min to an hour to Siena) I enjoyed this aspect. We used the driving service reviewed on this site, "Marco" met us at the airport, drove us to the villa where he had our rental car waiting and took care of the car and the trip back to the airport at the end of our stay.
He was wonderful, everything he promised and quoted was done exactly as originally
quoted..THIS WAS A TRIP OF A LIFETIME!!!

The coffee pots in the kitchen, didn't work well and were to small to make coffee
for 5 adults, I think there was a 2 cup Mr. Coffee which took 30 min. to drip.

Beautiful views, lots of space for the 4 of us. The villa is equipped with everything to make your stay comfortable. The pool is absolutely gorgeous. Location is excellent for touring the local wineries and access to amazing restaurants. There is a lovely restaurant, La Papavero, about 500 meters from the villa for those evenings when convenience overrides the need to explore.

Le Contrade, malbergherto, Brolio castle, Raddi in Chianti, Panzano market, Casanuova wine tasting

Just about everything !
Beds a bit hard for us.

Il Papavero very good and only about a 30 second walk away !

Beautiful and well-equipped house in a lovely location

Strongly recommend Papavero and Le Contrade restaurants. Also wine-tasting at Rocca di Castagnoli

Das Haus liegt sehr ruhig am Dorfrand mit wunderschöner Aussicht über das Tal, trotzdem ist man schnell im Ort Gaiole zum Einkaufen. Die Ausstattung insgesamt ist sehr gut durchdacht, alles Notwendige war vorhanden.
Die Hausverwalterin Isabella ist sehr nett und hat das Haus während unseres Aufenhaltes super betreut. Der Pool wurde regelmäßig von Paolo gereinigt. Ein großes Lob an die beiden! Insgesamt ein wunderbarer, erholsamer Urlaub in einem schönen Ferienhaus!
Es gibt nichts zu bemängeln!

Florenz (per Bahn von Montevarchi aus), Siena, Gaiole, Radda, Castellina, Arezzo, Volterra, S.Gimignano, Landschaft Le Crete bei Siena. Im Ort gibt es eine kleine Pizzeria, wo man auch mal mittags problemlos gut essen kann (direkt am öffentlichen Parkplatz, am Anfang der Fußgängerzone)

We loved the layout, view, furnishings, modern and private bathrooms, outdoor spaces, presence of a gym, bedrooms all similar size and quality, modern, well-equipped kitchen, great windows with screens, wonderful little restaurant just steps away, very accommodating caretaker, multiple cleanings during the week
lighting was kind of dim...hard to read by
door locks were a bit annoying...needed a key to get in or out, which could potentially pose a fire hazard
no way to play music -- no speaker system

Il Papavero!! (ate there twice) Ristorante Le Contrade up the hill

Spectacular location and villa
Isabella, the local owner's rep, was great and very responsive



May we suggest that screens are needed on the upstairs windows in the bedrooms to keep the bees out...

Osteria il Papavero, the nearby restaurant we frequented 3 times during the stay, was authentic and charming

die Sauberkeit, die Ausstattung, der Pool und der Service
es fehtl eine Überdachung im Aussenbereich zum sitzen, bei leichtem Regen mussten wir immer ins Haus ( keine Kritik, nur eine Anregung)

Restauants:Osteriail Bandito, Rocca di Castagnoli, Casa al Vento Ausflugsziele: Sienna, Radda, Brolio, Greve

The view and pool/terrace area - superb!
Isabella, Gabriel and helpers were excellent.
House furnished beautifully to a high standard.
The location, as part of a very small hamlet with no shop and had to use the car for everything. No place to walk except down hill!
Quite dark property - needs better lighting.
As others have mentioned - beds and pillows too hard.

Dinner at Badia Coltibuono was excellent. Wonderful tour of the winery Castelle de Brolio - so interesting. La Botte di Bacco in Radda - superb meal and service. Loved Siena - lucky enough to be part of the thrill that is the Palio!

ruhige Lage
Kinder stören keine anderen Gäste
Flair
besonders ansprechend ist auch die Poolanlage mit dem weiten Blick

L a qualité de la villa, la superbe vue, cuisine bien équipée, installation extérieure exceptionnelle, tranquilité, resto il papavero à proximité...
Une seule petite chose à noter: pas de moustiquaire dans la chambre principale

resto il papavero, tournée du chianti, petite boutique dans le village de Gaiole.

Location and quality of the villa
Occasional dogs barking

The terrace just outside the kitchen has to be one of the best tables in Tuscany so we ate in for most meals

Sehr gemütlich; liebevoll eingerichtet und gepflegt; toller Pool
Betten sehr hart

Obwohl wir 1 Stunde zu früh ankamen, wurden wir sehr herzlich empfangen. Wir fanden eine sehr schöne, gut gepflegte, komplett ausgestattete und sauber Unterkunft mit viel Komfort vor. Wir sind eine toskanophile Gruppe, die gerne zuhause regionale Gerichte zubereitet und auch viel Zeit in der Unterkunft verbringt. Wir haben schon eine Reihe von Ferienhäusern kennrngelernt, und aufgrund der Erfahrungen hatten wir eine ganze Reihe von Dingen, die wir als unbedingt erforderlich erachten, eingepackt, Wir hätten NICHTS einpacken müssen, es war alles vorhanden. Eine derart gut ausgestattete Unterkunft hatten wir bis dato noch nie.
Wir können diese Unterkunft mit bestem Gewissen empfehlen!
Ein kleines Minus bekommt die Unterkunft aufgrund eines nicht vorhandenen Kleiderschrankes und einer nicht vorhandenen Abstellmöglichkeit jeweils in einem der drei Schlafzimmer.

Osteria Papavero (ein Muss), Siena, Weingüter in der Region (Brolio, Fonterutuli, Meleto, Terrabianca, Ama, ...)

Everything! The villa is exceptionally well maintained and the position in Chianti is stunning. Osteria il Papavero is just 50m up the road and was one of the best meals we had in Tuscany.
leaving...

Osteria il Papavero has great food.

Beautiful and very well done conversion with fantastic views. Great swimming pool & gym.
The location in just a hamlet with about 12 houses, a church, a bell tower a very small walled cemetary and a really, really good restaurant...perfect.
Isabella is delightful and the service provided by her, the owner & Paulo the pool guy is second to none....Well done.
The top floor, front bedroom needs a chest of drawers and the stairs wear you out till you organise yourself!

Favourite restaurant must be La Contrad up a tiny unmade track, off the road into Gaiole from the villa, it's about 1.5km away. A very clever, talented and charming Chef Great and reasonably priced wine list.....Try the Cuvee Rose!!! Travelling to Florence from Montevarchi by train is just so cheao, easy and cuts out all the hassle of parking etc in Florence.