Vecchio Frantoio, Gaiole in Chianti - Siena

The villa was absolutely fantastic and really met up to our expectations. But please note that it is located in the middle of nowhere, you have to drive at least 20 minutes to get to a (really tiny) supermarket. It's really quite and located in a really small "village" (I don't think you can call it a village haha) and it's a 30 minute drive up-hill where you don't really come accross other cars or people. If you love a sereen holiday in a beautiful area this is really the place to go.

We were at the villa with 6 people plus one baby, but the villa is not really located on a kid-friendly ground cause of the many height differences and steep stairs (the garden is located on 3 differend levels). But apart from that everything was taken care off (a bed for the baby to sleep in, a chair, etc).

The conciërge was really friendly and the villa was really clean and tidy. They come and clean the place twice in one week and changed the towels and stuff, that was really great. You don't have to bring anything from the villa except for your own clothes :-)

Only "negative" thing we can think about are the really uncomfortable hard beds. Apart from that, great villa in a lovely area!

- Wine- & oliveoil tasting just accross the street (like really, a 5 meter walk) - Sienna (lovely and cosy), Florence is really busy, touristic and large. - You should realy book a cooking class, it was really great and we had a lot of fun!

Would you like to translate?

Wir waren mit insgesamt 5 Personen und für eine Woche in der Vecchio Frantoio. Bei Ankunft erwartete uns ein großer Korb mit Präsenten (Gemisch aus Süssem, Milch, Wasser, Prosecco, O-Saft, etc.) :-) Sehr nette Ansprechpartnerin vor Ort, die sich um das Haus kümmert!!
Sehr üppig und gemütlich ausgestattetes Haupt- und Nebengebäude, alle Badezimmer großzügig und modern. Sehr schöne und große Aussenanlage mit mehreren Terassen, einem großen Whirlpool und swimmingpool (Wetter leider nicht so warm, deshalb wurde letzterer nicht benutzt). Küche im Haupthaus gut ausgestattet. Das einzige ansatzweise nicht perfekte waren der fehlende ‚große’ Backofen in der Küche (es gibt einen kleinen ‚Tischofen‘, in dem man maximal zB ca. 2-3 Brötchen gleichzeitig aufbacken kann), die Kaffeemaschine ist ebenfalls eher klein (wir hatten eine ‚french-press‘-Kaffeekanne mit, deshalb kein Problem). Der Ausblick von der Terasse toll - man kann ohne Probleme einfach sitzen und die Landschaft geniessen....
Also alles in Allem eine sehr schöne Bleibe, in der man sich erholen und die Seele ein wenig baumeln lassen kann! :-) Wir würden jederzeit wieder hierher kommen.

Schräg gegenüber der Vecchio: Azienda Agraria, eine Weinprobe inklusive köstlicher ortstypischer Speisen, durchgeführt von der Chefin Daniela. Ein Muss! :-) In Radda: Sandys Eis, La Perla. In Lecchi: Ristorante Malborghetto - SEHR köstliches Abendessen, unglaublich freundlicher Service! (mann sollte Tisch vorbestellen) an einem Abend ‚Chef at home‘ mit Cinzia :-)

Would you like to translate?

Tolle Unterkunft, netter Empfang, alles super

Would you like to translate?

la villa était au delà de nos espérances. très grand, vue magnifique et très bon acceuil.

Would you like to translate?

this was our 3rd visit and the first without chickens next door, it was sheer bliss not being woken at an ungodly hour and to be able to sit on the lovely veranda in peace and quite.
shame that there is no longer the gas BBQ but it just meant I had to plan the use of the brick one an hour before cooking.
a brilliant fortnight will be back again.

Drunken frog San Sano La Perla Radda Pizza Pie Radda Best coffee and ice cream Sandy's Radda Siena is a must do

Would you like to translate?

We had a lovely stay however both weeks we had loud neighbours what spoiled a bit our stay. Due to the situation of the house with two other houses very near. Unfortunately this can happen.

We had a lovely wine tasting at Casanuova di Ama.

Would you like to translate?

A fabulous stay in Tuscany with gorgeous views of the vineyards and olive groves surrounding the property! Thank you. Welcome basket, water & bubbly a nice touch on arrival.

Delightful wine tastings right across the street from the villa - owner Daniella is awesome! Had a delicious meal at Malborghetto in Lecchi and the Castello di Ama Cooking class at Badia di Coltibuono was lots of fun and well done. Would do it again. Siena and Florence are always worth another visit.

Would you like to translate?

Absolutely stunning and beautiful place in a small village in Chianti region. We loved the quiet area, the village has just a few houses and the view on the hills is simply stunning. The houses are spacious and lovely decorated, they are well equipped and everything was tidy. The terrace offers enough space for 6 people. The pool is great for swimming and relaxing. We would definitely come back any time, as we enjoyed our time there so much.

ATTENTION: The rooster mentioned in the previous reviews is NOT there anymore! We didn't hear any chicken around the house.

But be careful not to leave anything outside at night, there is a little wild fox coming by at night who loves to rifle through the garbage ;) If you close the container properly he can't open it. We also saw him during the day in Castello di Ama. There are also wild pigs in the area, drive carefully at dusk and dawn as they walk by the streets.

Olive oil and wine tasting at Casanuova di Ama was great fun. We also enjoyed a dinner at Castello di Ama, which was absolutely amazing. Malborgettho in Lecchi is a good place for dinner as well. We do not recommend to go to Florence, as it was super busy and public transport is a mess! The city is way to crowded, even though we have not been there in high season (end of May). It is not possible to enter the centre by car, so if you really want to go there just park your car at Palazzo di justizia P&R and take a bus to the center. We loved Siena, what a beautiful and lovely city!

The owner is delighted to inform us that the rooster mentioned in previous reviews has now been moved away from the villa. 

Would you like to translate?

Our time at this Villa was wonderful! The home is beautiful and is well appointed. The view was amazing and the furnishings were very comfortable. We were there during the second week of September and the weather was already too cool to enjoy the pool. The area is beautiful and centrally located to wineries and Florence and Siena. The only problem was adjusting to the noisy rooster next door! But good ear plugs and a sound machine did the trick!

Radda is the nearest grocery store. Daniella recommended a restaurant in Lecchi that was so marvelous that we ate there twice during the week. Osteria Acquacheta in Montepulchiano was a wonderful dining experience if you are ready for a huge steak florentine! Visit with Cessare the coppersmith while there. Bar Ucci in Volpaia provided a wonderful setting for a delicious lunch. Castillo di Radda was a beautiful new winery that was free! Daniella does a wonderful wine tasting just steps from the door. Don't skip the extras at the Duomo in Siena. The view from the top was amazing! Hire the personal chef for an evening...you won't regret it!

Would you like to translate?

We had a wonderful holiday in the heart of Tuscany. All top cities are in close reach, however do not underestimate small roads in this hilley area. 50km means 60minutes...
The house is located in a phantastic area, beautiful view. High quality, stylish, good equipped. For cooks: oven is missing, and the gas grill shown in the internet has been replaced by a stone grill => cooking is limited to that and the stove. The two separate buildings are perfect to spend a holiday together by still offering some privacy. Chianti wines are available by walk, service by Erjola was just great. All in all the place would deserve 10 points if there wouldn't be the big BUT: mentioned already by other guests, the rooster is not simply funny - it's the reason why we can only recommend this place with limitation. By the way, it is not one rooster, it's two of them. Both seem to compete by loudness and sequence, located as close as possible to the rental. No ear plug will help you to not feel disturbed throughout the day, some nights ended at 2am. The village is so small, the owner of the animals enough away from the neighbor ground that it is hard to believe they could not be relocated easily. It appears they are placed there on purpose. Again this is the only, but major negative comment we can make.

Would you like to translate?

Perfect, the accommodation, the location, the services provided by Erjola (exceptional), the welcome of Daniela (just go to taste wines and the food: excellent)

Would you like to translate?

Tolles Haus Ensemble. Toller Pool. Tolle Bauweise. Super sauber. Verwalterin Erjola wunderbar. Alles sehr gastfreundlich mit hochwertiger und liebevoll gestalteter Einrichtung.
Aber, die Hühner- und andere Tierhaltung angrenzend an die Hauptterasse ist sehr unglücklich platziert. Die beiden Hähne nervtötend schreiend manchmal im 30 Sekunden-Takt ab frühestem Morgengrauen. Ohne die Hähne würden wir sofort wiederkommen. Schade eigentlich.

Weingüter, Restaurants in Radda, Siena und Florenz.

Would you like to translate?

Beautiful accommodation and location.
The villa is well equipped with every little item you may need. Excellent pool and outdoor areas for sunbathing and relaxing.
The cleaning service provided three times a week was really appreciated .
Location perfect for visiting Sienna, Florence and the many pretty villages in Chianti.
Thank you for a great stay.

Radda in Chianti is great for dining and it the location of the nearest supermarket. Played tennis in Gaiole in Chianti. Great restaurants- Ristorante Malborghetto in Leechi La Bottega in Volpaia.

Would you like to translate?

We were a group of 6 ladies and we had a great week at Vecchio Frantoio. This fabulous villa is on the side of a hill with amazing views across the vineyards and the hills.
The rooms were very comfortable and the availability of aircon was great as we were lucky enough to have a hot week, and bathrooms are of a high quality.
The kitchen is well equipped, apart from a 'proper' oven - not a big problem, just made us be a bit more creative.
There are so many little sun or shaded areas to sit we couldn't use them all and the pool was a great size and everyone loved the sunbeds with the built-in shades.
The thrice-weekly clean was much appreciated and non-intrusive.
The only slight niggle was our vocal next door neighbour, Roger the Rooster and his followers who were a bit squawky in the early hours but we'd read about him in previous reviews and brought earplugs and we got used to him very quickly.
Thanks to the To Tuscany team who were very responsive to any queries we had about the area.

Locally we explored Castellina (best gelato ever) and Radda (try Pizza Pie - doesn't look like much but great, crisp based pizza). Day trips to Sienna for traditional culture and Prada in Montevarchi for more modern! Best meal of the week was undoubtedly with Daniella at the Azienda Agraria Casanuova di Ama - a whole 15m from the front door. Combining wine tasting and dinner, dont miss it

Would you like to translate?

La villa est splendide ! Les belles terrasses extérieures, le jacuzzi, les vallées composent un cadre sublime de la Toscane. La villa était parfaite pour la famille avec 2 chambres dans la villa "coeur" et une petite maisonnette pour les grands-parents. Nous avons été très bien accueillis dans ce beaucoup cadre campagnard du Chianti, même le chant du coq y était a tous les matins.

Nous avons adoré notre expérience culinaire à l'un des restaurants de Dario Cecchini, nous avons eu un superbe dîner à Radda in chianti( l'une de vos références)les gelato quotidienne a Radda sur la rue principale et à la Cantinetta di Rignana à Grève in Chianti. Nous avons aimé le petit marché Porciatti à Radda. De plus, nous avons loué pour la semaine, 2 Vespa avec New Tuscany scooter. Les villages du Chianti( Radda, Castellina, Panzano et Monterriogini) furent agréables. FLorence et Sienne magnifique. Nous avons visité Cortona et Montepulciano avec les vallées d'Orcia.