Vallacchi Bed & Breakfast

Four of us stayed in the smaller 2-bed apartment (Nespolo) - the interior is quite small and basic but perfectly functional (very clean, comfortable beds, water always hot) and there is lots of lovely outside space with a beautiful pool, table tennis table, places to sit either on your own or to chat to the owners or the other guests. Everything was surrounded by attractive plants and lawns that were well tended but not excessively manicured. We unwound completely while we were there, and in that frame of mind we did not miss a dishwasher or en suite facilities. There are lots of animals at Vallacchi, and while we were there we came across about 10 kittens of various sizes and hens with chicks. Even though we relaxed a lot in the evenings we did quite a lot of sightseeing, because Vallacchi is ideally situated for day trips. We went to Florence, Siena, Certaldo and Volterra, and there are other places (eg San Gimigiano, Lucca, the coast) within reach that we would have visited too if we'd had more time there. On the first evening we'd requested dinner and we had this in the owners' house, a lovely traditional Italian meal with wine whose grapes they had picked themselves. Massimo and Loredana are lovely people just to chat to, or to seek advice from about the region. You will need a car here, a 4WD would be best as the last mile to the property is an unmade road. We had started our holiday in Italy in Venice and after our stay at Vallacchi we moved on to Rome - this was an ideal rural break in between and I thoroughly recommend it!