My husband and I and our two daughters (age 14 and 11 at the time) first stayed at Caselino in the Sumer of 2013, booking the holiday based on the reviews of Trip Advisor. So I can say, we came with fairly high expectations. We took a BA flight to Piza and rented a car at the airport. The drive to Caselino is pretty straight forward and we arrived in less than a couple of hours. I know it sounds a bit of a cliche, but the first sight of the place left us quite literally speechless. (Including the children) It was everything we expected it to be and more. I will try to describe Campo di Torri, but I expect (just as with the photographs on the Trip Advisor) , my description will hardly do it a justice. This really is Toscana at its best.
Il Caselino is only 30 min away from the centre of Florence and less then an hour to Siena, And Voltera. There are three dwellings surrounding a honey coloured stone courtyard, a few lemon trees in giant terracotta pots, the smell of herbs and lavender, butterflies and of course the crickets, getting louder in the late afternoon. A large and very green lawn shaded by a few big trees, and of course - the lovely setting of the swimming pool, which for our children was the coup de gras. It's 20 by 10m (enough to accommodate a lot more than just two rowdy teenagers,). Everything is surrounded by olive groves, with a lovely views from almost any point in the grounds.
We stayed in the Fienile, which has two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. One overlooking the pool and the view from the other one is something I will not attempt to describe. I will just say that waking up to this every morning was priceless. There was also a living room on the ground floor which could be used (if needed) as a bedroom. The kitchen is very well equipped, large and airy, with a massive fire place and a genuine old kitchen table. There is small washing machine area off the kitchen as well another bathroom. The villa is very simple , but warmly decorated and furnished. Just as I always imagined a Tuscan house to be. I must say also very Comfortable and spotlessly clean.
During our stay in Caselino, Dr de Salvia (the owner of the estate) stayed in the main house for a couple of days. It was great to gain some more knowledge about the history of the place, as well as some good restaurants (off the beaten track, but well worth visiting!) For the rest of the time we had the entire estate for ourselves. There is a caretaker and his family, who live close by,and are very friendly and accommodating, but you wouldn't know they are there unless you need them. We were also lucky enough to sample Maria's cooking as well as some of the produce (totally organic) of the farm, belonging to the estate.
I can of course go on and on, but if you want to experience Toscana and not just view it, this is perhaps one of the best places you can try.
Tutte le prenotazioni avvengono direttamente con il proprietario 