Reviews

Arranging a trip for 20 friends celebrating their 40th birthdays was not an easy feat. But with the assistance from the Villa's Owner, Ulrike, it was easy ! We had a wonderful stay at her villa. We loved every moment! The breathtaking views, her gracious service, how wonderfully spread out all the accommodations were (with every room having its own bathroom). No one ever felt crowded. It was quiet with a great pool area. Sitting there made you stop and think, wow, I think I found Heaven. I think its in Tuscany! Ulrike hosted a lovely welcome dinner on our first nigh and provided a nice cookery course on 2 other nights. Guys against Girls, it was most fun! The kitchens in the villas were well equipped and we made a couple of great group dinners on our own as well.

spent a long time researching a Tuscan villa and came up with Poderi Val Verdi and I was not disappointed.
Briefly, what I appreciated was
Location - set in the middle of the chianti region. The villa itself is set in a natural reserve and we spent a happy hour or two each morning going into the forest (seeing wild boar, deer, foxes, hares .- amazing).
Terrace - we loved the large outdoor relaxing area and felt we had a lot of privacy despite their being other apartments/villas
Leisure activities - we all appreciated the pool, croquet, table tennis, volleyball and football. As Ulrike had organised a welcome dinner, we got to know the other families on site, and was great that the kids were able to play together.
Our welcome dinner - Ulrike cooks a fantastic welcome dinner. We went both Saturdays - apart from anything, it was so good to spend some time with the other families on vacation.
Cool house - to our surprise, the villa remained cool and we slept very well. There were mosquito covers on the windows so we were able to sleep with the windows open.
And last, but not least, the unparalleled welcome we received from Ulrike and her son Fabian. Felt like we were leaving good friends after our two relaxing weeks in Italy

We stayed at Poderi Val Verde with our 7 and 10 year old girls and had a wonderful time.
Ulrike was a gracious hostess and always there to give us advice on restaurants, places to visit. The girls had a great time doing a cooking class (on site) with other kids and sharing their experience with us. Ulrike also cooked us a Tuscan dinner which was better than anything we had when we ate out! Our 2 bdrm cottage far exceeded our expectations as it was very large and had an expansive outdoor terrace. The space was very clean and the perfect home away from home! We would highly reccommend it!
Thank you for everything Ulrike!

We traveled with our extended family (3 sisters & spouses, 1 brother with spouse and 4 young adult children) to celebrate my brothers 50th birthday. We could not have chosen a more spectacular place to stay. The villa was beautiful, the grounds and view were gorgeous but it was the hospitality, food and vino which made our stay so memorable. Ulrike, our host and her very gracious son Fabion were a delight and very helpful with their suggestions on how to make the most of our stay. We were very fortunate to have Fabion be our tour guide on 2 days and with him we were able to tour the countryside (on very curvy, hilly roads!) very comfortably, visiting small towns and some out of the way places. We highly recommend him!! Our 3 dinners that Ulrike provided were excellent (and we consumed way too much vino the first night!) and the 2 dinners at the soccer clubs that she recommended (as well as joined us for 1!) were also very good and reasonable. It was wonderful to get back in the afternoon after sightseeing in the sweltering heat and hit the pool, play some games and just have a good time with family. We came home with many wonderful memories and 2 new friendships that we will cherish forever. We hope to be able visit again!

Though back in the States, I'm still savoring our amazing experience in Chianti at Poderi Val Verde. This was a long-planned vacation to celebrate my husband's upcoming 50th birthday and included 12 of us-- four couples, two young adults and two teenagers. We stayed very comfortably in Casa Pineta and il Rufugio, and the accommodations and amenities fit our style perfectly. Ulrike and her son, Fabian, were superb with their gracious hospitality and sage advice for traveling the countryside. Our welcome dinner was fantastic and we opted for a cheese sampling dinner (with salads and pasta, oh and ample wine) later in the week after a long day of sightseeing. Ulrike recommended dinners at two separate football/soccer clubs which were quite good and extremely reasonable (the fish dinner at one of the San Donato soccer clubs-- all four courses--was fantastic). The location was great and provided easy access to Sienna, Florence, Pisa, as well as the must-visit villages throughout Chianti. We planned our days according to our whims (and the need to submerge ourselves in the refreshing pool thanks to the heat wave) and desires. Each morning we chatted with Ulrike who gave us great pointers on what to see and experience in each village or town. And, when we wanted to just have fun in the pool or playing cards under the loggia, we had the flexibility to do so. If we had a yearning for gelato, we hopped into our van (yes, for 12 people we needed vans, but got a great deal through Maellano Tours) and zoomed to Castellina in Chianti. With Ulrike's directions, we shopped at the Co-op to get supplies for lunches when not on the road. It was so easy to prepare lunches and snacks in our kitchens. Also, we opted for breakfast each morning which never disappointed-- great eggs! It saved us a lot of hassle preparing meals and accommodating the varying tastes of 12 people. To bring our week to a close, we chose to have dinner prepared by Ulrike and she invited us to join us in the preparation as a sort of cooking class (we now have super recipes in hand!). Fabian (20), Ulrike's son, and our sons, niece and nephew got along famously and as such, each learned about a different perspective of life as a young adult. There was never a moment in which someone was bored as there was plenty to explore, see and do. In fact, there was so much we didn't get to as one week wasn't sufficient. We hiked, played ping-pong, sang songs, had a guided tour, sampled fruits from Ulrike's trees, tried more wines than we can remember and most importantly created lasting memories with our family and new friends, Ulrike and Fabian. We'll be back

On a recent holiday to Italy, we had a 2 week stay in Castellina in Chianti on an estate called 'Poderi Val Verde'.
This serene quaint area was breathtaking. The town of Castellina was a couple of minutes away by car. There you will find all necessities. The accommodation we rented on the estate was 'Casa Capannina' a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom villa which comfortably accommodated 3 of us, however can sleep more.
It is a beautiful Tuscan style villa portraying a real feel of the era , fully self contained with sweeping views of the superb countryside.
The villa was very clean and had all modern conveniences to ensure self sufficiency.
The beds were extremely comfortable, linens clean and crisp, the bathrooms were roomy and the water was hot!
The well equipped kitchen was a chefs delight with all cooking utensils readily available. Outside was a lovely courtyard with gazebo, table and chairs where we often sat sipping our vino enjoying the view in the late afternoon.
Our host Katherine, is a wonderful lady who assisted with suggesting many fabulous places to visit locally and even organised a guided tour for us. Her welcome Tuscan dinner is not to be missed. Katherine was ever the gracious host, very personable and accommodating.
As a prior guest, I would highly recommend this estate for accommodation if you are after a true Tuscan experience. I hope to return there one day.

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