Podere Il Poggiolo — Local services in Pontassieve

Podere Il Poggiolo gets the highest possible recommendation from us! We spent 9 days at this lovely place in early April on a recommendation from friends, and it beat all expectations.||||The farm is about a 1-hour drive from the Florence airport and situated on a hill right in the middle of the beautiful Tuscan landscape, very close to the village Rúfina where you can take care of all shopping needs (go to the local Coop store, and don’t forget to visit the café right next to it, which serves great ice cream!).||||We have been staying in the ‘Lavanda’ house, which (together with ‘Salvi’) are placed inside the fenced-in area of the farm – perfect if you are bringing kids and want them to roam around freely and get close to all the friendly animals. Our daughter absolutely loved hanging out with the cute dogs Flo (who will come and say hello every morning) and Arno and helping with the afternoon feeding of the animals – the pot-bellied pig Zizu, the donkey Gepetto, the pony Nutella and the huge boar Dante, as well as the farms’ horses. Riding Nutella was a blast as well.||||Serena and Alessandro are the best hosts that you could possibly want. Aside from being extremely service-minded both before arrival and during your stay, they are very knowledgeable about the area and will help you book everything from wine tastings to dinners. And they also run the farm’s own restaurant, which has consistently offered some of the best food we have eaten on this trip – with a great breakfast selection, tasty lunch sandwiches and of course the big 4-course Tuscan meal late in the evening, with plenty of mouthwatering dishes for both meat lovers and vegetarians alike. ||||Dinners are late, at 20:30, but you can always get a pasta takeaway dish for kids earlier to eat in your own house if you want to put them to bed before the grand feast. Also be sure to order the farm’s local Chianti, which I am really going to miss when we leave this place. Also, the 'pizza party' where kids get to make their own pizzas in a wood-fired oven is a great way for the little ones to participate!||||The guest houses are very nice and spacious and clean, with their own kitchen, a small dinner table and various kitchen amenities. Window shutters ensure that little ones won’t be awakened unnecessarily by sunlight early in the morning.||||Aside from Florence – best reached by train from Rufina, which takes only half an hour and saves you the hassle of parking in the big city – great day trip suggestions include the towns of Siena and San Gimignano, the castle Monteriggioni, the old village Montifiorale and a nice tour of Castello di Verrazzano with a subsequent wine tasting. But make sure that you get plenty of time to just hang out and relax at the farm, which is really the best place to be.||||Many thanks to Serena and Alessandro – and their nice and friendly staff – for an amazing stay here in Tuscany. It’s a little slice of heaven, and all families should get to experience their incredible hospitality and magical place here at least once...

I stayed at Podere il Poggiolo during the summer with my partner. Immediately at our arrival we felt at home as we were welcomed by Serena and Alessandro. The place feels very authentic, as it is completely run by the family. We absolutely loved the food, the quality was very high; both in taste and presentation in the restaurant. Serena has a vast amount of knowledge on the traditional Tuscan kitchen, and is happy to explain you everything about it and even share some personal kitchen secrets! We loved that everything on the table was local: whatever did not grow in their own garden was taken from other Tuscan vendors. You could really taste that all the products were fresh from the land, we were very lucky to be there during the tomato season! Everybody was very eager to help with anything we needed, from daytrips to parking-advice. ||We were very happy to see that all the animals were healthy, happy, and social. They are clearly very well cared for. The horses were a pleasure to ride, both for my partner without any experience as for me who rides since childhood. Alessandro really knows who to give which horse, and he is an excellent instructor. The environment where we rode outside was beautiful, I already miss the hills of the Tuscan countryside.||All together we absolutely recommend Podere il Poggiolo, we came back home very...

This is the 2nd time I have stayed at Podere Il Poggiolo…the first time in the spring time, this time in the autumn. I just love it this Agriturismo for so many reasons.|I have stayed in two different rooms and loved them both. The accommodations are very clean, comfortable and nicely decorated. The wifi is perfect, no problems. Both times I have been there there were families using the beautiful swimming pool, taking horseback riding lessons, hiking, and going off on day trips…It is perfect for families and groups, but for me, a solo traveller ( or for a couple), it is wonderful too. The accommodations allow plenty of privacy if wanted with the ability to do all of the activities you want…The food is just incredible. I can’t say enough about how wonderful it is. Everything is so fresh and creative. There is a lovely glass dining room for breakfast and dinner…but you can eat in your room too. The property is beautiful…way up on a hill, surrounded by olive trees…There are beautiful horses, a sweet doggie ( Flo) a big boar, a donkey, a pony…so much love goes into their animals. Lastly, the owners are super attentive and so very kind. I hope to be back in the spring for...