Casanovina

Wonderful stay at Casanova. Perfect place for wine and food lovers. Great place to relax in breathtaking surroundings.

Favorite restaurants. Re Gallo (Castellina in Chanti) and Osteria in Piazza (Piazza). It is a must to visit the local wine yard (Castellare). Prioritise Siena from Florence.

Everything! Location is wonderful, view is spectacular. The house and the apartment around the corner are modern, comfortable and well provided with essentials for light housekeeping. The welcoming gifts - wine, oil, juice - from the owner were very appreciated. Francesco, the rental agent, was a great ambassador - always ready to assist in a number of ways - visit to winery, thermal baths, restaurant suggestions and reservations. He also organized a dinner for all 8 of us (five adults, two children, one baby) at Casanovina completely planned and cooked by Maria.
We regretted not being at Casanovina during a warmer season so as to take advantage of the beautiful swimming pool!

We visited Panzano and the butcher shop of Dario Cechetti, then cooked a wonderful steak dinner on the BBQ at Casanovina. At Poggibonsi we spent an afternoon at a street food festival. Despite some rain, we had great visits to Siena and San Gimignano. The town of Castellina is very attractive and we enjoyed each visit (sometimes walked) as we ate at restaurants, shopped and toured the streets. The local people were very kind and tolerant of the lack of Italian language skills of some of our group. Just driving anywhere is a joy in this area of Chianti!

The villa and apartment suited our group of two families perfectly. The two teenagers were given the freedom of the apartment whilst the adults enjoyed the comforts of the house. Coming together to eat either under the jasmine covered seating area outside the front door, or down by the pool under the logia, will be our lasting memory of this lovely trip. With the shutter closed, the house was easy to keep cool. We didn't even use the lounge or dine in the kitchen as the outside spaces are so inviting.

The location was outstanding and exceeded our expectations. The views are exceptional. The pool was cool but very welcome once the heat of the day set in.
The furnishings are all high quality, they even supplied mats for the sun loungers.

Just a note if you don't buy the welcome pack (we hadn't) you'll need everything from toilet rolls to washing up liquid. However there was salt and pepper together with a bottle of wine and a bottle of the owners olive oil provided for us which was a nice gesture. The olive oil was delicious and made from the olives grown in the groves surrounding the pool area. The wine is from a vineyard located just down the road. There is an excellent supermarket in town, together with a bakery and a couple of small delis that sell most things. Top tip: You might want to buy a citronella candle or two, to keep the flies at bay whilst dining outside.

The lovely owner, Fabrizio checked us in before Francesco arrived and was charming. He lives next door, but we didn't see him, therefore it was very private.

We are planning to return....


There is nothing to dislike.

Other reviewers have mentioned barking dogs and cockerels but this is the countryside after all. We live in countryside in England so perhaps it wasn't noticeable for us!

We enjoyed our nightly walk into town (approx 20 mins). The first part of the walk is up a hill, but the stunning vistas give a good excuse to stop occasionally and drink in the views! At the top of the hill the road becomes one way, with a clearly marked wide walking area for pedestrians. The road is not too busy and it felt very safe. There is a good choice of restaurants in Castellina in Chianti. Make sure you leave room after your meal to enjoy an ice cream or sorbet from the gelato shop on your walk back. You might also be rewarded with a display of fireflies which were amazing. We particularly enjoyed the hospititality and food offered at the pizzeria on the way into town (10 mins walk). We took day trips to Siena, San Gimingnano, and further afield to San Quirco d'Orcia which was well worth the 90 min car journey. However to return to Casanovina and the pool was always a treat.

Beautiful location. Very nice owner and keyholder. The pictures on the web site do not do Casanovina justice. The Villa was beautiful and very comfortable. Close proximity to Florence and Sienna. We really enjoyed Castellina in Chianti. I wish we were still there.
Nothing. Would advise following GPS Directions as the directions on the To Tuscany web site were awful. That is our only complaint.

Re Gallo was wonderful.

Le site et la vue magnifique. L'aménagement extérieur. La disponibilité du locateur.
Le calme de la nuit était régulièrement perturbé par l'aboiement des chiens. Les matelas étaient trop fermes. Le chauffage était minimal, pour ne pas dire déficient, et le prix exigé pour ce dernier était disproportionné. Le manque de transparence concernant les bouteilles de vin qu'on nous laisse sur le comptoir à l'arrivée sans aucune note, qu'on croit offertes gracieusement, et qu'on nous réclame en fin de séjour. L'appartement annexe est humide et frais comme un sous-sol, et 2 petits scorpions ont dus être éliminés. Le stationnement en ligne n'est pas pratique pour plusieurs véhicules.

Les villages du Chianti

It's in a quiet rural location but within easy reach of everyday shopping requirements in the local town. Outdoor dining on the vine-covered patio just outside the kitchen was wonderful day or night. The pool was large and great for family activities.
Overall we had a great family holiday and were very pleased we chose this property.
No dislikes but 2 things to be aware of if young children/babies are in your party. The accommodation is split between two parts of the same building however there is no internal connection; baby monitoring devices will not penetrate the thick internal walls. The pool area is on a lower level and some 20m away with very limited visual/aural contact between it and the main building (however baby monitors just reach the pool area from the rear/upstairs bedroom windows :o) )
And one other thing - if you don't buy the 'Welcome Pack' then be sure that you buy essential items yourself as there were very few 'leftovers' from previous guests......

The local town (Castellina in Chianti) has a reasonable range of restaurants and shops that should satisfy most needs. Local countryside is beautiful. Many fine vineyards and historical sites are within easy reach.

The building itself was very attractive and well furnished and equipped, with plenty of space for our party of 6 adults and 3 tinies and the annexe worked very well for the family of 4. The table outside beneath the vines was a huge bonus and the views spectacular; and similarly the pool area with all its seating availability. The owner Fabrizio was most welcoming and helpful, as was Francesco. Casanovina's easy access to the lovely Castellina was also a great bonus for shopping, having a pizza or a coffee, and of course a gelato! We all loved it!
Can't think of anything we didn't like - although I suppose the barking dogs referred to by others were a bit of a nuisance now and again; but not a problem. The pool water was a bit cold for most of us, but perhaps not surprising in September. All in all, no complaints.

We just love the whole area and re-visited Monteriggione, Radda and Colle Val D'Elsa as well as San Giminagno, Siena and Florence - but found the latter three spoilt by the numbers of tourists - probably better totally out of season. The younger ones in our party dined out locally a couple of times but regret I don't have the names of restaurants - but Castellina provided two or three good dining experiences for them.

Ligging: fantastisch
Veranda met eettafel onder druif
Stijl huis en interieur
Zwembad en tuin
buitenruimte wat onpraktisch door ligging op steile helling
weinig (manouvreer)ruimte voor auto's
wc trok niet goed door

osteria il re gallo ijssalon enoteca in het centrum castellare winery

Es war ein wunderschöner urlaub für die Erwachsenen wie auch die Kinder! Das Haus ist sehr liebevoll eingerichtet und blitzblank. Besonders zu erwähnen ist der Nachbar Fabrizio der sich rührend um uns gekümmert hat! Wir würden jederzeit wiederkommen. Die Gegend und die Aussicht sind atemberaubend. Vielen vielen Dank!!

Pizza zum mitnehmen: pizza al taglio in casanovina!!

Nice house, beautiful location, very nice outdoor area. Very nice owner and very helpful "keyholder".
There should be more kitchen equipment like more glasses and caserouls. More glasses in the anex as well.
Some repairs needs to be done around the pool, but just small things that we noticed since we have stayed here two times before.

Place a visit to Arezzo city, and of course Castellina in Chianti. Also for longer journeys Montepuliciano. In castellina there is a great restaurant were the locals goes: Regallo near the tower. Florence and Sienna are of course a must, also San Giminano.

La maison est très jolie et confortable, avec une position panoramique fantastique. On a tout le confort nécessaire à la vie moderne (y compris le Wifi) au milieu de la région du Chianti. Les chambres sont grandes et confortables, avec autant des salles de bains. La cuisine est grande et le salon confortable. La maison est propre. On peut profiter aussi d'une belle terrasse ombragée par des vignes. On se lasse pas de contempler ce magnifique paysage des vignes, des oliviers...La piscine est magnifique, idéalement placée pour profiter au maximum du paysage. On est près des villes telles que Sienne, Florence et San Gimignano. Castellina in Chianti, charmant petit village, est tout près -on voit le vilage et la tour de son palazzo publico depuis la maison.

Restaurants à Castellina: Il Fondaccio dai Dottori (le meilleur, on y est retourné), mais aussi le restaurant Sotto le Volte et l'Antica Trattoria La Torre. Centres d'intérêt près de Casanovina: Castellina, San Donato, Sienne, Florence.

The views are awesome. The pool area is excellent, this is the best of many I have seen. Castellina is within walking distance - around 30 minutes at an easy pace, especially as there is an initial climb ( coming back is downhill of course).
I cannot think of any reasonable drawbacks.

Casanovina is already in a beautiful location with plenty to do within the vicinity. We went to the tourist information office in Castellina. Some of the local castles are well worth a visit. We bought our Chianti loose from the local enoteca in town. It was was delicious and much cheaper.

Great area. Local vineyards very close. Castellina town walkable.

Lovely house. Ideal for an adult family group. Loved the outdoor eating area. Wonderful holiday!
Some of the mattresses were a bit hard.

The ice cream shop in castellina - amazing! Hypermarket in poggibonsi was great and another amazing ice cream place just around the corner. Florence and lots of beautiful smaller towns all very close.

Die gelben Rosen auf dem Küchentisch, Wein aus Castellina in Chianti und das feine Olivenöl hat uns sehr positiv überrascht. Der ganze Urlaub war für uns ein super Erlebnis.
Da gibt es nichts zu meckern. Falls man das Weckermodel "krähender Hahn" nicht mag sollte man zu Hause bleiben.