Il Casetto, Radda in Chianti - Siena

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After reading about Il Casetto on the To Tuscany website, we had high expectations. They were easily met. The views are breathtaking. The house itself is rather elegant and very comfortable. It's the sort of place one dreams about, but never expects to find. Both patios provide extraordinary views of vineyards, olive groves, rolling hills and distant ancient towns. The dining room and kitchen area are ideal for entertaining. The living room is exactly as pictured on-line: beautiful stone walls and massive wood beams. The living space is ample enough to provide privacy for all. It's also possible to walk up the road to the ancient castle and tiny town of Volpaia, a lovely place for lunch or dinner. For us this was a three-generation family gathering. It will provide a wealth of memories for years to come. There is simply nothing I would want to change about Il Casetto.

We had visited Tuscany before, so we made only one day trip into Florence, an easy hour's drive away. Our interest was in visiting the small towns. Radda is a gem. For us it had just the right mix of history, great vistas, good food and interesting residents who were happy to chat with us. Fabrizio at Enoteca Toscana will answer all your wine questions. He and his spouse also own Dante 's across the street. It's a good place for lunch. We found the best pizza at Lo Sfizio di Bianchi, a nice sidewalk cafe in the wonderful nearby town of Gaiole. Many locals eat there. It's a regular stop for touring cyclists also. We are gelato lovers and visited at least one gelateria every day. Our favorites were Gelateria di Castellina in Castellina and Sandy's in Radda. The former also has a store in Radda. Sienna has two excellent gelaterias on the main square. Our favorite restaurant for dinner was Osteria le Panzanelle just outside the town of Radda in Lucarelli. Antica Trattoria La Torre in Castellina was also good. For farmers' markets, we found the one in Poggibonsi to be the best. Our favorite wineries were Brancaia and Vignavecchia. The latter has a long history. We also had a dinner prepared for us at Il Casetto be two local chefs. it was outstanding! We had four courses in typical Tuscan style. The ingredients were local. The pasta was made in our kitchen. We had bruschetta, ravioli, veal and chocolate tortino. The two chefs are Alessia and Barbara and use the name "Le due Cuochine. They are amazing. Not only are they very good chefs, but they also are delightful persons. Their prices are very reasonable.

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Absolutely stunning villa in a beautiful location. A pool to die for and very well equiped.

Radda in amazing and the wine tour in Volpaia is well worth it, as is La Bottega in Volpaia

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We booked Il Casetto for our honeymoon and invited groups of friends to join us throughout the fortnight.

From start to finish our experience was fantastic. Francesco who manages the property was exceptionally helpful even before we arrived; picking up our wine order from a local vineyard to save us the hassle. He was easily reachable throughout our stay and he really made our holiday stress free.

The house itself is fantastic. It's well designed, furnished and supplied. There wasn't anything we needed for in the house. The remote location was wonderful, meaning we could do nothing but relax. We loved being in the middle of vineyards, surrounded by the rolling hills and silence of the countryside. Yet we were only ever a short drive from a picturesque hamlet or village, amazing restaurants and of course great wine.

As we had a rotation of friends coming to stay, we needed regular cleaning services (offered at an additional price). The ladies were lovely, efficient and great at their job and it was all done with little disruption to our stay.

The only points of note we have are these: The wifi can be a little temperamental. The walls are thick (it is a 500 year old stone building after all!) so you may want to consider bringing a wifi extender to make sure you have constant connectivity in the garden. We also had a night of storms and with it came a loss of electricity. Not the property's fault at all, and it was all back on again in the morning after a fun evening of candlelight dinner and chat.

Our point is, please remember this place is in a rural location and these things can happen. Embrace and enjoy them (we did), it's just life in the Italian countryside.

Visit Volpaia at the top of the hill for a great tour of the local wine production and stay for a tasting. A wonderful experience. Castello Di Albola is also a great vineyard to visit. Wonderful grounds, informative staff and make sure you book the lunch option as it's exceptional. We ordered a few times from Pasta e Fagioli, a brilliant team based in Siena who cater at your home either as a delivery service, or cook in-house. We used them for both options and the food was fantastic and their service was impeccable. We would highly recommend Andrea and Michela. Finally we had a really memorable meal at La Botte di Bacco in Radda in Chianti. The food was wonderful and the service was great, a definite dinner choice in our opinion.

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The quality of finishings in this house is first class - superb kitchen, beautiful infinity pool, air-condtioning throughout, wi-fi. The view from the pool area was stunning. Large bedrooms, all with ensuites. Slight issue with the air-con in the top floor bedroom not being cool enough but the other rooms were fine. All room windows were also insect screened so no insects were inside. What was really nice was that the nearest house was about 200 metres away - so you have really great privacy. We have rented 4 houses in Italy over the years and this was by far the best, we would go back to this house in a heartbeat. One small point of advice - do not rent a low lying car or sports car as the road from the main road to the house is quite rough - I recommend a car with some clearance. You will not be disappointed if you rent this house, it is superb and definitely worth the money.

The local town of Volpaia was lovely - no shops but good restaurants. Our favourite was Osteria Volpaia which is the one without the view. Radda is 10 minutes away and is a lovely town and has a decent selection of shops. Castellina, Greve and Gaiole are all close by and Siena is only about 40 minutes - so a great location to wander around. Our favourite closer towns were Radda and Greve. Wonderful wines of course in this area - we liked the Fontodi Chianti.

Sehr gute Ausstattung, schöne Lage
auch der Ort Radda ist sehr nett, ausreichend Einkaufsmöglichkeiten für die laufende Verpflegung
ein wirkliches Manko ist die Zufahrtsstraße zum Haus, 2km Schotterstraße, mit tw. ziemlich tiefen Spurrinnen - ist mit einem normalen PKW sehr schlecht befahrbar.

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Comfortable luxury accommodation on a hill top in the middle of the vineyards below the hamlet of Volpaia. Easy access for exploring the towns and villages in the area and close to the town of Radda for provisions.

Fine dinning at Osteria Volpaia in the hamlet of Volpaia

Sehr schöne Lage mit toller Aussicht auf die Weinberge und die Umgebung. Haus, Garten und Pool in sehr gepflegtem Zustand. Sehr gute Ausstattung der Küche. Ausgezeichnete Betten, sehr schöne Bäder u. WC´s. Kleine Ortschaft mit guten Restaurents zu Fuß in ca. 15 Minuten erreichbar. Einziger kleiner Wehrmutstropfen. Der geschotterte Anfahrtsweg könnte besser sein.

Dank auch an das Team von "To Toskana" sowie den Verwalter vor Ort für die ausgezeichnete Organisation des Aufenthaltes sowie der An- und Abreise.

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A stunning villa in a beautiful, quiet location in the heart of classic Tuscan countryside, yet only a few minutes drive to nearby towns. All the bedrooms were very comfortable, kitchen was fantastically equipped whilst poolside area and garden terraces are perfect. We had a wonderful holiday here.

Bar Ucci in Volpaia was our favourite eating establishment.

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We have just spent a week at magnificent Il Casetto. Beautifully decorated and superbly equipped - a breathtaking location amongst the vineyards and overlooking the valley towards Radda. A truly memorable time with family and friends. We enjoyed every minute of our time and would strongly recommend this holiday to anyone who wants to experience the best of Tuscany.

La Bottega in Volpaia is close and food is great. San Gimignano is a good day trip and the best gelato and pizza ever! We did a vesper drive through Gaioli to Brolio castle and through all the surrounding villages. Walks around the Volpaia area are incredible but steep. Sienna is lovely but busy. Radda is close and has all amenities. We atelunches out and about so it was lovely to come home to the villa every afternoon enjoy prosecco and a book at the pool and prepare meals together. Unforgettable time !

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We were delighted with the villa and Francesco was extremely helpful with local knowledge and booking a hairdresser for my wife. The villa is extremely well equipped and easily accommodated our family of 5 adults and 2 children. Our grandchildren were never out of the pool. A beautiful place to stay.

We can highly recommend La Bottega in Volpaia (need reservations), La Botte di Bacco in Radda ( make a reservation) and Pizza Pie in Radda for the biggest and best pizzas ever.

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We stayed at Il Casetto for a month (mostly in June) and found the facility and location excellent. The views are amazing. We had two different cooks come in and cook dinner and they said the kitchen was wonderful. We also cooked ourselves a lot and also found the kitchen well equipped. The weekly changing of sheets and towels was convenient, particularly with the many towels used at the pool. But the best part was the building manager, Francisco. With a facility this size with cable TV and air conditioning, you can expect some kind of problem, particularly in a month. Francisco was extremely responsive and pleasant to fix and complaint we hand (and they were mostly minor)

Ristorante Malborghetto in nearby Lecchi was our favorite. The cook and owner, Simone, gives fantastic cooking lessons, and personally greets diners. The Octopus Carpaccio salad at the Bistro in Radda is also worth trying.

Tolles Haus, wunderschön gelegen, sehr ruhig. Die Einrichtung ist sehr individuell und liebevoll, die Küche ist perfekt ausgestattet. Das Haus ist wirklich so schön wie auf den Fotos ersichtlich, die wunderschöne Lage in der tollen Umgebung erkennt man erst wenn man vor Ort ist.

Die Betten sind hart und leider keine Doppelbetten. Die Straße zum Haus ist eine Zumutung und nicht mit Sportwagen befahrbar! Mit einem SUV ist man gut beraten.