Villa il Palagio is a Tuscan dream come true, and exquisite in every detail. The furnishings and fittings are all generous and lovely, and the setting is glorious (a garden filled with birdsong, the heavenly scent of roses, and the pervasive murmuring of the ancient mill waterfall in the background). Directly from the door, there are delightful walks amidst vineyards and olive groves, while numerous medieval cities, villas, historic churches, magical seaside villages, and mountain vistas are all within easy reach by car. Our hosts, Francesco and Daniela, could not have been more charming and helpful, and an olive oil and wine tasting, with delicious, locally-sourced dinner at Francesco's family's historic Fattoria Maionchi on our final evening was a highlight of our stay (and cannot be more highly recommended)!
Although there were only three of us staying at the villa (my husband, myself and a friend), we felt that our stay was very reasonable, considering the wealth of luxurious features the villa possesses. Because the bedrooms are divided into three separate "suites", there is a high level of privacy, despite the number of bedrooms.
The villa is particularly perfect for history buffs, as it's been sympathetically restored from its former function as a mill house, retaining time-worm stone sinks and the palimpsest of former windows, doors, and mill apertures still visible in its sun-soaked walls.
It was truly difficult to leave this magical place!
Although the villa is exceedingly well stocked with dinnerware, cooking implements and appliances, etc., the lack of a dish sponge and detergent make keeping things tidy difficult. We went and got our own, but these necessities are normally present at rental homes.
Likewise, most rental homes provide basics like pepper, a small bottle of olive oil, initial supply of coffee, and (in the UK at least), a small carton of milk, which are particularly appreciated by overseas travellers who arrive at the villa having travelled for two days and a night. This was a particular problem for us, as we hadn't realized until a few days before our arrival that we were landing in Italy on a national holiday (Primo maggio), and that all the shops were closed. As it was, Daniela told us where to find a pasticceria ..