The Agostoli Villas exceeded our expectations as the accommodations were beautiful, clean and well supplied. The view is spectacular as you walk towards Siena. If you choose not to rent a car, be prepared to do a lot of walking/hiking. Taxi's are available only by calling on your cell phone. We did discover an excellent contact in Massimo TAxi #51 in that he was readily at our beck and call. He was always cheerful and helpful. Guests should be aware that the Garden City Hotel is in the town of Siena (across town) and not easily accessible to the Villas should you decide not to rent a car. This means settling your bill may have to be done via your credit card. We did eat at the Hotel and the food and service was excellent. Taxi service to the train station ranged anywhere from 10.00 to 15.00 euros. Taxis seat four persons.

Lori, Nickie & Michelle, Grimsby, Ontario

Our own little home in Tuscany was the Belcaro cottage. It was warm enough that I could take my coffee out on to our private patio and enjoy the view of the Tuscan hills as they glowed in the sunrise. The two neighborhood cats kept me company. I thought the place was very nicely done. Beds excellent, location silent; we slept like babies. The living room would benefit from another lamp, otherwise the place was nice and the value was good.

Jenna M, Colorado

Tuscany - Driving instructions were excellent. The apartment [Pagliaio] was probably the best we have ever stayed in. Well equipped. People very nice, pool great, location absolutely excellent. If I could change one single thing it would be that our patio area would have been directly outside our apartment and not 10 metres away behind a hedge, we just didn't use as as we would have had no view of our door and it would have meant locking and unlock the apartment to eat outside.

We loved the area but in some ways it was maybe a bit to similar to home (apart from the farming crops being different the rolling hills of Siena would not be far from the rolling hills of Wicklow where I live) although the style of building was beautiful.

The town of Siena is beautiful and we enjoyed our time in it. It is wonderful to ramble around, eat and enjoy. The centre of Siena is a Heritage Site and has no traffic at all (odd taxi excluded). Lots of Restaurants around the main square, very expensive, its much better to wander off into the side streets and select a restaurant, great food. Recommend Tuscan sausage and white beans.

We found a great local restaurant: Restorante La Capanna Dei Cavalieri, Strada di Montalbuccio 118, 53100 Siena. Tel: 0577.28.37.14 Food is excellent and the views are great too. Directions;- Turn left as you exit the Villa Agostoli, when you reach the first crossroads turn right. The Restaurant is about 300 yds down the road on the left. It usually has candles burning outside it.

There is a local bus service in an out of the town which stops at the gate of the villa.

The kids had friends some days. Lucy met two south african girls and Ivan two Belgian boys but in general it was mostly adults which was a little disappointing.

Eating out was good value but there were good and bad restaurants.

Something to note. I am Coeliac so cannot eat Wheat, Barley, Oats and Rye. Some people may be put off Italy because it is known for pasta, etc. I was totally amazed by the range of Gluten Free products in the supermarkets and every restaurant we went to offered to cook me Gluten Free pasta. www.coeliac.com

We really didn't venture far from Siena and the Villa, we really wanted a quiet week. Driving is stressful, they are not tolerant of tourists and don't take kindly to you slowing down.

Biggest disappointment - the people (not at the villa) in general. Very intolerant in Siena of non-Italian tourists. They are not nearly as warm and friendly as the Romans, and I missed the Spanish warmth too. I found this hardest to take.

Overall we had a lovely holiday and all your info was most helpful.

Jean K, Ireland

We had a wonderful time! We loved the villa! It was perfect for our needs. They had the 2 cribs and one highchair (the 2nd "booster" didn't work) but they [two babies] just took turns eating. We loved having the space for the kids to play and for us to relax.

1. Accommodations overall: Loved them!

2. Enjoyed the most? The scenery, the rooms.

3. Drawbacks or problems? Just the heat and hot water [the owners had to come and turn them on], but they didn't charge us for the heat because of the problems.

4. The location and the surrounding area? The area is beautiful! Siena is great. We were in a great location to visit other cities too. We went to Florence, Assisi, Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Volterra, Pisa, Lucca, Cinque Terre. We arrived in Rome (and saw the Pope!) and departed out of Bologna. We'll have to do Venice another time!

5. Can you recommend any nearby events or sites? We loved San Gimignano, even though it rained the whole time. It's not that far and it's such a cute little town.

6. Any tips for future guests? Ask how to run the dishwasher and washing machine. We winged it, but the instruction cards weren't very clear.

7. Do you recommend any restaurants or shops? Every morning we would have what we called tomato pie from the little grocery store nearby.

8. What can Excellent Europe do to improve its service? I think you helped us out a great deal. Restaurant, shopping recommendations are always helpful. We used Rick Steves book a lot.

And back to the Pope, we arrived in Rome the day before John Paul II's funeral, and just wanted to see St. Peter's from a distance really, but as we got closer, we thought we would just try to get as close to the square as we could, not really expecting to go inside or anything. Well, when we reached the square and the mass of people waiting in line to see the late Pope, we were told by the Italian Police that we could go in the church using the side handicap line since we had a stroller! No kidding! We walked right pass the thousands of people who had been waiting for hours upon hours and walked right in to the church for a glimpse of the great Pope! It was magnificent! We had chills seeing all those people there who traveled so far and waited so long and so quietly - you could hear a pin drop in the square! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience followed by a wonderful time spent in Tuscany! The food and wine were our favorite things! And the owners provided us with some wine made from their grapes. Thank you so much and everyone I've talked to about our trip, I've told them if they ever go, they should stay at Villa Agosto. We absolutely loved it.

Christine B, Michigan