"Thank you so very much for everything, you helped create a very, very special experience for me and my family - full of memories we will treasure for many years. We hope to work with you again! (Flaminio & Casa San Vito)"
E. Bussing
"We also enjoy the beautiful spacious apartments [Prisco & Michaela] and the two worked well from location, lay out & to the friendly owners greeting us, offering suggestions and help the entire time and leaving us welcome bottles of Tuscany wine on arrival."
S. Crawford
"Just want to say thank you for helping us organize for the stay in Florence. We really enjoyed ourselves, and found Miki, Franco and Marco to be very nice and helpful! Your recommendations and instructions were very helpful, and we are very appreciative."
Poyee Tung
"I wanted to thank you for everything. We had an amazing stay. I am in love with Italy. I definitely plan to go back. The apartment was a dream. Perfect in all respects. On behalf of my family and myself we want to thank you for all your recommendations (we took all your advice-we found all the internet cafes and restaurants you recommended-we specially liked Da'Gusto. I want to recommend you Antica Enoteca that is in the neighboorhood as well-its delicious! Also Cafe Ripetta on Via Ripetta-they are creative with the coffee-especially with the capuccinos-they make heart figures on top of the foam and they are really nice people)."
Stephanie K
"We returned from Italy late Saturday night. I must tell you -- Borgo Bucine was spectacular. Your directions were terrific and the family was lovely. I got especially friendly with Antonella. My daughter fell in love with their dogs. So, thanks for hand picking a lovely villa for us. We had a wonderful and relaxing trip. Tuscany is a very special place. The Italian people--even more special. It can get unbearably hot in the summer. We may have hit an unusually hot spell, but it did put a damper on our enjoyment. We had several days of 95-100 degree weather. Brutal. If people have a choice, they should choose May or October. There were soooooo many tourists, it was crazy. When I travel, I like to spend time with the people who live in the area. Not people like me! Anyway, Antonella suggested three "tourist free" places for us that I loved. Thanks for great tips. Oh, we ate in a place that you recommended. I don't have the name right now but it was about a block away from the Piazza della Signoria. Wonderful food. NO TOURISTS!! Grazie"
Andrea Y
"We returned from Italy late Saturday night. I must tell you -- Borgo Bucine was spectacular. Your directions were terrific and the family was lovely. I got especially friendly with Antonella. My daughter fell in love with their dogs. So, thanks for hand picking a lovely villa for us. We had a wonderful and relaxing trip. Tuscany is a very special place. The Italian people--even more special. It can get unbearably hot in the summer. We may have hit an unusually hot spell, but it did put a damper on our enjoyment. We had several days of 95-100 degree weather. Brutal. If people have a choice, they should choose May or October. There were soooooo many tourists, it was crazy. When I travel, I like to spend time with the people who live in the area. Not people like me! Anyway, Antonella suggested three "tourist free" places for us that I loved. Thanks for great tips. Oh, we ate in a place that you recommended. I don't have the name right now but it was about a block away from the Piazza della Signoria. Wonderful food. NO TOURISTS!! Grazie,"
Andrea Y
"We returned from Italy late Saturday night. I must tell you -- Borgo Bucine was spectacular. Your directions were terrific and the family was lovely. I got especially friendly with Antonella. My daughter fell in love with their dogs. So, thanks for hand picking a lovely villa for us. We had a wonderful and relaxing trip. Tuscany is a very special place. The Italian people--even more special. It can get unbearably hot in the summer. We may have hit an unusually hot spell, but it did put a damper on our enjoyment. We had several days of 95-100 degree weather. Brutal. If people have a choice, they should choose May or October. There were soooooo many tourists, it was crazy. When I travel, I like to spend time with the people who live in the area. Not people like me! Anyway, Antonella suggested three "tourist free" places for us that I loved. Thanks for great tips. Oh, we ate in a place that you recommended. I don't have the name right now but it was about a block away from the Piazza della Signoria. Wonderful food. NO TOURISTS!! Grazie,"
Andrea Y
"We returned from Italy late Saturday night. I must tell you -- Borgo Bucine was spectacular. Your directions were terrific and the family was lovely. I got especially friendly with Antonella. My daughter fell in love with their dogs. So, thanks for hand picking a lovely villa for us. We had a wonderful and relaxing trip. Tuscany is a very special place. The Italian people--even more special. It can get unbearably hot in the summer. We may have hit an unusually hot spell, but it did put a damper on our enjoyment. We had several days of 95-100 degree weather. Brutal. If people have a choice, they should choose May or October. There were soooooo many tourists, it was crazy. When I travel, I like to spend time with the people who live in the area. Not people like me! Anyway, Antonella suggested three "tourist free" places for us that I loved. Thanks for great tips. Oh, we ate in a place that you recommended. I don't have the name right now but it was about a block away from the Piazza della Signoria. Wonderful food. NO TOURISTS!! Grazie,"
Andrea Y
"We returned from Italy late Saturday night. I must tell you -- Borgo Bucine was spectacular. Your directions were terrific and the family was lovely. I got especially friendly with Antonella. My daughter fell in love with their dogs. So, thanks for hand picking a lovely villa for us. We had a wonderful and relaxing trip. Tuscany is a very special place. The Italian people--even more special. It can get unbearably hot in the summer. We may have hit an unusually hot spell, but it did put a damper on our enjoyment. We had several days of 95-100 degree weather. Brutal. If people have a choice, they should choose May or October. There were soooooo many tourists, it was crazy. When I travel, I like to spend time with the people who live in the area. Not people like me! Anyway, Antonella suggested three "tourist free" places for us that I loved. Thanks for great tips. Oh, we ate in a place that you recommended. I don't have the name right now but it was about a block away from the Piazza della Signoria. Wonderful food. NO TOURISTS!! Grazie,"
Andrea Y
"Just wanted you to know that we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Casa San Vito the end of May. Francesco and his family are lovely. I also appreciated the help you gave during the process. Everything went exactly as expected."
Carole Schneider
"Thank you for all your help with our accommodations, our honeymoon was wonderful and the Michaela apartment was great, it's in an excellent location and the people who met us there were wonderful."
Natalie Brown
"Overall, how did you find your accommodations? Fine. No problems. What did you enjoy the most? Location unbeatable. Quiet. Any drawbacks or problems? No. What did you think about the location and the surrounding area? Perfect. What can Excellent Europe do to improve its service? Nothing"
Dr. Ray B
"This was the perfect apartment for me while I studied Italian in Florence. Loved the location, quiet and cleanliness."
M.R.
"We had a great time. Francesco and his mother Franca were extremely accommodating. Really nice people. We ended up with both bottles of wine and olive oil! The house was a great value. And the location is excellent. I would recommend Casa San Vito in a heart beat."
Bill Haag
"We had a wonderful time in Italy, Firenze in particular. The Michaela apartment worked wonderfully - small, but very efficient, comfortable and clean. And the location - wow! Miki and Franco were very pleasant hosts, as was their son Marco. I think we liked Firenze the best out of the cities we visited (Bologna, and Rome were the others), but found fascinating things in each city we saw. Thanks again for the great experience, we will definitely keep you in mind for future trips to Italy!"
Jeff Reagan
"Enjoyed most We loved the setting and the views. Even though we were there at the early part of the spring blooming season it was still very beautiful. We can only imagine what it looks like when the flowers are planted and everything is in full bloom. The kitchen was pretty well equipped. I did bring somethings of my own (due to our location) but it wasn't bad. There are no "real" cereal bowl for those that care, only shallow soup bowls. We improvised and used coffee cups for the kids. Suprisingly there were no wine glassed either. This was fine for the everyday wine but we did have a few better bottles of wine that warranted more than a juice glass. We again brought this to their attention and they brought the wine glasses right away. We found it a little strange though. [Actually, you don't usually find stemmed wine glasses in Italian homes. pb] The fact that our kids could run around, explore, play on the hammock, kick the soccer ball and play with the cats and lizards was sensational. People thought we were crazy to take our kids to Tuscany. They couldn't have been more wrong. They had a fabulous time and so did we. It was a memorable vacation for all of us. When travelling with children it is hard to find a trip that everyone enjoys equally. This was by all means a win/win for everyone. Problems We had some problems with ants....but hey, what are you going to do? They were very attentive to the problem and helped very quickly. We also had a broken toilet that leaked water from the tank. Again, it wasn't a major problem and they did fix it very quickly. Location The location was great for getting to the other places but I wish there had been some more retaurants closer by. Not a big deal though, it's not like we were starved by any means while we were there!!! Recommended sites or restaurants We loved all the little towns, Castellina, Greive and San Gimigano. Just driving the countryside was fun for us. Mama Rosa's was very convenient but we did not find the food to be exceptional by any means. It was great for the first night as well as a night we got home rather late due to a traffic jam. Very homey and cozy but we expected a little more from the menu. Any tips for future guests Book early for Casa Mia--it looked fabulous but they were booked for a week in advance. We really had a fabulous time. I can't say enough about it. The timing was just right for us as well. I'm not sure if it would have been as enjoyable for our family in the summer due to crowds, heat etc. This was just perfect. Really, we can't wait to go back. If we weren't going back to the States this summer I would plan a second trip. We were so relaxed the whole week that the day we did go to Florence we all found it to be too much. The crowds, the noise, the setting was all overwhelming. By the end of the day we were ready to get back to our safe little haven in Tuscany. However, the gelato in Florence was to die for!!!! I dream of it as I nibble away on my measly little Weight Watchers ice cream bar. I've attached some pictures taken at the castle...enjoy! We've passed your information on to friends here in Geneva...we wish you luck."
Tricia M
"We really did have a lovely time, Miki and Franco were so kind and helpful and really made us welcome."
Paul Bray
"We loved our stay at the Spagna apartment. It was everything we wanted for our dream Rome vacation: excellent historic center location, fabulous terrace and beautifully furnished. This was the perfect apartment for us and we appreciated that warm touches that made us feel so at home. When we return to Rome this apartment will be our first choice of places to stay!"
Analisa G
"We, together with 2 other couples, have just returned from spending a marvelous holiday at Casa San Vito in late October 2005. We could not have asked for more perfect accommodations while in Tuscany! The casa was equipped with every modern convenience we could ask for and our hosts, Francesco, Franca and Giulio were so welcoming! We were able to take day trips to Siena, Florence, San Gimignano and Montelupo; the restaurants and COOP markets in Tavarnelle and San Casciano were ideal! We especially enjoyed watching Francesco harvesting the olives from the surrounding grove one weekend. We look forward to returning to this delightful haven!"
Eric & Mary Lindquist
"We had a wonderful time and the apartment was great. It is well-appointed and well-situated. Marco checked us in and out and was very amiable. He was very concerned that all our needs were met. The welcoming bottle of wine was a wonderful touch. I would recommend it to anyone going to Florence. I also really appreciated the info you sent before we arrived. I have traveled extensively and didn't need the travel tips but I liked having a heads-up about the near-by restaurants, markets, and shopping. I have suggested to a few people they visit your website if they are planning a trip to Italy. In my opinion, this beats a hotel any day! I was lucky to have discovered your site. Thanks for everything."
Lynn Hogue