While the weather always helps, we were all delighted by the house. Suprisingly, uniquely even, the house and grounds looked much better than the photos on the web site.

We were also very impressed by the quick response to a problem we had with the water heating - fixed within a couple of hours of our phone call.

In these days of very corporate, souless ("sorry, no I haven't visited the property so can't help") travel firms, it was refreshing to feel we were dealing with people who not only knew the houses they were renting out, but cared about them. Really great to deal with real people, not someone reading from a script.

Moscatelli view	Moscatelli, another busy breakfast

Ralph & Jane, West London.

The grounds were fabulous -- well manicured and inviting. It offered lots of room for the children to explore. The house was spacious giving us all enough room for privacy but we always ended up gathering in the kitchen and loggia.

Wonderful ambiance under the loggia at dinner time	Sami harvests olives in her PJs as the day dawns

Sue Kuntz, Colorado.

If I could give a score out of 10 for a place that lived up to our expectations, Villa Moscatelli would almost certainly be 10.

First the location - views that simply take your breath away from the moment you open your bedroom window on a morning and a location that is not to far away from, well, anywhere of interest really. An hour from Sienna, an hour from Florence and an hour and a half by train from Rome, not to mention the smaller towns of Perugia, San Gimignano and a handful of other hillside towns that are well worth an afternoon's visit. We stumbled upon a gem of a place called San Casciano Del Bagni, around 30 minutes from Sarteano, and with the best Tuscan views and food we found in our 10 day stay. La Fornarina served local dishes for lunch that we simply superb. We enjoyed this so much that we returned to Daphne's (owned by the same family) for an early evening meal that did not disappoint. Incidentally, both were child friendly too, as was much of Tuscany.

Not forgetting Sarteano, the town is a 15 minute walk from the villa and great for a relaxing day if you do not want to venture further. The town had all of the basics and kept us occupied on a number of days. For those of us who enjoy watching football, the sports bar on the corner of the square was a sure bet to catch a match or two and the ladies behind the bar kept us entertained throughout the game....

On to the house itself - the web site pretty much reflects what you get, a beautiful old house that really is someone's second home, not simply a business interest. With two children aged 2 and under we were a little cautious with the spiral staircase and had to block this off at the bottom but with that out of bounds, the rest of the house was perfect. Again the web site came through as there were plenty of toys for the kids to play with and huge gardens to explore in relative safety. On to the piano; many a morning the house was awakened by the sound of two sets of small hands pounding the keys in unison! This alone kept them occupied for hours on end.....

From an adult perspective, the house contained everything you could possibly need. Very comfortable, well equipped and with a log fire to sit next to later in the evening, a great place to unwind after a busy day. We also had a keen cook the group and the kitchen turned out to be the perfect place to cook up the day's local purchases (try the wild boar sausage and local cheeses) and washed down with one (and occasionally more!) bottle of wine. Unfortunately for us the weather on an evening (late April, early May) was a a little cold to enjoy the outside eating area but with that log fire waiting inside it was hard to complain........

Would we holiday in Italy again? Certainly. Would we stay at Villa Moscatelli again? Definitely. A holiday to remember.

PS - You really should put more pictures of the view on the web site. It's absolutely breathtaking.

The log fire comes into its own in April !	That view from the bedroom window

Steve Stanton, Bahrein.

We were very pleased with Villa Moscatelli. It was everything advertised--possibly even better--and exactly what we needed for our family?s stay in Italy. The rooms were spacious, comfortable, and clean. The large dining room and ample sitting room worked well for my family that included a seven-year-old boy, a girl four years old, and a three-month-old baby. The hardwood floors in the bedrooms were gorgeous. The veranda, where we ate dinner almost every evening, was extremely nice and convenient to the kitchen. The bedrooms were comfy and quiet (the baby slept on the third floor). The grounds of Villa Moscatelli were large and beautiful. The lavender was in full bloom, as were Russian sage and colorful varieties of roses (we are flower lovers). The view from Villa Moscatelli of the Tuscan countryside was incredible!

Morning View from Villa Moscatelli	Under the Tuscan Moon, view from Villa Moscatelli

Marion Lucas and family, Kentucky.

Villa Moscatelli was wonderful - inside was really comfortable with beautiful furnishings, and brilliantly equipped for the children. The grounds were superb and we all enjoyed pottering around the olive trees, taking little walks, finding orchids and hares. Great space for the kids to run around and play football, too. The best house we've stayed in in Italy (and there have been a fair number over the years).

In front of the Duomo at Orvieto (just down the A1)	Time for tea

Jemima Mellerio, North London.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at this lovely villa. The property description does not do justice to the location of the villa - we never ceased to be amazed by the fabulous view of the countryside from our hill-top.

We were fortunate to have a couple of great cooks in our group and they enjoyed the kitchen which contained everything they could have wished for.

Although the villa retains the charm of its ancient origins, we were pleased to see that it had all the modern conveniences - bathrooms all recently renovated - plenty of hot water and good water pressure! Sarteano is well-situated for day trips to Siena, Orvieto and many other hill towns. Although there are local buses and the train system is very good, we would strongly recommend a car for ease in getting groceries and sight-seeing.

Kathleen Waters, Nova Scotia.

Property is great. Very child friendly (for a Tuscan villa) with toys for toddlers. Kitchen is great, well-equipped and large. Nice outdoor seating area. Great views over Cetona and the valley. Great location, 10 minute walk to Sarteano. Not too touristy. Great grounds on the property. Private. The option of having the housekeeper cook is a nice thought, and she did a good job. This is helpful for a group. If the weather is a bit chilly the huge fireplace is really awesome to gather round and provides something comforting to watch while sipping wine.

The owner was very helpful in making sure we were comfortable. This is someone’s second home, it’s not just a rental. It feels very lived-in (in a good way). All of the family photos provide hours of entertainment for the more storytelling inclined individuals. We would stay here again. Love the area.

Tim Murphy, Heidelberg.

We were welcomed with open arms from the gardener and the housecleaner. Although neither one of them spoke English, and we didn’t speak Italian, we somehow got through the process of opening the house and understanding how it works. The house was amazing with all its nooks and crannies. And, the garden was SPECTACULAR! There was floral and fauna in full bloom at every turn.

The house is situated in an olive grove, which made for nice evening walks through the fields. As well, the house was located in an ideal location to take advantage of some of Tuscany’s most famed hill towns. Montepulciano and Pienza were, at most, 30-45 minutes away. There were also smaller hill towns, less famous, but just as wonderful quite close such as Cetona, Chiusi, and Sarteano, itself. We appreciated being near the huge campsite for its pool and internet cafe.

Really excellent value for money.

Julie Hanlon-Bolton, Boston.