My wife and I traveled here for our honeymoon. We welcomed with a quick tour of the property and a bottle of Champagne in our room. Everyone at the hotel was accomodating and always pleasant. The room itself was large and spacious, the stay was so relaxing (We spent the previous four days in Rome). We found the hotel to be in a centralized location. We took day trips to MOntelcino and montepulciano, then another trip to the Chianti region. It was magnificent!!! Cannot wait to go back!

Our initial stay at this hotel in late Oct. 2007 was so fabulous that we booked to come back the following weekend. I might add that we sent many emails of inquiry to properties in Tuscany. The prompt and welcoming email reply from Villa di Piazzano set the tone for our two stays there. A member of the family who owns Villa di Piazzano emailed offering us upgraded rooms at good rates partly because it was near the end of the season. My husband is a value kind of guy so this was the first positive. Our family of five were very impressed with all aspects of our stay and that is a tall order as some of us work in the hospitality industry. We truly felt as if we were staying at a cardinal's hunting lodge which of course we were, only 600 hundred years later. Gorgeous grounds(even in late fall), the ambiance of the common rooms plus the rooms/suites were other positives. The word "rooms" does not do the large size, comfort level of the furnishings, or olive oil amenities justice. Our dinning experience was another positive. Not only the buffet breakfast but also the prix fixe, gourmet, four course, Italian dinners, were just the way we imagined dinning, Italian style, should be. One word of caution to those guests who stay for a week or more ---be preapred to gain weight because the food is very good!! The owners were charming hosts showing pride of ownership by checking personally on our rooms, chatting with us in the dinning room and offering assistance in booking other accomodation and sightseeing guidance. The most memorable moment for the five of us came at breakfast on the first morning. The owner, Adrianna along with her staff, carried a meringue cake with one lighted candle to our granddaughter who was celebrating her first birthday that day. We had not mentioned her first birthday to anyone but the staff had taken note of the date on our grandaughter's passport. How many one year olds get to celebrate their first birthday with a decadent meringue custard cake for breakfast at Villa di Piazzano? Thank you to the Wimpoles and staff for such a memorable stay.

Location: the villa is situated near Tuscany / Umbria boundary, about 250km from Rome, most of which are highway. The directions from Expedia are actually pretty good if you follow them to the dot, even though the villa is in the middle of nowhere. During our stay, we explored nearby Cortona (5-10min drive) - a picturesque castle-like town with a lot of eateries and small shops. We also took a day trip in our rented car to Montelpulciano, Pienza and Montalcino, famous respectively with Tuscany wines, cheese and Tuscany wines. The towns were very charming, also castle-like (except for Pienza) - I truly recommend taking the time to visit, however do so during the day, as it is more lively; during the evenings (when the handful tourists have gone away) it gets pretty deserted and almost too quiet. Local wines are available for degustation, some places charge a fee, others let you try their cheaper sorts. Very good cheeses and meat cuts available for sampling as well, especially at Montelpulciano. The best Tuscan scenery can be shot with your camera on the road between Pienza and Montalcino. Beautiful!!!

Rooms - We paid a slightly higher rate for something like a superior room, however we were given a good sized bedroom, with a handkerchief size window on the roof! Honestly - this was a little too primitive for almost $400 a night. I couldnt help but feel that we didnt get what we paid for (either by mistake or because we were given the last available room). The furniture in the room had this "old feel", however it was not unpleasantly dated, this was simply the style of the room, which was fine by me. Much to my likings, the bathroom was excellent, marble, if my memory is not lying to me, sparkling clean, in other words, the old charm of the villa was not an excuse for an old and smelly bathroom. Thumbs up!

Service - Since this is not your full-service hotel, the number of staff was not huge - there was general politeness everywhere, yet not to an excessive extent. That is probably fine, just noting here for other fellow travellers. However, front desk is NOT 24 hours, which almost left us standing outside the locked villa, when we arrived at 11:30pm to check-in and the front staff lady was just locking the doors. Had we not entered, this review would have been a 1-star review. Not having 24 hr front desk is UNacceptable for a hotel charging upward of $300 a night!

Amenities/Hotel Grounds - Hotel grounds are simply beautiful and picture-perfect. Food at breakfast is plentiful and tasty, it was a pleasure all over every morning for both me and my husband to spend our hour enjoying the view. There was always room and loungers around the pool, although the pool was not heated and somewhat cold in May.
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One thing I wanted to note - we were taking pictures of ourselves in the villa yard, using our camera on tripod (which perhaps appeared "too professional"). Some lady (the owner?) approached me after staring at me for a while to inquire what we were doing and she appeared satisfied to hear that we were guests of the hotel, not some random photographers. This was pretty annoying for me, considering I was pregnant and showing at the time, and definitely didnt look like a travelling photographer.

I read about the Villa in the book, Great Sleeps Italy, and was impressed by its history. The villa itself is gorgeous. We did not have a car so we asked, and they arranged, for a taxi to meet us at the train station. Everyone was extremely professional, and warm. We had a 3-course dinner there every night except Tues. (they're closed), and some very good wines. We had a jr. suite which was elegantly furnished, and very comfortable. My husband, son and I took a cooking class with the owner, Adriana, which was a lot of fun (and delicious). We made fresh pasta with mushrooms, pork loin with prunes, and panna cotta. They arranged for a driver to take us through the countryside, stopping to tour a vineyard (with wine tasting), the San Antimo Abbey, and various other sites. They have a cozy, intimate bar where you can have a drink and conversation with other guests before dinner. Villa di Piazzano is luxurious, elegant, comfortable. We would most definitely stay there again.