Our trip to Florence was long awaited. We took time to plan our holiday carefully and after much research we finally came across http://www.villasinflorence.com/ they had a nice selection of large villas and were also very, very helpful in helping us make the right decision. Nothing was too much for them and they were also happy to answer my endless questions. I just wanted to ensure that everything would be perfect.
We finally went for a Florence villa rental called villa Paradiso right in the heart of the Chianti area between Florence and Siena.
The property was in a fantastic location and was very charming, as were the owners who were most helpful. Although our holiday was in some ways quite hectic as we wanted to see as much as possible in a short time span, we found that this particular choice of rental allowed us to be able to relax in a most wonderful setting, very reinvigorating, and yet was so conveniently placed, close to the wonderful city of Florence.
We never tired of Florence and so we found that we ventured very little away from this magnificent place, just to sit in the square having a coffee was sheer pleasure. We saw absolutely everything in Florence, the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio (went here everyday) the buildings, the museums, the markets.
The village nearby called Radda in Chianti was absolutely enchanting. A mediaeval hamlet perched on a hill and surrounded by vineyards.
We particularly enjoyed the Italian food and one evening we had a chef come in and cater for us at the villa; it was a great experience and he even made a special cake for us as we were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, a very nice thought and much appreciated. Eating out in Florence, was on the whole quite cheap and the food was excellent. We used to laugh and say: "they must have their granny in the kitchen doing the cooking", it all tasted so genuine and home made. After such culinary experience we decided that at least a one day cookery class was a must, so that we could take home our knowledge of the Italian cuisine and maybe cook ourselves a plate of home made Italian pasta on some rainy evening.
We thoroughly enjoyed this experience and although we are under no illusion that we will create perfect pasta and will probably have to nip down to the supermarket for our "pasta fresca", we would not have missed it for anything.
This was our first visit to Italy and was a truly memorable one. There villa was perfect and the location was perfect, close to the town, but far enough away to feel peaceful. The perfect place for us all, we only wish we could have stayed longer! . We will most definitely be back.