Invitation to Tuscany Ltd

23/04/2025

Tuscany is a treasure trove of destinations, great food, and stunning landscapes. Treggiaia is the ideal family retreat, with a refreshing pool and a tennis court for endless fun. Discover the charm of Tuscany—your unforgettable adventure awaits!

19/04/2025

"We had a fantastic stay at Villa Fobbia and would thoroughly recommend. The house in the mountains makes the most of the enviable views and was very comfortable for our group of 10 (adults and teens), with lots of different areas to relax and unwind. The owners are generously sharing their home and this comes across in all the thoughtful touches across the whole property. We look forward to returning."

Great review for Villa Fobbia, a villa for 10 in the hills above Lucca!

https://www.invitationtotuscany.com/villas/italy/tuscany/lucca/villa-fobbia

18/04/2025

"A truly lovely place. Beautifully decorated quite modern interior in a fabulous traditional building. The complex is all stone buildings and lovely plantings. The pool is huge and beautiful with lovely sitting areas and a self service bar!! Good restaurants a short drive away.. also pleasant opportunity to eat in house. We loved the place. you can walk to the village if you find the lovely old path tru the valley with an ancient bridge 😍😍😍"

Great review - Balconata is a wonderful place to stay, and on my last visit there I walked to the village, over the lovely little bridge in the photo, locally know as "Ponte di Annibale", Hannibal's bridge. The Carthaginian general and his troop did come through the area, but I'm not sure he would have trusted the bridge to support his elephants!

https://www.invitationtotuscany.com/villas/italy/tuscany/arezzo/balconata

17/04/2025

Our school bus, 1976. Driven by Centini, who once turned up in his private car because the school bus union was on strike. He agreed with the strike but didn't want us to miss school so he just did his usual rounds in his own Fiat 124!

16/04/2025

"Our stay at Pagliaio was wonderful. The accommodation was clean, spacious, the grounds and pool areas were beautiful and the visit of the wild boar in the late eveninga made it even more magical. The host, Annmarie was on hand at all times, and her knowledge of the area was really helpful. The information and support before the trip from ‘Invitation to Tuscany’ was perfect and we look forward to booking with them again in the future."

Pagliaio is a peaceful spot between Arezzo and Siena, one of three places that share a large pool. Perfect for kids to make friends and enjoy exploring the area.

https://www.invitationtotuscany.com/villas/italy/tuscany/arezzo/pagliaio

15/04/2025

"This is very much "borrowing" a much loved but probably 1970s lovely Italian family holiday house, once a farm, on a remote hillside - not a standard holiday rental property with pristine white walls and health and safety certificates in abundance.

So you get a real experience of Val d'Orcia as published by Iris Origo. It is a very happy house with a lovely well-tended garden that grows on you as the week progresses but you need to dispense with some modern comforts and just relax into the beautiful scenery and exist with the wild things that live in the forest!"

Love this review of Valdorcia, an old 'Casa-Colonica' near Sarteano and Pienza, south of Tuscany. It's a relaxing place to spend time, looking out over the amazing valley towards the spent volcano that is Mont'Amiata. If you stay here, follow this guest's advice and take a copy of Iris Origo's 'War in Val d'Orcia: An Italian War Diary, 1943-1944' and read it surrounded by the places she is describing, it's a poignant experience.

https://www.invitationtotuscany.com/villas/italy/tuscany/siena/valdorcia

14/04/2025

"Noce’s view from the dappled terrace is good for the soul: past the vineyard - harvested while we stayed- across the pool, and then to the wide beauties of Tuscany. Don’t expect sophistication here; it is simple easy rural living, with cheerful unobtrusive hosts, and wonderful quiet."

A review of a stay in Noce, a lovely cottage within walking distance of Casole d'Elsa. The photo with the cypresses show the path up to the village, along an old gravel track.

13/04/2025

When I first visited Casa Andrea, a cottage for four close to San Gimignano, I thought it was the perfect base for exploring Tuscany, with a hot tub for relaxing in on your return. I was delighted when our first guests felt the same - they saw a lot of the region, visited wineries, restaurants and the local hill towns, and obviously loved coming back to Casa Andrea as their calm base.

Thank you Tanja and Gaet!

https://www.invitationtotuscany.com/villas/italy/tuscany/siena/casa-andrea

09/04/2025

This stone ex-farmhouse near Arezzo in Tuscany has a number of good spots to read a book. My favourite is the little terrace with the amazing views. The hammock is good too, but the book-reading often fades into snoozing.

https://www.invitationtotuscany.com/villas/italy/tuscany/arezzo/pietrina

28/03/2025

Pipistrelli is already one of my favourite luxury villas in Tuscany - west of Siena - and now it has an enormous discount on the last few summer weeks. 30% off any available weeks in June, July or August. It sleeps 14 and has AC and a pool with fabulous views over the Merse river (which you can also swim in, if you fancy a bit of wild-swimming!).

https://www.invitationtotuscany.com/villas/italy/tuscany/siena/pipistrelli

27/03/2025

We had a cold winter and one of our lambs was ill, so my sister and I walked the 2km up the hill to the Consorzio Agrario so a vet could look after it. The return trip was much faster, on our makeshift sled!

21/03/2025

20/03/2025

1975: Elisabeth and Billy the kid enjoying the grass outside our front door while the chickens peck away.

The cement tank on the right was our new toilet system - six-year-old me had been lowered in to seal the interior as I was the only one small enough to fit through the inspection hatch.

Our front door was held closed at night with a piece of bent wire, it would be about five years before we decided that perhaps we should have a lock on the door for when we left the house.

19/03/2025

Luxury is in the space, the setting, the light, the slowing of time that makes every moment precious. Holidays in these luxury villas are about creating the settings for creating amazing memories.

Villa Orologio
San Donato
Villa Fobbia
Palazzo Giustiniani

18/03/2025

Be woken in the morning by this trumpeting cherub, wander up into Radda in Chianti for breakfast, maybe go for lunch in "La Bottega" or "La Perla". Stroll back to your private pool, a great barbecue and the delights of this typical Tuscan farmhouse villa.

Docciole, near Radda, sleeps 12.

17/03/2025

A sketch of the Piazza del Campo, looking to the left when standing in front of the Palazzo Pubblico.

16/03/2025

Villa Fobbia is a house designed for the owners' own use and has plenty of space for relaxing, great gardens, amazing views from the pool and the house, as well as three restaurants within walking distance.

Guests from last year commented:

"We had a fantastic stay at Villa Fobbia and would thoroughly recommend. The house in the mountains makes the most of the enviable views and was very comfortable for our group of 10 (adults and teens), with lots of different areas to relax and unwind. The owners are generously sharing their home and this comes across in all the thoughtful touches across the whole property. We look forward to returning."

15/03/2025

Explore Orvieto, an Umbrian delight north of Rome. Built on the top of a high tufa outcrop, it has an amazing double-helix well dug at great expense to prepare the city to be the Pope's stronghold - but he never used it. Today it's a city worth discovering, with a wonderful Duomo, a great museum and some excellent restaurants.