Country Villa with Private Pool, Hot Tub and Tennis Court

A beautiful, spacious villa in a lovely setting. We were very happy.

We rented the "wing" which consisted of 3 bedrooms, and was perfect for the 5 of us. We still had all the downstairs living quarters which were spacious and well equipped.

The villa is set up for 12 people, so there is plenty of crockery and cutlery, large dining facilities and a comfortable lounge area with Sky TV which could be set to English if the programme was originally in this language.

The villa is fairly sparcely furnished in the bedrooms, but this makes it easier to find everything when you come to pack up! The bathrooms were plentiful and clean.

Outside, the gardens have grown a lot more than the photographs, so the views are not as spectacular but does allow privacy, and the villa is nicely located for easy access to villages and towns but also remote enough not to be on top of others.

Giovanni and Luisa are available to assist and are very friendly. Google translate comes in very handy but Giovanni has good English and they are very tolerant trying to understand attempts at Italian! They clean the pool early every day, mowed the grass when we were there, and assisted with locating 3 lakes nearby where you can fish for carp and catfish (take your own fishing gear)

The only negative side really was that the pool was freezing despite 30 degree temperatures. It is overhung by a number of trees, but not quite sure why it was so cold. If there is the option of heating and you plan on spending a lot of time in the pool, it would be worthwhile.

Italian roads are narrow and have frequent hairpin steep bends so an automatic car would be an advantage too.

As our holidays are "sacred" for us, and our large family is spoilt, demanding and taxing, we select our holiday accommodation with great care and extreme attention to details. With Villa Gemelli we have found for the first time that all our requirements were really fulfilled and our high expectations were actually exceeded. We have stayed regularly in a variety of holiday homes in Tuscany and Umbria and this property is now at the top of our wish list and we have promised ourselves that we will return time and again.

The villa is meticulously clean and well maintained and its generous dimensions allow for the kids to 'run riot' without disturbing the parents' peace and quiet. We had memorable meals on the shaded, panoramic terrace with magnificent views to the spectacular Etruscan city of Volterra. The location is unique as it is both tranquil and yet close to excellent restaurants and historic cities like Pisa, San Geminiano and Florence, as well as the seaside, all easily reached within forty five minutes.

The caretakers provide an excellent and unobtrusive service with the cleaning of the pool and the upkeep of the gardens and cooked excellent Tuscan meals at our request . Many of the ingredients are home grown and their traditional cuisine provided a great unexpected dimension to an extremely enjoyable holiday.