Piè di Costa was the best part of our April, 2006 Italy visit. It delivered pretty much everything you can expect from a one-week stay in the Tuscan countryside. The rooms are clean and exceptionally well decorated, particuarly the furniture and cabinets: really first-rate stuff. The grounds are well-maintained and feature several interesting and photogenic pieces of antique agricultural equipment. I agree with the previous poster that activity in adjoining rooms are too audible (I got a bit tired of Euro Pop on my neighbor's TV) and the laundry needs some instructions for operating the washing machine, which is very different from the American equipment I am accustomed too.

The facility is set amidst rolling hills and offers many charming views. I expected this, but I did not expect the remarkable acoustics of the area. When you're outside, you can hear barking dogs and tractor motors at neighboring farms, and of course every strike of the bell at the village church. This is not a criticism: the sound is occasional, and pleasant: I enjoyed it.

The village of Monteione provides all the basics. We enjoyed the organic pizza at Erasmus and the traditional meals at Carpe Diem. Restaurant staff was very friendly with us tourists. The staff at the Co-op grocery franchise was less eager to please, but the prices were good. There are several Bancomat (ATM) machines in Monteione; all worked with our Wells Fargo Visa debit card, but keep in mind the 6 to 9-hour time difference when withdrawing your daily limit of cash.

Internet service is available at the village library for a modest fee. Bring your passport; they want to see it when you sign up. They assume you will use their public Windows machines, but had no objection when I plugged my Mac into an open port on their ISDN modem. It worked fine (bring your own Cat 5 cable), but upload speeds are poor: don't expect to send photos home.

If you're driving, bring a decent map of Tuscany. The road signs are maddening, and may or may not mention Monteione depending on which direction you're entering from.

Your host at Piè di Costa is Filippo Bracci. We also met his mother and his sister. They are lovely people. Filippo has good English and is very helpful. I would have reduced my rating by one star for the criticisms noted above, but Filippo really came through when I left a piece of luggage in our room and flew off to Palermo. It could have been a very ugly problem, but Filippo solved it quickly, effectively, and economically. Outstanding service.

If we return to Tuscany, we will stay at Piè di Costa. I only regret we did not stay longer this time.


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John R. Corso
2311 Westwood Dr.
Anacortes, WA 98221 USA