We have just returned from a lovely week staying at La Canigiana. It is a great location not just for Florence but also for all the beautfiul little villages and towns in Tuscany recommended by Alessandra. She is a perfect host in that she leaves you to enjoy your time staying on their olive farm but is always on hand for information on places to visit and to recommend and book local restaurants or galleries in Florence. Her welcoming apple and apricot cake was delicious as were the home-made after dinner drinks and biscuits she and her husband, Franco, offered us one evening. After visiting Tuscany during the day, we loved our evenings sitting out on our patio with a glass of Chianti enjoying the views and the swallows and listening to the crickets. The pool is great and the grounds are beautiful and being able to pick vegetables from the garden was an added bonus. We would highly recommend La Canignana.

A truly, truly beautiful location. My husband and I visited La Canigiana for 2 weeks, for our honeymoon. I knew instantly that this would be a stay to remember! Alessandra is one of the most heat-warming people I've ever met. She has a beautiful family who are so very welcoming. I enjoyed walking past their terrace to go out to dinner and seeing them all sat around the table, enjoying a family meal, it really did capture the heart of family life and all that it should be. We stayed in the larger apartment, which has such a breath-taking, panoramic view. I can still almost touch those long, lazy, warm evenings with a gin and tonic on the terrace, watching the sunset. It really is postcard material! Nothing was too much trouble, Alessandra was more than hospitable, she actually enhanced our stay. On the day we arrived, she kindly prepared us a generous platter of cold meats, cheeses and bread being as we'd missed the supermarket opening hours! This in itself set the tone of the whole holiday experience. To be welcomed so warmly and genuinely to someone's home is unique. There was freshly baked cake (for which I now have the recipe for, thanks to Alessandra!), groceries and local wine awiting us on arrival. This took the hassle out of shopping straight away for fresh produce. You are even encouraged to pick your own fresh vegetables from the garden! I will always vividly remember picking a huge, ripe aubergine, soft tomatoes and fresh cucumber from the array of organic produce right outside the terrace. It felt truly magical. We also cooked fresh fish, several times, on the outdoor BBQ right by the pool area. Alessandra's husband, Franco, kindly helped us with operating it! 18 months on from our honeymoon and we still talk about it with such passion and fond memories. Of all the places we have stayed over the last 6 years, this is hats off the ultimate best. Absolutely nothing compares to it. The pool area is beautifully done, with a back-drop of pure beauty over the vibrant hilltops. The apartment is also so beautifully done - pure Tuscan style! The shutters enable you to stay cool and the tiled floors are heavenly underneath your feet in the hot weather. You can buy the most heavenly olive oil, made from olives harvested by Alessandra's own fair hands (and her hard-working family), you can also buy their homemade wine, which is equally delicious. Florence is a must, and isn't far away at all. Definitely hire a car to get the most out of your stay. Siena and San Giamano are also wonderful places to visit. Volterra was beautiful, as was the view of Florence from the front garden of La Canigiana. We were invited to dinner during our stay, and ate with Alessandra, her family and the other guests, who were staying above our apartment. To sit out on the terrace, in the peak of the summer, with home cooked Italian food and a back drop like an oil painting, I couldn't help but shed a tear when we left. I could've stayed forever. I could never say enough thankyou's, nor recommend this magical home from home highly enough. This is a holiday destination which goes at your pace and on your time frame. You can literally just book it and relax in knowing that you are in completely safe hands, in a prime location, that you may possibly never match! Enjoy every minute, for it simply doesn't last long enough...thankyou Alessandra and Franco, for everything.

La Canigiana was recommended by friends and our one-week stay in April turned out to be the highlight of our month in Italy. La Canigiana was a delight. We found it the perfect place to relax and enjoy the ambiance of rural Tuscany as well as to explore with the old world charms of Florence and other local attractions. The accomodations and facilities were first rate and Allesandra and Franco's hospitality was gracious yet unobstrusive. We recommend La Canigiana to anyone who wants to experience the best of Tuscany!

John & Maureen Gould
Kamloops, BC Canada

We (a family with a toddler) have stayed for a week in the lager apartment in April, 2011. The owner is very friendly and helpfull and speaks proper English. The best about the place is the views and the restfulness, it was great to just stroll around with my kid. Florence is only 15 minutes by car, and there is a large super market within 10 minutes (by car). The level of comfort of the rooms is high. The only thing I grumbled about was the rather limited kitchen space - with just two jets enough to prepare a snack, however not suited to cook a full dinner. That was compensated by the free pick-it-yourself organic veggies.
I would recommend this place to a friend!