In March 2014, my fiancé and I (in our late twenties) stayed at Il Paluffo near Florence for one week.

The staff was really friendly and we felt very welcome.

Our room (Liberty Room), including the bathroom, were spacious and nicely decorated. We chose this room partly because of its bathtub which was nice and big; however, be aware of the fact that it isn’t very practical if you just want to take a quick shower. Everything was clean.

There are some nice common areas where you can sit by the fire, relax, etc. There is also a beautiful natural pool area with an amazing view of the Tuscan hills.

The hotel is located southwest of Florence (40 minutes by car) and close to many towns worthwhile a visit (Siena, San Gimignao, Volterra, Montereggioni, etc.) as well as the Chianti-Region. Upon check-in we received an iPad - with suggestions for itineraries, restaurants, etc. - which we could use during our stay at Il Paluffo. It also had a 3G-connection, so we could take it with us on our trips. Be aware of the fact that it can take a while to get around in Tuscany as most roads are narrow and winding. There are many signs leading to the hotel, so it is relatively easy to find – at least at daylight. The last part of the road to the hotel is a narrow gravel road.

There is free parking right in front of the hotel. There is free Wi-Fi, too.

Breakfast was included in the price. It was served in the old wine cellar and there was a small but good selection of things including Il Paluffo’s own honey and olive oil as well as eggs cooked to order. You can actually purchase Il Paluffo’s honey and olive oil as well as some other products, if you feel like bringing some home with you.

There is no restaurant at Il Paluffo or close by, so you would generally have to take the car, in order to have lunch or dinner.

Please note that there are no permanent opening hours for the reception. However, the staff was extremely helpful and service-minded.

It is possible to book various activities at Il Paluffo including many different cooking classes. We chose to try a Pasta-cooking class which lasted about 2 hours (about 50 Euro / person). In this class we made our own pasta under the guidance of chef Wilma and we enjoyed it very much. One bottle of wine and dessert were included in the price.

Overall, we had a wonderful and relaxing stay at Il Paluffo and therefore, we choose to give the hotel 5/5. We paid roughly 90 Euro / night (low-season). We recommend Il Paluffo very much and will definitely consider visiting again.

We very much liked our stay at Il Paluffo. The place is quiet, located in the middle of wineyards and has breathtaking views on the valley. It is a bit hard to find so it is definitely helpful to have a GPS. The owners provide a mini Ipad to help you during your stay which is good for those who do not have internet access abroad. The place itself is beautiful, the rooms are spacious, the classic furniture and the original paintings on the ceiling give a lot of charm. We enjoyed having a glass of wine in the evening in front of the fire in the living-room.

The hosts are very friendly and the service very good. Frederica helped us a lot by giving us some advice about the sights to visit in the region and about the restaurants nearby. Since we were there at low-season, many restaurants were closed and she called some to make sure they were open. It was a bit annoying to have to drive 20mn every evening to have dinner but i guess it is not the case in the summer when you have more restaurants open and it is the price to pay to be able to stay on the countryside in a peaceful area.

The breakfast was good but could be improved: a carafe of still water should be added to the buffet (next to the sparkling water, milk and juices), there is only one type of salami and cheese (the same everyday) so maybe it could be improved by offering other sorts and some vegetables too. I found the bread a bit hard but it seemed to be the case in many restaurants in Tuscany. I appreciated the hand-made cake made every other day.

There were some construction works going on as we were there that started around 9am which made it difficult to sleep late. For those who are planning to stay at the B&B during the day, you might want to ask if the construction works are still going on.

I strongly recommend the place for a charming stay on the Tuscan countryside.