Pros and cons of an agriturismo?

We stayed at Locanda Rosati for 3 nights just outside of Orvieto and it was awesome. We have sent several friends there as well and they too swooned over the place. Any stress we had, melted away rapidly. Leave any preconceived notions at home: very reasonable cost, our room was great (ensuite bathroom, comfortable bed), the house was as well and the grounds stunning....olive trees, gardens, great pool (we were there in August). The absolute best part was the dining - great breakfast and we were asked about our dinner plans and the owner recommended we 'eat here' and it was MAGICAL! We ate with the other guests (a global experience) , everybody telling stories of their adventures and the food (farm to table) was fabulous...we had so much fun at dinner, we ate the next night there as well! It was one of the highlights of our trip.

No downside to my experience - do your research to find what fits your needs best.

"Some time" in April is a bit of a challenge. Your decision will rest heavily on what "we" will want to do on a daily basis... driving local roads can be tedious if the farm is to be a home base for a lot of wandering...

We had to choose between two highly recommended places friends had stayed at in Tuscany and we opted for a more rustic experience for our week, so you need to consider your needs carefully. Our farm had a number of individual old farm houses fixed up so we got own house, with an outdoor dining area, fireplace, wood, etc. Groceries could be bought at the farm store (great wild boar items from the farm itself, and local delicacies) or at the local town. We cooked for ourself about half of the time. They also featured hiking tails and a Truffle Hunt for the adventurous (extra cost of course). The farm required driving to local restaurants and wineries and sights, so we got pretty good at driving narrow, winding local roads. It was a great first week "escape" of our spring break (a few years ago) before we headed to Florence for the rest.

We loved our agriturismo stay of nine nights, about 15 km south of Florence. Pros: peaceful setting, easy parking, option to cook for ourselves (we had a small but well-equipped kitchen), options for wine tastings and cooking classes on site or nearby. The biggest pro was the expertise of our host, who added depth to our day trip planning. Con: transportation. Most agriturismos are not convenient to public transportation, especially during school vacations when bus service is limited. You will likely need to rent a car for day trips, or stay just a few nights with on site activities during the day. If you research carefully, you can find agriturismos that will provide rides to day tour pick-up points (or tours that will come get you).

We opted to take day trips into Florence; parking was no issue due to our host's advice. BUT if I were to re-do this trip I would split the nights befween the agriturismo and a hotel in Florence. The best of both worlds-the peaceful countryside and more personal connection to your host, as well as time to explore a city early and late while it's quiet.

The only “con” of staying in agriturismo, or really anywhere in the countryside is that you need a car. So if you plan for that then you’re set.You can choose from very rustic to very plush establishments. There are a wide variety of options. I tend to gravitate towards those that are working wineries or olive oil producers, with some sort of restaurant on site.

Think that an onsite restaurant (or self cooking) is helpful if staying at an agriturismo. We stayed about 20K south of Firenze a few years ago, extremely nice experience. Owners gave us a list of local restaurants and made suggestions.

Only "minor" issue was the short drive back to the house after enjoying the local grape juice with dinner. Don't order the second carafe'.
We drove all over Tuscany over 4 days, wonderful experience. Stop and look as you please.

Our house mates (old very large farmhouse divided into 4 apartments) were all Australians with their kids on month long holiday.

Paul, am I correct that rental cars are available in Orvieto? And to get to your agriturismo, do you drive from the city or from below the funicular station? Thanks

Edited: Thanks ChristineH. Off topic, but our visit to Gettsyburg was one of our 25 yr. old daughter's favorite trips (and she's been to Europe 6 times!)

Hertz is located at the train station, below the town

We have considered an agriturismo stay every time we have planned a trip to Tuscany. There are definitely more pros than cons but the one reason we always decide against is that we really enjoy being in town- especially in the mornings and evenings when the tourist crowds are gone. We like to wander in the evening enjoying the local ambience, eat dinner in town, drink wine then walk to our room. We don’t drive at night or drink and drive- so that reason alone has always made the decision for us. I also don't really want to cook while on vacation-other than a picnic dinner type meal. I know many agriturismos do provide excellent dinners though.

I think if trip is long enough and you have time to spend a few days at an agriturismo for some quiet down time it would be great. I mean it always sounds so lovely! And I suppose if you don’t drink wine/alcohol you certainly can head out for dinner in town. It just hasn’t worked for us…so far. Not to say we won’t always consider it and may end up doing it one day.

You’d need a car for sure but you also really need a car to explore Tuscany so to me- that con is a wash.

PROS:
More value for money in terms of accommodations amenities and (depending on the facility) also food
Relaxing atmosphere immersed in nature
Good choice for groups/large families

CONS:
Car dependent, must drive anywhere, including dinner (unless provided by the agriturismo)
May be time consuming to get out of and return from sights after day trips. Some are really secluded and hard to get to, therefore it's important to check the exact location thoroughly and calculate the time necessary to reach the intended destinations from that base.
Boring to stay in adverse weather conditions, therefore it would not be my choice in winter.
Longer checking in/out procedures, therefore not necessarily recommended for one or two nights stays. Actually many facilities require longer stays (one week or longer).

We spent a week in Tuscany with Castello di Verrazzano as our home base. It's just outside of Greve, ~20 km south of Florence. We were there two weeks before Christmas, 2015.

Pros:

• Home base. From Verrazzano, most of central Tuscany was within and hour's drive. Also Greve is on a bus route. We parked in the free public lot and caught an early bus to Florence, arriving at 8:00am and catching a 7:30 PM bus back home. We unpacked once and didn't waste time moving from one location to another.
• Wonderful staff. Marco and Isabella became friends. Because of the time of year, we were the only guests for most of our stay, therefore they doted on us. Breakfast became an impromptu language class, with Marco teaching us Italian and us helping him polish up his English. I feel that even if they were busier, the caring exhibited by them would have been the same.
• Food and wine. Since it was a winery, we enjoyed great wine. We decided to make Monday a "down day", exploring the agriturismo in the morning, then taking a winery tour followed by a food and wine tasting later in the morning. The tour of the winery was fascinating. The highlight, though, was the food and wine tasting. It started with Prosecco and an appetizer, then we sampled in order their Chianti Classico, Chianti Reserva and their Super Tuscan. The accompanying dishes were fantastic. We also sampled their amazing (and expensive) Balsamic vinegar, aged 12 years. Desert was biscotti and Vin Santo, a wonderful desert wine. We sat down at 12:30 and finished at 3:30, a true relaxing Italian meal. The good news is we didn't have to drive after tasting all that wine. We also ate dinner there one night, joining a Christmas party of tour bus drivers, making new friends and having a fun filled evening with exuberant Italians.
• Price. Our stay was quite reasonable, less than $100 per night, including breakfast. Peak season rates are higher.

Cons:

• A Car is practically a must. As mentioned, most agriturismos are off the public transportation path. Of course, I think to have a true Tuscany experience a car is required whether you stay at an agriturismo or in a town.
• Convenience/Lifestyle. If you are a party person and enjoy night life, you may feel a bit isolated. Since this trip, we spent a week in an apartment in Loches, France. We were a 3 minute walk from the heart of town. It was great to be able to walk to town and buy pastries for breakfast and at night walk to one of the nice restaurants in town. A couple of days we just explored the town, not using the car to get anywhere. I'd love to go back to Italy and spend a week or so in Siena or Lucca or even Florence as home base.
• Minimum Stay. Many, if not most agriturismos have a minimum stay requirement, especially in peak season. It is often Sunday-Saturday. This is something to consider based on your plans.

As you can surmise, we had a wonderful time. We have done the hopping around type of travel in the past and feel fortunate to have had the experience. We have seen many of the major tourist spots in Italy, France, Germany, England and Scotland. Now that we are older, we seek a different kind of experience, one at a slower pace, with more relaxation and connection to the people where we visit. We are working on embracing "Dolce far Niente", the Sweetness of Doing Nothing. If this is your travel philosophy as well, staying at an agriturismo will be heaven.

I think the above posts have provided excellent advice. If you want a really authentic experience, ensure that it is a working farm. If you want to eat their farm products, make sure they state in their website. Ask if necessary. Some agriturismi are just small inns.

I much prefer staying at an agriturismo for the local host's knowledge and camaraderie of fellow travelers. However, I also greatly enjoy not having to worry about driving home after a large dinner and unhealthy amount of wine. So , a great solution is to book a place that offers an in-house restaurant. In the alternative, consider having your large meal at lunch when you arrive in a small town you plan on touring for a few hours. That way you can still enjoy yourself and have time to sober up before needing to get behind the wheel.

Honestly, I am sometimes uncomfortable driving home at night at a baseline on many of the dark and twisty roads you will encounter. I would not even attempt to do it with any more than one glass of wine.

After all the input, I think it comes down to what you want that portion of the trip to be. Setting aside the places that just offer a room in the country, a true Agriturismo is an experience in itself. Yes there will be time to explore nearby, but meals and time at the farm are what it is about. So if your itinerary demands 10 hours out of the day to see what you want to see in the area, you are probably better off just staying in a traditional hotel.