Ruined Time Under Tuscan Sun: WARNING: Podere Falceto Agriturismo (Panzano)

So you had one of the suites upstairs in the remodeled barn?

https://www.poderefelceto.com/en/quercia-bb-3/

In what way were the rooms not what you had been led to believe? Did you book directly with the property, or with a 3d party like booking.com? Was it e pensive?

As for the towels, how long was your stay? It is not that unusual unusual to charge for extra towels or bed linens in Italy these days. They need to conserve both energy and water. That is particularly true on a working farm, which is what “agriturismo”means.

Did you find nothing at all to like about the place?

Booked directly with the agriturismo and communicated with the one daughter of the owners. Yes, we stayed in the Cypresso room that was newly renovated. Sadly the owners did not take into consideration sound proofing and no views from this room ;-(
We stayed four nights--their minimum. Understand linens not being changed in that short period of time and I probably wouldn't have minded about the towel charge but would have been nice to know up front, and also a heads up on the extensive stairs to get down and up to for our rooms. Unfortunately my husband has a bad back--so in addition to the non peaceful sleep -the morning chatter of guests and clanking of dishes just topped it all off. The only thing that makes this place a gem is the backdrop and the scenery...I've stayed in other agriturismo's which were much more welcoming, amazing wine and food and warm hosts...maybe I set my expectations too high for a 10+ rated agriturismo from Agriturismo IT site ;-( Lesson learned ...the hard way.

Canceling the meal service when it's advertised as being available is a deal breaker for me

By definition, an agroturismo is in a remote area, so where are you supposed to get your evening meal?

They say these rooms are on the first floor and the stairs are right in the photograph, so that can’t have been a surprise.

Otherwise the website is pretty spare in describing what is included, views, etc. What was the view out your window and what did it lack?

The pool looks nice though.

I am sorry you didn’t like the place but “heart attack” seems a bit extreme. I note they get a 9.6 “exceptional” rating on booking.com, so other people must find something to like there.

Those stairs in the pic are the inside stairs---never mentioned or showed the steep stone steps to get down to the building we were in ;-( Our bad for not doing more investigating...the view from our pic was the stair/and side of the cottage. Beautiful backdrop, pool was pretty, but again, not the peaceful setting we were so looking forward to.

OK, I am sorry this experience ruined your Tuscany vacation. But I think it is a shame to trash a well-regarded family run business for not meeting your expectations, when you apparently did not understand what you were getting into. An agriturismo is a farm, which by definition means it can be remote, and have uneven ground, as well as other rustic aspects ( bugs, animals, manure smells). I don’t see where they promised wine tasting or other amenities. It seems to be a pretty basic operation—you can tell from the breakfast offered.

I don’t understand Bets comment about canceled meals. Did that happen too?

In the OP “all dinner/dining options were cancelled upon our arrival because of family member visiting”.

I’m sorry this happened, i can well imagine the disappointment. This has happened to me… you expect/are promised something and it’s nothing like what was advertised. My sympathies.

I think people understand what a farm is.
This turned out to be nothing more than a noisy room rental and not the farm to table, quiet, relaxing stay that was expected.

The whole "meet your expectations" buzz phrase created by a corporation is an attempt to shift blame onto a consumer when the provider falls flat.

To me the warning should be to have a different room and meal service guaranteed if one decides to book there.

Just want to clarify...I know what an agriturismo is..been staying at them over the past 20 years during my travels to Europe. Secondly, I own my own farm--however, I'm not an agriturismo but I do know when you're in the farm/hospitality business you are suppose to meet certain criteria one of which is to be clear and up front what your facility is and what you have to offer. When we first booked, they did provide plenty of information on their dinner service, oil dining tasting experience and even morning meditation. Sorry if my post came across as "trashing" but I do think folks should be warned of a property that fails to deliver what they present. The daily morning clanking of dishes /breakfast guest chatter, steep stairs and the women's group yoga class/getaway unfortunately took away the Tuscan sunshine.

That explains what happened: they contracted with a group. I hate when that happens: cruise ships, tours or river boats with groups that exclude others. Shunts individuals aside.

That is the pits. It should have been handled very differently, warning you and even offering to find you a different booking since they changed their formula to accommodate a group with specific space and dietary needs. This is the crux of the issue.

Thank you Toebiz for your post. I took have travelled extensively in Italy and have had good experiences. However I have an expectation as well..to enjoy my stay based on the promise of the establishment. I also know some people have one trip in a lifetime..plan carefully..and then this happens. As I took understand things happen..I also feel for you and your disappointment..meals cancelled...special activities that were expected..they can really make a trip. You are right..plenty of other agriturismos that deliver what they promise..I am hoping for the owners this was just one off week. Hoping you enjoyed the remainder of your trip!

toebiz, even If I agree you have valid reasons to complain I'm wondering how many farms in your country have elevators and sound-proof rooms.

Those are 2 things you will hardly find in an agriturismo. All the pictures in Podere Falceto's site scream "centuries old tuscan country house with lots of cumbersome stairs". Next time I'd specifically ask for a ground floor room.

I also think that you should be entitled to at least a partial refund for the cancellation of the dining option. The place is clearly isolated (I wouldn’t expect otherwise since the address is ‘Via Case Sparse’) and not offering dining, as advertised, should be a reason for complaint. Regarding having the stairs that is also what I would expect for rooms that are located on the first floor (second floor in US). Actually a characteristic of Tuscan farmhouse is that living quarters are above the cellars and stables, often also latrines in the old days (which apparently were converted into a kitchen here) and, as Dario mentioned, there are no elevators at an agriturismo.