I have seen so many reviews on farmhouses.Some are way beyound our budget.We would like to stay at a working farm.We don't need fancy just comfort with the goal to feel part of the country
Hello Pat, we are staying in a farmhouse 10-12 miles outside of Siena called Il Canto del Sole, run by Laura and Luciano. Costs about E100/night and includes breakfast. You can also attend the family meal in the evening for extra costs. Here is the website: http://www.ilcantodelsole.com/Inglese/dovesiamo.htm. We will be traveling around the hilltop towns during the day so we didn't need to spend the $$$ on some of the farmhouse's that are out there. Good Luck.
Thank you so much.Hope you have a wonderful time.
"Farmhouse" is really a misapplied term. The concept of agriturismos is a few guestrooms on a working farm. However, the term also gets applied to what are really country resorts with swimming pools, restaurants, etc. So there are plenty of the former to be found, you just need to look harder - the smaller places usually don't have websites. WWW.agriturismo.it is one place to look. Slowtrav.com has lots of advice.
Hi Pat,
I haven't tried this but I just read about WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms)--www.wwoof.org
It was on the New York Times Frugal Traveler Blog (The Frugal Traveler Does Europe on a Budget.) It sounds interesting and there is almost no cost--from the video I viewed on the website some of the accomodations look rustic but still, it's an adventure and a chance to live like a local.
Hi,
We just returned from a wonderful vacation in Italy and spent a few nights at the place Robert has told you about above, Il Canto del Sole. It's just outside of Siena, absolutely charming, and run by an engaging and very friendly couple, Luciano & Laura. We highly recommend this place ~ our accomodations in the old part of the farmhouse were VERY nice, the setting was absolutely beautiful, the price at 100 euros a night was right, and we had the opportunity to enjoy Laura's fabulous cooking and get to know this beautiful Italian family, as well as our fellow-guests from other parts of Europe.
We enjoyed our time there thoroughly and would return again in a heartbeat. Highly recommended !
Another plug for Il Canto del Sole. We just left there on Saturday, after using it as our home base for a week. Good location, about 12 km south of Siena. A great place for couples and families, as we saw both during our stay. The swimming pool was refreshing and a nice break. Out eight year old boy loved it there, too. Luciano and Laura were delightful. Usually I am ready to head home after being away a couple of weeks, but not this trip! Feel free to email me for photos or add'l information.