What is the best agritourismo you have stayed at?

Well, it is the only agritourismo we have stayed at, and pretty non-traditional, but we loved the 6 swimming pools. And it was very reasonably priced. Just don't go on a weekend, cuz the teens take over the pools, and groups book the place for parties on Saturday nights. Very close to Siena.

http://www.mulinodiquercegrossa.it

Nicole,

Have stayed here several times. It's located on the border of Tuscany and Umbria.

http://www.borgorapale.it

Owners are wonderful couple and the apartments are very comfortable.
Property has been in the family for over 300 years.

Check out their listing of how to get to many towns.

Did not stay, but RS Village Italy enjoyed an cooking class/dinner at lapietriccia.com. Food, location,setting just fantastic. Would return in a minute.

Cretaiole near Pienza is wonderful. Isabella and Carlo will welcome you to their farm, and each guest suite comes prepared with two notebooks. One details sights and restaurants in the area, opening hours, costs, etc, and the other is specific to the week you will be there, detailing local festivals, events, etc. that will occur during your stay. They will also help you plan for cooking classes,wine tastings, etc. if you are interested. Each week they host (at no extra charge) a Tuscan pici pasta-making class and dinner and several local excursions. It was the first agriturismo we stayed in and set a very high standard for others. Two caveats -- they have since become very popular because of recommendations in RS, so they book out quite far and secondly, during season all rentals are for one week intervals only. I forget which day reservations start and end, but you can find this out easily on their website. They have several apartments on the farm itself, in addition to a few others nearby. We stayed at il Nido, an apartment located a few km. away from the farm, which was beautiful.

We also have stayed at Antica Olivaia, near Orvieto in Umbria. You will need a car, as it is located out in the countryside. This agriturismo is run by Daniela, an American of Italian background, and her husband, Marco, an Italian. Marco is an excellent cook, and they serve dinner (at a very reasonable cost) several times a week. Dinners are fabulous! Daniela is very good at recommending local sites, making reservations for you, etc. She even arranged for an archeologist friend of hers to give us a private tour of an excavation going back to Etruscan times, which is located under the local parish church. We also enjoyed the swimming pool and walks with their dog, Miles (named for Miles Davis, as Marco was formerly a jazz musician). Would go back in a heartbeat.

Agriturismo Marciano, just outside of Siena, was our favorite so far.

No pool, but the rooms were comfortable and affordable (around 100 euro per night), the grounds were pretty and the dinners... THE DINNERS (about 30 euro per person including wine)... were something special.

Villa Arnilu outside San Gimignano, and they have a couple of other choices too.

Next June we will be staying at Agriturismo Cretaiole, mentioned by Patricia. We've had our reservation since January. Just one correction to Patricia's information. The pasta making class and dinner, and other excursions offered by the owners, do have an extra charge. Those activities are provided to guests who opt for the Dolce Vita package. It's an extra 120 Euro per person per week. A large welcome basket of food is included in the package. Along with the cooking class and dinner mentioned by Patricia, guests receive an olive oil tasting lesson, a visit to the family's working farm with food tastings while there, a tour of an ancient hermitage located on the family's property in Pienza, and an art and artisan tour in Pienza, I've read dozens and dozens of rave reviews about Cretaiole and can't wait for our visit! Isabella has been so wonderfully responsive to the emails I've sent to her, posing many questions. During tourist season, the required week-long stay is Saturday to Saturday.

We had a wonderful time at Castello di Verrazzano last December.

It is a winery perched on a mountaintop just north of Greve. Down the hill from the castle is a farm building that's been turned into a small agriturismo. I think there are only 6 rooms. We had a spacious room with an En Suite bath. We were very comfortable and Isabella did a great job keeping the room clean and tidy.

You can opt for including breakfast for a small extra fee, which I highly recommend. The spread is fantastic and includes honey and wild boar salami from the estate. Marco was very helpful with planning our day and making sure our coffee cup was filled.

Since it is a working winery producing great Chianti and Super Tuscan wines, be sure to take the tour. They offer a tour followed by a wine and food pairing. The food is prepared on a wonderful open fire grill. The food was superb and we finished with a sampling of their Balsamic Vinegar ($50 for 250ml). While we were at the wine and food pairing lunch, the owner and staff were tasting samples of the new vintage. The owner kept coming to our table with unlabeled bottles and pouring us a taste to get our opinions! Be sure to bring a hearty appetite and plenty of time. Lunch started at 12:30 and we didn't leave until after 4:00! It was a great first day in Tuscany, we got to kick back and adjust.

Since we were there in December, it turned out we were the only guests the entire week! The entire staff became our family. Marco practiced his English with us and helped us learn a little Italian. We visited the Monte Olivetto Monastary to attend their evening Vespers sung in Gregorian Chant. Marco helped us map out the route over breakfast and mentioned how much he loved Gregorian chant. We bought a CD from the monastery and gave it to Marco as a Christmas gift the next morning. Tears welled up in his eyes. A few moments later he brought us a jar of the fabulous honey from the winery as his Christmas gift to us.

The stay was quite reasonable, about $90 a day including breakfast. There are a few things to keep in mind. There's no TV in the rooms, although there is a cozy lounge in the building with a TV. There is also no coffee in the rooms, but that was fine for us.

It is 18km South of Florence. Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra and Montepulciano are all an hour or so drive away. Greve is a charming little town with some great places to eat.

Second Doug's recommend
Verrazzano. The food is fabulous!

I must add a third vote for Agriturismo Cretaiole near Pienza--we've stayed there twice in the past for a total of 5 weeks. :-)

It is an experience, an immersion--it is not simply a beautiful country farm with great panoramic views. The family's mission is to help you understand the culture, experience and taste it, and sink into it, if only for a week.

We absolutely loved Il Rigo.

http://www.agriturismoilrigo.com/_en/home.html

It's in Val D'Orcia

Photographers dream

We loved Borgo Argenina outside of Castellina in Chianti. Elena cooks with her guests and then all of the guests sit down for a wonderful feast !

In the latest Rick Steves' show - Siena and Tuscany's Wine Country--there is video footage of his stay at Agriturismo Cretaiole. Starting at the 18:34 minute mark. The video is available to watch for free on his website: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/siena-tuscany-wine-country

Our RS 17 Day Best of Italy Tour stayed at the Altarocca Wine Resort just outside Orvieto. Our villa was not very nice, but I saw the villas that other tour members stayed at and they were very nice. Everyone seemed to like it a lot. The website is very good and contains a lot of information and pictures. There are some great hikes by the resort. The website has an "English" button so you don't have to try and figure out the Italian.

www.altaroccawineresort.com.

Another vote for Agriturismo Marciano in Siena (outside the walled city). We stayed there in 2009 and again this past August and loved it both times. I won't bore you with all the details; you can read all the fantastic reviews on TA but suffice it to say both visits were memorable and the family who runs the farmhouse sure know what they're doing! It's a very convenient base for taking day trips in Tuscany and Umbria!

We've stayed at just one agriturisimo, but loved it and would like to figure out a way to be back in the vicinity so we can stay there again. It's been mentioned more than once already, the Agriturisimo Marciano, outside of Siena. It's great if you don't want to rent a car as it's a very pleasant, if a bit long, walk to Siena or a short, inexpensive taxi ride. Ditto the comments above on the dinners! My husband still talks about the dinner that we had there four years ago. It wasn't just the food though. Part of the amazing experience was sitting around the table with people from all over the place. This year we're staying in Umbria, just outside of Torgiano. Clipped this article years ago and have been dreaming of staying there since.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/travel/21personal.html

Wow, you all have offered some amazing choices. This trip will be me, my husband and our 18 month old! This will be a trip to remember for sure!!
Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions, keep them coming!

Do not stay at Antica Olivaia, near Orvieto in Umbria. I stayed there a few years ago and was very disappointed. It is not the Italian experience you are looking for. The owners are American and English, not Italians. We did not feel welcome at all and were so happy to get out of there.

I do recommend Cretaiole near Pienza. Isabella is the best host in all of Italy. You must book well in advance.

We would love to stay at Cretaiole near Pienza, but the cost is a bit more than we are willing to spend. (A little over 200/night)
However, that place is gorgeous!

Another vote for Agriturismo Marciano!!! Near Siena, not way out in the countryside. Interesting tour of their organic winery and FANTASTIC meals. Order dinner!!!