Una2019年9月

It's difficult to do justice to the wonderful experience of staying at Cottage Max, Podere Trafonti, but I'll do my best! Just know that I would return there in a heartbeat and it was the highlight of our visit to Italy. Accommodation: the cottage is exquisite - just a beautiful space - so well designed and stylishly furnished and equipped with everything you might need. Part of the trip to Tuscany for us was finding a wonderful place to stay and so we relished actually just hanging out in the cottage and on the terrace. The view over the farm and off to Montepulciano never got old and we enjoyed stargazing at night. The pool and other facilities were beautiful and the organic farm and gardens were part of the attraction to me. People: Our wonderful host, Antonella, was kind, gracious, and generous. We loved that she'd pull up a chair and join us for a chat at breakfast and we were just sorry that we didn't have longer with her due to her trip out of town. Her restaurant recommendations were always excellent and she was very responsive both before and during our stay on any matter. Carmen and Daniel, who looked after the house and grounds respectively, were also very solicitous and responsive to anything we needed. Food: Breakfast was included in our stay and, for the first couple of mornings, we enjoyed a sumptuous feast at the main house. Before Antonella left on her trip she loaded our refrigerator with enough food to feed an army so we were self-sufficient for breakfast while she was gone. Podere Trafonti is a slice of heaven on earth and Antonella takes her responsibility as steward of the land very seriously and is passionate about organic approaches and improving the ecosystem for pollinators. This was part of the appeal for me and yet the experience of staying there was so much greater than the sum of its parts. I really hope we can return there one day.