We spent a month at La Tinaia in Sep-Oct 2016. That’s a long time. It’s easy to spoil the entire vacation if one’s living conditions are below expectations. Naturally, we spent a lot of time selecting a place to stay, and boy did we make a right decision!
1. Location. La Tinaia is a 10-15 min drive away from the Tramvia in Scandicci with free parking at the tram station. Trams come every 3-4 minutes. 16-18 min – and you are at Santa Maria Novella, the center of Florence. On the other hand, La Tinaia is a very quiet place right in the middle of unbelievably picturesque area of Tuscany. Take all your lenses if you are involved in photography because you will use all of them! Beautiful sunsets right from the property, hundreds of views to die for within 10 min drive, you name it.
2. Conditions. Rustic style rooms yet convenient kitchen equipment and clean bathrooms; gated parking, a nice pool, outdoor space for lunch, privacy for every guest if you want it. While in Tuscany, we visited several other locations where our friends stayed (including one that we considered “close second”), and La Tinaia was definitely better.
3. Hosts. Tina and Franco are great. They are extremely helpful and very hospitable. What’s more, they invite all their guests to a gourmet dinner once every 1-2 weeks (charging a very reasonable fee). Franco is a fantastic chef, you will be challenged to find this quality of a dinner elsewhere, and even if you do you are guaranteed to pay thrice.
4. Specialty. La Tinaia is actually a winery and they also produce olive oil. Enjoy their products, they worth it.
5. Overall. We will be back. There are so many nice places in the world (and in Toscana), but we will be back.