Our party of six adults recently rented the entire Le Diacce villa to serve as our "home-base" for two weeks while exploring the charming Tuscany region. The location of the property is absolutely perfect, as it is quiet and serene while being well-situated to explore the area. The villa itself is well-appointed with all of the comforts of home, and is fully-equipped for preparing meals. Most notably, it has many quaint areas both within the house and the surrounding property to find some privacy and enjoy the outstanding views and wine!
Franca, the owner, is truly one of a kind!!! Her personality alone is worth mentioning, as she has a certain spark that makes anyone who meets her gravitate to her in such a way that is almost undescribable. Kind and caring, she went over the top to help us feel comfortable during our stay. From providing small creature comforts such as an "American" coffee-maker, leading an amazing cooking class (along with her sister Mimi and wonderful staff), to helping us print our boarding passes for our early morning flight, she was truly a joy to meet and really made a lasting impression on myself, as well as the rest of the group. I must also mention her marvelous sense of humor :)
Due to the close proximity of La Diacce to the town of Montevarchi (about a 20 minute drive from the property), we were able to utilize the train system multiple times, exploring Florence, Pistoia (highly recommended!!), and Venice. By car (a necessity if renting this property, in my opinion), we explored Sienna, Volterra, Assisi, and many other small, whimsical towns that dot the region. That said, if exploring by train and car are not what you are looking for in a vacation, the town of Gaiole (about a 10 minute drive away) has many small shops, restaurants and cafes to explore as well. Gaiole also has a small grocery store (The Coop) as well as a very nice butcher, that we utilized many times during our stay.
In closing, no matter what your agenda for your vacation, whether exploring, relaxing, or a combination of both- Le Diacce is simply breathtaking!