Tuscany farmhouse accommodation reviews
June 2010 It was wonderful. My wife and I ended our five week holiday in Italy with two weeks at Cucule. While the "farmhouse" is perfect for a couple and satisfactory for a family with a teenager, a good friend joined us for this part of our holiday. She used the comfortable convertible bed in the main room, sharing the one bathroom with us, which worked out just fine for all. You definitely need a car, preferably with navigation. The "farmhouse" is well furnished and equipped. We cooked many meals there and enjoyed eating outdoors overlooking the wooded hills and valley. There are three bookcases filled with books in the main room. Two hold wonderful books on Italy, specific regions and towns, food, wine, history with accompanying maps and brochures – some carefully taped together. The third bookcase holds books that you can settle down and immerse yourself. I wrote down several titles. The garden is stunning with wonderful flourishes of colorful plants and flowers. I had never seen white lavender before. Or heard of a hummingbird moth let alone see one! The property is large with a number of places to explore and relax in chairs, lounges or a hammock. Susan and Ray attended to our every need and request performing admirable research. They made our stay an exceptional experience. There were so many thoughtful touches from our "welcome pack" to the beautiful sculpture garden and infinity pool. At our last breakfast before leaving, the three of us each talked about what staying at Cucule meant to each of us. We quickly came to agreement. Of all the pleasures we experienced at the Farmhouse Cucule, we valued the deep sense of place that Susan and Ray had created in this Italian countryside. The love for their land and their attention to detail everywhere on their property was obvious to us at every turn of path, patch of garden and vista view. The true gift for us was Susan and Ray sharing their place with us for a few days, which we remember and now carry with us. Susan and Ray, we celebrate and thank you for what you have made possible at Cucule and in our hearts. Pat, Karen and Serge - California USA October 2009 We stayed at Casa Cucule from Sept.16-26, 2009 as the first part of our honeymoon and a 1 month stay in Italy. We stayed in a number of other bed and breakfasts and hotels after we left Casa Cucule and none of them even came close to what we experienced at Casa Cucule. The surroundings and accommodations are beautiful. The apartment is amazingly well furnished, much thought has gone into the decorating and needs of someone coming far from home. A very well equipped kitchen, made it possible to cook anything you like. The pool area is wonderful, along with all the plant life, like rosemary, sage, lavender and thyme bushes everywhere. There are olive trees, a persimmon tree, cypress trees and anything else you might dream to be part of the Tuscan landscape. An enormous cobblestone patio surrounds the renovated farmhouse with many potted plants and great teak furniture to laze around on. The weather was warm and sunny and we were able to spend a number of days by the pool and eat our dinners outside by candlelight. Because of the way Casa Cucule is situated you literally have 360 degree views of a valley including a vineyard and 2 medieval villages. Susan is an amazing and fun hostess. She gave us many invaluable tips regarding the area, which is super helpful when you are coming to a strange area. This part of our honeymoon turned out to be our very favorite part of our stay in Italy and we went to many places including Venice, Rome, Sorrento and Florence. Thank you so much Susan for your fantastic hospitality and that great bottle of wine, our stay with you was unforgettable. Katheryn & Ray - Alberta, Canada November 2008 We had no idea of the peace and beauty of this sanctuary which we had booked largely by chance when we decided to holiday in Tuscany. This has been just the refuge we needed – a base to explore the hills and villages of Chianti- and a place to return each night to quiet and serenity. Thank you Susan & Ray for your warm welcome and generous hospitality. Alan & Jan – Perth Australia
October 2008 Thanks for a peaceful & relaxing stay. Susan ‘s recommendations for places to eat were superb, and using Casa Cucule as a hub to explore Siena, Radda in Chianti, and the other beautiful places in this part of the world has been perfect. Chris & Kath – Aylesbury UK September 2008 Where to start! After visiting the area 10years ago I’d given my new(!) husband great expectations for our honeymoon and it exceeded all of them. Firstly thank you so much to Susan & Ray for their very warm welcome, the welcome pack was everything we needed and you made us feel right at home – even Leo, Nero et al [our discreet family of cats] accepted us in the end. Cheryl & Craig – Manchester UK
August 2008 Our second visit and having ventured out a bit on the first visit we learnt our lesson and barely left the place this time The magic is all here – peace tranquillity and an endless succession of wild life sound effects too good to miss. Never thought the only visits out would be to the Coop (and the Osteria in Montebenichi) but it worked for us. See you again. Tim & Jackie – Leeds UK
August 2008 Our second visit and we wondered how it would live up to our 1st – it did. Your hospitality is charming, when we arrived we felt like we’d reached home. The peace and tranquillity have done us the world of good. Highlights were: a fox visiting us at lunch time at the pool side, Nero [our cheeky black cat ] retuning home after missing for 3 days, the Palio heats in Siena, drinks on your balcony sharing your Tuscan experiences, a spectacular thunderstorm on our penultimate day – all previous days had been glorious sunshine. Marie & Simon – Northampton UK
July 2008 2nd time here and we’re already looking forward to the third. H & Kate – London UK June 2008 What a wonderful welcome! D & T (friends from Yorkshire) were right – they felt very responsible suggesting a villa in Tuscany for friends – But – they really need not have worried – it has been everything they said – AND MORE! Thank you Susan for sending us to La Bottega in Volpaia. (If you go do book a table at the front of the terrace to admire the wonderful view.) Keith and Penny - Yorkshire UK April 2008 Most of all it was wonderful to have such a great host and hostess! Susan you thought of every detail, thanks for making our stay so wonderful. Dan & Kathy – Texas USA February 2008 Well it is finally time to leave the delightful retreat of Casa Cucule … something we both do with fond memories of a great time that was had! Many many thanks Susan for making our stay so enjoyable and creating such a friendly inviting atmosphere in Tuscany. The touring advice and all the little extras (e.g. Welcome pack) helped to create the perfect Tuscan break; also for organising the golf in Florence – a great day was had…… The advice given by previous guests to read “Too much Tuscan Sun” at the beginning of your stay was excellent advice as it gives a great overview and ideas. We definitely hope to return to Casa Cucule in the future, next time perhaps in summer. Pete & Lu – Melbourne Australia November 2007 We had a fantastic stay at Cucule, after touring Rome, Venice this little hideaway was exactly what we needed to unwind and relax. Bob & Leo got along perfectly, I think Leo looked forward to the nightly rub. The other thing we learned is this truly is the best part of Tuscany. We went north, south, east and west and our last day right here in Chianti Classico was the best. Thanks for recommending La Bottega, what a beautiful spot. Hope to be back again. Bob & Lori – Colorado USA
October 2007 We’ve had a brilliant time at Casa Cucule, what a beautiful place! Your attention to detail really made a difference, thanks also for your guidance and help during my spell of sickness. The guide books, maps and information about eateries was especially appreciated. Anna & Colin ‘newly wed’ – London UK September 2007 We have had a wonderful time in your beautiful home Susan – thank you both for all your help, advice and such a warm welcome. We loved the Orciaia restaurant in Montebenichi, had an excellent lunch in San Gusme and also in San Sano. Castello di Brolio is well worth a visit for the views alone. A beautiful area & so very peaceful. An unforgettable week - we shall be back! John and Jane - Suffolk UK
September 2007 We expected a house and we found a home! Cucule was everything we expected and more – thank you – Good luck with the green roof. Ray, a great host - 10 out of 9. John & Lizzie – Somerset UK September 2007 Chere Susan, Cher Ray, Des les premiere instants Casa Cucule est devenue “ notre maison” en Toscane. Votre accuiel et la chalareur des moments passé ensemble nous ont enchantés. Le calme absolu, la beauté du site, l’environnement admirable …. Et but le charme be la Toscane, font de Cucule un lieu inoubliable. Merci mille fois a vous deux e tres bientôt a Cucule ou Paris ….. Patricia et Laure - Paris France July 2007 So good we are coming back next year! Perfect in every way. H & Kate - London UK June 2007 Wonderful weather in spite of forecast, Gentle & lots of sun. Sadly packing up – booked in for next year so that says it all! Tessa & Donald – Yorkshire UK May 2007 In two year time nothing has changed – Casa Cucule remained the most perfect and gorgeous spot in Europe. We are happy to be able to show it to Samuel as well. And also it was great to see and meet you again. Adam Barbara & Samuel - Budapest Hungry May 2007 After spending the first week of our 3 week holiday in Rome we were ready for some ‘r&r’ in a special retreat in Tuscany. Casa Cucule provided that and so much more. We would definitely recommend a visit to San Gimignano and Siena but would also highly recommend lazing on the terrace listening to the wild life and just relaxing – that is certainly what we did. Susan and Ray – what can we say – your hospitality knows no bounds. It is great to know you are there if needed but you are also very discreet - perfect. Off to Sorrento now – will definitely recommend you and your casa when we get home. Thank you once again for making our “Miele di luna “ [honey moon] so special. Peter & Caroline - Yorkshire UK March 2007 We truly enjoyed our spring vacation here at Cucule. Although we spent far less time here than we should have, it was always nice to have a beautiful and comfortable place to call home for a week. We enjoyed seeing lots of wild life, including a boar, a pheasant and lots of deer. Many thanks for your hospitality. Brad and Shannon - Toronto Canada October 2006 Our week at Casa Cucule truly felt like our home away from home. Susan's warm and artistic interior designs, the welcome basket of groceries, and Ray's hospitality during our week there combined with the spectacular mountain scenery to create a very special experience. The location was ideal for visiting the beautiful surrounding towns and for biking in the Chianti and Siena regions. The warm send off by Susan and Ray at the end of our week - as well as our transformative experience there for our second anniversary - guarantee that we'll be back to celebrate future anniversaries. Mickey & Dave - Princeton NY USA 
October 2006 and May 2008 A beautiful haven nestled in the countryside of Tuscany, centrally located and providing access to many of the fabulous towns in the surrounding area. The location of Casa Cucule proved to be a welcome respite after a day of travelling, especially after contending with the winding roads of Tuscany. Being from North America, we greatly appreciated the spaciousness of the apartment with the large living, dining and kitchen area and the separate bedroom and bathroom, which, with being able to close the door between the areas, allowed for the ability to do things without disturbing someone who was still sleeping. In addition, as we enjoy preparing our own meals, it was nice to have a kitchen which provided the wherewithal to do so. It allowed us to sit back and relax at the end of the travel day to partake of the wonderful food that Tuscany has to offer (especially the Porcini mushrooms) and the excellent local wines which were more than reasonably priced. After dinner we were able to enjoy the additional benefit of the beautiful night sky filled with stars and the absolute calm and serenity. When we return to Tuscany (which we now know would be impossible not to) we are hopeful Casa Cucule will be available. Steve & Liz Lees - Toronto Canada June 2005 We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay in this lovely corner of Tuscany, thanks Susan & Ray for your warm welcome, beautifully presented accommodation and interesting conversations. ………Rest days here at Cucule were also most enjoyable – we made good use of the books in the apartment and the shade in the garden while Susan and Ray toiled ! Ah La dolce vita. Corrie & Adrian – WA Australia April 2005 Susan & Ray, when the demands of our world become too much we now have Cucule, a haven to visit if only in our minds until the day when we can return. Thank you for creating a space to decompress, from which to venture into this amazing countryside and return to comfort and candle light. We loved the views the relaxing atmosphere. Our suitcases will be loaded with local wines and our hearts refreshed for our return to New York. Fondly Chris and Jenny. Chris & Jenny – New York USA September 2004 We followed the birth of Casa Cucule from a ruin with a tree sticking through the middle of the roof space to what is today a tranquil haven of serendipity. We had to tear ourselves away to do the sights; Arezzo, Siena, Perugia…. Perugia is an absolute must. The tranquillity of this lost valley is unparalleled. We were here at the lavender harvest – the evocative scent of lavender will always remind us of our Tuscan sojourn. John & Helga – Caymen Island 
Lavender harvest at Cucule 
June 2004 GREAT HONEY MOON, fantastic setting, Suzy and Ray very hospitable and friendly. A great relaxing stress free week. Galiya and Simon - Moscow, Russia July 2003 This little piece of Tuscan heaven is not only at the heart of all the splendours that Tuscany has to offer but, and more importantly, it is its own very special Tuscan Heart.The greatest pleasures during our 1 week ‘vacanza’ were the dinners we lavishly consumed on the terrace under the moon light as well as spectacular drives across vertiginous hills to such wonderful and impossible ‘villagi’ such as Volpaia, Montebeniche and that incomparable location of pure pleasure Siena. The local swimming pool, whilst crammed with excitable Italians, afforded a perfect glance into the ‘vita locale’ – and the swimming refreshment was worth the 8.50€ …….. Our last night we ate at the superb ‘Osteria di Rendola’ – a 20 minute spectacular drive over mountains in the direction of Montevarchi – the food was divine, the terrace along the edge of olive tree fields, a perfect end to a perfect Tuscan week. Daniela Roet – Australia July 2003 Exquisite location, divine accommodation, Tuscany – pure bliss…! Pure Paradiso – will be back as soon as the pool’s in!! Sophie Roet – Australia -NOW IT IS ....2005
May 2003 Truly wonderful, we enjoyed our stay at ‘Casa Cucule’ so much, and feel you have created a paradise in this Tuscan heaven; it surely doesn’t get any better. Thanks Sue, and very much look forward to our return.Caroline & Norman - Northampton, UK May 2003 Proud and privileged to be the first in the book, we have enjoyed our Tuscan retreat and will remember its beauty and tranquillity. Questo e stato belissimo! Arriverderci Casa Cucule until the next time…… Peggy & Arthur Somers – London, UK
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