Fattoria Settemerli - Florence, Italy 

Let's do an IS/IS NOT: IS: Accessible. We had a car, and were glad of it, but the #36 bus stops right at the gate and goes directly into the center of Florence (but beware, tickets for buses must be bought at a "tobacco shop" or news stand and validated once you board). By car it's 10 minutes to the Porta Romana car park south of the Pitti Palace and Boboli gardens, and from there you can catch the bus or walk 20 minutes to the center. We were in the "real" countryside in 20-25 minutes, and it's only about 1 hour from Siena (highly recommended). Friendly. The cat and the parrot are a nice addition. The cat, however, did deposit 2 "presents" in the courtyard that he had hunted down the night before in the field.. which the staff quickly disposed of. Quiet. There is some noise from round-the-clock construction of a tunnel, but it was not a bother at night with the windows closed, and I'm VERY sensitive to noise. Every morning we awoke to a symphony of birds - very nice. We were especially thankful to have a mellow, isolated place to relax at the end of the day, where kids can run around outside with no worry. Comfortably and tastefully furnished. We had rooms in the secondary building and they were large, with plenty of storage for our belongings, and an adequate bathroom (shower, toilet, sink, bidet and shelves for our stuff). The beds and other furniture are in very good condition, but the mattress was about the firmest I've ever slept on in my life. Good value for the money. We would not have liked to pay more than we did (who does), but by the same token would have been immeasureably sad had we taken something for the same price inside Florence. IS NOT: It's not an "unforgettable" locale. On coming into town just off the autoroute (Centosa/Galluzzo, which as near as we could tell is administratively a part of Florence), we were a bit worried. The main square is shabby (though perfectly safe), and the little commercial area holds no interest. It's a working-class area. But you came to see the Duomo, not the Coop. There is a rather impressive monastery up on the hill, which is open for guided tours. Thankfully, the property itself is a comfortable distance away. Consider that you will not get the "urban experience" here - you will not be able to just pop into a cafe or run over for a quick look at the sites. I would not call this the countryside, but rather an as yet undevelopped zone of many acres in what used to be the country. Yes, there are horses and a small vegetable garden, but it's not a farm. The main security gate from the road is entered with a code or remote control, then you go along a dirt road for about a quarter mile or so till you reach the farmhouse. It's NOT "A room with a view" and it's not "Under the Tuscan sun", so if that's what you want, you should look elsewhere. This is not run like a hotel, which would have been nice to know - maybe just our inexperience with this kind of lodging. The rooms are not made every day, and the towels are changed only every other day, though you can get more if you ask - everything was of course just fine on arrival. Soap dispenser in the bathroom, but no complimentary bars of soap or shampoo for the shower, so bring your own. Beware there is not always staff around, so make SURE they know your hour of arrival or make arrangements. No telephone, no TV (fine by us, but good to know). I would say that given the fact that it is a bit out of the way and not staffed 24/7, if you have any worries about needing immediate medical assistance, you might want to try something more conventional.