It's not fair that some people get to visit the Villa Vignamaggio and others don't. My wife and I spent 2 days there at the end of an 8-day vacation in Tuscany, and we kept wishing we had spent the entire time at the Vignamaggio. Every morning and every evening I opened the windows to our room and was stunned by the view - green hills covered with olive groves, vineyards, cyprus trees, terraced farmland, and ancient stone buildings. And the room itself was by far the nicest of the four properties we visited - a large room in a 600-year-old villa, with wooden beams in the ceilings, textured walls, antique (but not dilapidated) furnishings, comfortable bed, and yet an updated bathroom complete with brick tiles and a real shower (tiny, but any shower in Italy is a bonus).

You reach the Vignamaggio via a winding road on the side of a hill, with spectacular views all around (except at the very bottom of the road near the highway, where you'll pass by some ugly warehouses - but don't let that worry you, much better lies ahead). The agriturismo itself covers the top of the hill with cottages, manicured gardens, woodland, breakfast building, spa, 2 pools, wine producing facilities, vineyards, olive groves, and of course the villa itself. Yes, they filmed "Much Ado About Nothing" here, but that's not why you should stay here. It's the total relaxation of being away from the cities of Florence or Siena; looking out over the amazing countryside; and enjoying the quiet, peaceful breezes. The reception staff are friendly, and if you take the wine tasting tour led by Sonia or (better yet) the cooking class hosted by Sandro, you'll find that the people who live and work here actually love the place as much as the guests -- there is none of that blase attitude that you often find in people who cater to tourists and don't appreciate a wonderful spot like this because they've lived here all their lives. (They love it even more than the guests.) The cooking class was, as Sandro put it, more about philosophy than cooking; to cook in a Tuscan kitchen, then sit outside sipping wine produced on the spot, gazing out at the great views, eating the pasta you just learned how to make, and listening to your host talk about the Italian philosophy of cooking and wine, is to feel that you never want to be anywhere else.

To address some of the previous reviewers' quibbles: Villa Vignamaggio is not a hotel and doesn't claim to be -- it's a working vineyard in the middle of the Chianti countryside; the lack of "frills" is a big part of its charm. If you want 24-hour room service, a restaurant in the lobby, and a bank of elevators, then find a Holiday Inn. But if you can appreciate a taste of a simpler life in the most beautiful place on earth, this is it.

This was our favorite stay of our entire trip to Italy. This is located in the heart of the Chianti region. Greve-in-Chianti is 10 minutes away, which has a nice wine store, Le Cantine. The grounds and rooms of the vineyard are spectacular. The staff was friendly and extremely helpful. The rooms are nicely decorated and even through the building is very old (as is everything in Italy), was renovated and had a nice feel to it. Our room (#10), was good size, had a double canopy bed, and a spectacular view. There is also a pool table, ping pong, wine in the common room, 2 pools, nice gardens and even a hiking trail. Being on top of a hill, the scenery is spectacular. We were upset we did not spend enough time to use the pools or the trail. This was the one place we stayed in Italy that had washcloths! One night we ate at the restaurant in nearby Lemole. It was the best meal of the entire trip!

If you get a chance, take the tour (make a reservation in advance). Having taken many winery tours in the US, it was interesting to see the different approach to wine. The tasting part of the tour was unlike here in that not only was wine available, but a nice buffet of meats and cheese plus bread to try with their olive oil.

While breakfast was included, we did not get a chance to enjoy it (on the go too much). We did look at where breakfast was served and based on the view we would have had felt like we really missed out.

We look forward to staying here again.

Vignamaggio is a gorgeous place, truly magical. Its easy to see why they filmed a movie here. Its full of history but with all the modern conveniences. The wine in the hallway is a great touch too.

The views are outstanding and it provides a good location for the northern part of Chianti Row. The staff were very helpful. The breakfast is okay but not worth the money I think.

We stayed in the Casolese building, just down from the main villa. Our room had a big canopied double bed in one bedroom and a loft bedroom opening out on to the living kitchenette area. The bathroom was large and very very clean. Views were outstanding.

The two pool areas are beautiful and as they get further in to the summer would offer a very welcome respite from the summer heat. I especially enjoyed the outdoor shower next to our pool. Lots of hot water and frankly, I had my morning shower there (kept a bathing suit on) for an unbeatable combination of hot water and a view to die for.

A great experience, I would highly recommend Vignamaggio.

This was our first trip to Tuscany and I will say it was better than I could have every imagined. We stayed at the Villa Vignamaggio for five nites. We had rented a car and used the Villa as a base. It turned out to be the perfect choice. It is up a windy hill in Greve in Chianti but when you get to the top the views are amazing. The people working at the Villa were very warm and friendly. We stayed in room #1 in the main hotel it was very romantic and we had a view of the vineyards on two sides. So beautiful with olive groves and grape vines with vivid colors of golds, reds and rusts. This was the best time to be here. The weather was perfect. The Villa provides breakfast daily and dinner two nites through the week. If you're lucky enough to be here on one or both of the nites the food is amazing. Two of the best meals we had in Italy. The breakfasts were also the great. If I could say one I didn't like was the Villa closes up tight at 7:00pm. If you have any questions you have to wait until 9:00am. There is a small sitting area with a TV and a VCR that you can watch movies. (no CD player) They don't have a large selection so bring your own for entertainment if you come back early in the evening. So if you want a cocktail or snack bring your own. Although there is always a bottle of wine with glasses in the sitting room if you want a drink. The restaurant is a separate building and that is open longer. They also have a beautiful pool and spa. We enjoyed wine tasting and a tour of the wine cellars here with meats and cheeses to sample. For photographers there were many things to photograph. From here we were able to tour Greve, Radda, Siena, Montepulciano and San Gamiggiano. Shopping in San Gamiggiano was the best for leather. There is also a leather factory in Greve that has beautiful things. You can take a bus right from Greve to Florence, don't drive in to Florence. I would recommend this to tour Florence. Very easy access and don't forget to get advanced reservations for the museums on line before you leave the states or get on a tour. If you don't go on a tour go in the afternoon. The lines go away and the tours are gone by then. You will still stand in a line even with a reservation. Sorry I'm getting off track about Vignamaggio. We would stay here again in a heartbeat. Don't miss the little Piazza in Greve. It is on a side street and will miss it if you just drive through the center. Cute shops and small restaurants. Enjoy