Podere San Pietro is an attractive, historic farmhouse which has been carefully modernised and equiped as a holiday home, retaining traditional terracotta floors and ceilings.
We enjoyed our stay in this peaceful location, set amongst terraced olive groves, and made considerable use of the garden with it's external dining area, BBQ and views over the surrounding countryside. It provided an excellent base for visiting places in southern Tuscany and across into Umbria.
Internally the property had ample space for our family (we were four), though we spent more of our daytime enjoying the outside space. It's worth noting in terms of sleeping arrangements that the attic bedroom is connected to the living area by an open stair so is not acoustically seperate (this wasn't a problem for us, and the room itself is very spacious and appealing).
The house is just outside Montepulciano. For those, like us, who want to spend some days without the car and the hassle of parking, it is within walking distance of the centre. Many will prefer to drive, though, especially as the most direct route to the main Piazza Grande (about 30min) is a steep walk and involves stretches of busy roads not designed for pedestrians. An enjoyable alternative walk, however, leads left out of the entrance gate along country lanes, through fields to the lower end of the town from where the Porta San Pietro into the old town can be accessed. In the evenings we saw deer and other wildlife on this route. Combined with walking back from the church of San Biagio, we were able to make a circular route through Montepulciano and back to the house.
Our host, Roberta, was kind and helpful as well as being undertanding in advance when we faced potential difficulties with disruption to our travel arrangements.
