Casale Giulia

“Couldn't have asked for more”

We stayed as a party of 20 at Casale Giulia to celebrate our wedding and I can honestly say it was the best week of our lives. Booking - From the outset, Giulia was very helpful and accommodating. Co-ordinating 20 guests with different needs is not easy, but she was very flexible and replied pr… more

We stayed as a party of 20 at Casale Giulia to celebrate our wedding and I can honestly say it was the best week of our lives. Booking - From the outset, Giulia was very helpful and accommodating. Co-ordinating 20 guests with different needs is not easy, but she was very flexible and replied promptly to emails (which I have to say, not many other agriturismos in the area were - the lack of response I got to emails was staggering). Price - It was also a great price, very reasonable for the type of property and area. Location - Casale Giulia is set back from the main road from Volterra to Pisa, but when I say main, it is not busy at all. The views west over the Tuscan hills were stunning and we got to enjoy many beautiful sunsets. Volterra is 7km away which is easily reachable by car. There is a bus too (last one back about 8ish I think). Accommodation - the accommodation is spacious with a variety of flats to suit different size groups. We had 7 flats in total. The beds are large and comfy (although some did say they were a bit hard, I think this is just the Italian fashion and anyway, I like a firm bed). The bathrooms are well equipped with a walk in shower. I was concerned before we went about some guests being too hot (my gran is in her 80s) but the thick stone walls kept the apartments lovely and cool. We even needed a blanket at night (in July!). The kitchens are well equipped and great for holiday cooking (although no oven so don't buy pizzas to cook). And most flats have an outside area of some description, which for our group was great. The hot water in one of the flats went a couple of times but Giulia was very responsive in repairing it. Facilities - most of the flats are situated around a courtyard/open space looking over the olive groves and hillsides beyond, so lovely views from your front door. There are BBQs which you can use and the swimming pool is large with lots of sun loungers for everyone. There is wifi (accessible by the pool and office) but unfortuately a large storm knocked this out for some of the time we were there. Wine and olive oil (made by the owners) can be bought from the agriturismo office. General area - if you are in two minds about visiting Volterra, don't be. It is a fabulous little town with fewer tourists than other places (eg San Gimingnano) and feels like a 'real' place, although is as beautiful and entrancing as anywhere else in Tuscany. I don't think I am biased because it was the venue of my wedding, it is a truly special place. Sorry this review is so long but I wanted to give Giulia and the agriturismo the praise they deserve. I would recommend it wholeheartedly and we will be returning as soon as we can.

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“Beautiful place - our Tiglio appartment experience”

Please note, this review concerns the “Tiglio” apartment we were assigned to (which was not represented in the booking.com photos). We booked an apartment for a week at Casale Giulia, however we left after 4 days. We think that Giulia has a beautiful place, well maintained and clean, 10/10. She of… more

Please note, this review concerns the “Tiglio” apartment we were assigned to (which was not represented in the booking.com photos). We booked an apartment for a week at Casale Giulia, however we left after 4 days. We think that Giulia has a beautiful place, well maintained and clean, 10/10. She offers several apartments for rent. We booked through Booking.com, and the pictures were fab. The place is beautiful and complete, but the apartment we got assigned, “Tiglio”, simply did not work for us, mainly because of the outside living space: direct and hot sunlight with minimal shadow covered. We also experienced less privacy then expected. This is all fixable and we shared these experiences with Giulia before leaving. She graciously offered us to stay in another apartment, however we had already booked an alternative accommodation. This was our personal experience, we stressed that the whole compound is beautiful but that the setup, and in particular our apartment and outside space, did not really work for us in the end. If you love to check out the beautiful Tuscan landscapes during the day or spend the day at the perfectly maintained swimming pool, you will love this place.

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