# currently at Hilton Borgo alle Vigne



## DannyTS (Jun 23, 2019)

After a 4 night stay in Rome, we are now at Hilton Borgo alle Vigne. Rome was awesome, we met with old friends who showed us around in the old city and. We courageously took a bike tour with the kids, we felt much more on the edge than on similar trips in London or Barcelona. Rome is of course awesome, but we are glad that this time we also discovered more peaceful areas like the Orange garden in the Aventino district. I am mentioning it because not too many tourists seemed to know about it, a very quiet place to relax in contrast with about everything else in the city.
From Rome we rented a car and headed to Hilton Borgo alle Vigne. We chose Via Aurelia, the coastal route on the highway 80. We did not regret it, most times the scenery was nice and few times great plus it allowed us to stop mid-way in Porto Santo Stefano for lunch. This added about 15-20 minutes to the drive but we had a great fish lunch in a restaurant overlooking the sea AND the kids got to play in the sea for 30-40 minutes after that. The restaurant was right on the beach.

The first impression at Hilton was great, and we did not have a low expectation since it looked nice in the pictures anyway. The condos look nice, spacious. We have a regular 2 bedroom (not plus) and it is on two levels with some degree of extra privacy on the upper floor. We really like the pool this morning, it is secluded from the villas which I think it is a big plus: a) you do not feel like the kids are going to annoy people sleeping in the adjacent buildings and it just feels like people are not staring at your bathing suit from their balconies, not that I care much about that. The only negative so far seems to be the internet, not very fast and spotty. It seems to be ok for basic emails but for sure not good enough for video streaming. It does not bother us much, if you are in Italy and you are watching Netflix, you have a problem.

I am surprised by the number of good restaurants in the area. It seems that all the Italians do like to dine out, not just those that live in the cities. In North America I find that the dining options are very limited outside of the bigger cities.

Today we went to San Gimignano, a very nice medieval town. It was a very relaxing day since its (all pedestrian only) streets are very narrow and the tall stone buildings make it feel like much cooler than outside the city.

If anyone has questions let me know. I may be able to answer although we are not going to spend a lot of time at the resort.


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## JIMinNC (Jun 23, 2019)

Borgo is on our list for the next year or two. We spent some time in Tuscany last fall on a Mediterranean cruise and want to go back on land for an extended visit. Borgo seems like it may be a great base of operations. Would love to hear more about the places you visit and the restaurants you find. I've heard Montalcino is a great place to visit.

Also, What are the temperatures like in June at Borgo/Tuscany? One option for us is a June trip to tie in to my wife's birthday, but concerned about temps in Italy in June.


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## PigsDad (Jun 23, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> if you are in Italy and you are watching Netflix, you have a problem.


Best. Line. Ever!  Thanks for the chuckle!

Kurt


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## DannyTS (Jun 24, 2019)

I do not want to scare anyone but it is very hot. Yet it is dry and bearable so far, we will see in the next few days


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## CanuckTravlr (Jun 24, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> I do not want to scare anyone but it is very hot. Yet it is dry and bearable so far, we will see in the next few daysView attachment 12560



That's one of the reasons why our preferred times for visiting Italy are in April/May or September to November, although by November it is often starting to get a little cool!


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## jlp879 (Jun 25, 2019)

Enjoy this great little bakery/restaurant in nearby Peccioli; Pasticceria Ferretti.  No only do they have amazing pastries, but they have great family/comfort food at dinner time.


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## Talent312 (Jun 25, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> ... if you are in Italy and you are watching Netflix, you have a problem.



Circa 1970, my parents took us kids to Europe.
At a pensione in Florence, we watched "Flipper" dubbed in Italian.

'


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## DannyTS (Jun 25, 2019)

cinque Terre. A must see IMO. We drove 1:15 h to La Spetia then we took the ferry


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## DannyTS (Jun 25, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> View attachment 12573 View attachment 12573 View attachment 12573 cinque Terre. A must see IMO. We drove 1:15 h to La Spetia then we took the ferry


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## DannyTS (Jun 25, 2019)

Watching Flipper dubbed in Italian is still acceptable today


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## brp (Jun 25, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> Watching Flipper dubbed in Italian is still acceptable today



At a laundromat in Bologna a friend and I watched part of "The Crow" dubbed in Italian while a "gentleman" tried to sell us the services of (I believe) his sister. Always interesting things on any trip.

The OPs review makes Borgo, and the general location, sound great. As soon as we are retired and trips to Europe are more than 3-4 nights, this is something we will have to do.

Cheers.


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## DannyTS (Jun 25, 2019)

One of the pebble beaches in Monterossi (one of the 5 villages in Cinque Terre)


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## Ianneyan (Jun 25, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> After a 4 night stay in Rome, we are now at Hilton Borgo alle Vigne. Rome was awesome, we met with old friends who showed us around in the old city and. We courageously took a bike tour with the kids, we felt much more on the edge than on similar trips in London or Barcelona. Rome is of course awesome, but we are glad that this time we also discovered more peaceful areas like the Orange garden in the Aventino district. I am mentioning it because not too many tourists seemed to know about it, a very quiet place to relax in contrast with about everything else in the city.
> From Rome we rented a car and headed to Hilton Borgo alle Vigne. We chose Via Aurelia, the coastal route on the highway 80. We did not regret it, most times the scenery was nice and few times great plus it allowed us to stop mid-way in Porto Santo Stefano for lunch. This added about 15-20 minutes to the drive but we had a great fish lunch in a restaurant overlooking the sea AND the kids got to play in the sea for 30-40 minutes after that. The restaurant was right on the beach.
> 
> The first impression at Hilton was great, and we did not have a low expectation since it looked nice in the pictures anyway. The condos look nice, spacious. We have a regular 2 bedroom (not plus) and it is on two levels with some degree of extra privacy on the upper floor. We really like the pool this morning, it is secluded from the villas which I think it is a big plus: a) you do not feel like the kids are going to annoy people sleeping in the adjacent buildings and it just feels like people are not staring at your bathing suit from their balconies, not that I care much about that. The only negative so far seems to be the internet, not very fast and spotty. It seems to be ok for basic emails but for sure not good enough for video streaming. It does not bother us much, if you are in Italy and you are watching Netflix, you have a problem.
> ...




My hubby and I will be in Italy at the end of September. We will be staying at Borgo for a few nights during that trip. I would love to know your must dues and eats while staying at Borgo. We will be staying in Cinque Terre for 2 nights so we have that covered. I read here that Borgo I saw a great base for Florence, Pisa and Lucca.


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## JIMinNC (Jun 25, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> View attachment 12573 View attachment 12573 View attachment 12573 cinque Terre. A must see IMO. We drove 1:15 h to La Spetia then we took the ferry



We did a tour to Cinque Terre last fall on a cruise. It's a beautiful place and I didn't realize it was that convenient to Borgo Ale Vigne. Did you just do a day trip there or are you staying overnight? How long is the ferry ride from La Spezia?

We're trying to figure out how many days to try to book at Borgo when we decide to go, so need to figure out which places are doable as day trips and which require overnights. We'll probably book 2-3 nights in a hotel in Florence and then just use Borgo to tour the Tuscan countryside, the wineries, and the hilltop villages. We could do a shorter overnight or two in the villages on the front end or back end of a Borgo/Florence stay, or to avoid having to schlep all of our stuff, stay longer at Borgo and just pack an overnight bag for an overnight trip or two during our stay, leaving our big bags in the room at Borgo. We did that last year during a week in Sedona, and did an overnight mid-week at the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon.


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## JIMinNC (Jun 25, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> I do not want to scare anyone but it is very hot. Yet it is dry and bearable so far, we will see in the next few daysView attachment 12560



Whew! That's 96-100 degrees Fahrenheit. I had heard Italy was hot in the summer. We there there in September 2018 and it wasn't too bad. Sounds like June is out for our next trip.


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## DannyTS (Jun 25, 2019)

JIMinNC said:


> We did a tour to Cinque Terre last fall on a cruise. It's a beautiful place and I didn't realize it was that convenient to Borgo Ale Vigne. Did you just do a day trip there or are you staying overnight? How long is the ferry ride from La Spezia?
> 
> We're trying to figure out how many days to try to book at Borgo when we decide to go, so need to figure out which places are doable as day trips and which require overnights. We'll probably book 2-3 nights in a hotel in Florence and then just use Borgo to tour the Tuscan countryside, the wineries, and the hilltop villages. We could do a shorter overnight or two in the villages on the front end or back end of a Borgo/Florence stay, or to avoid having to schlep all of our stuff, stay longer at Borgo and just pack an overnight bag for an overnight trip or two during our stay, leaving our big bags in the room at Borgo. We did that last year during a week in Sedona, and did an overnight mid-week at the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon.


it was a day trip, we just got back to Borgo. It is actually more like 1:25-1:30 from Borgo to La Spetia but it is easy driving since at least 2/3 is on highways. We parked the car at Porto Mirabello ($),  very convenient, right next to the ferry (just cross a bridge)
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...1d44.101130481424114!2d9.827698698642052!5i17

The Ferry is hop on hop off but we went straight to Monterossi and it took probably over an hour or an hour and a half. There are 4 stops before that so it depends where you go. However, the trip is pure joy, I could have watched the scenery for hours more from the boat since it is so beautiful. 
On the way back we took the train that is much faster (probably around 25 min Monterossi to La Spezia Centrale train station). From the train station we took a cab back to the port, a 5 min ride.


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## JIMinNC (Jun 25, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> it was a day trip, we just got back to Borgo. It is actually more like 1:25-1:30 from Borgo to La Spetia but it is easy driving since at least 2/3 is on highways. We parked the car at Porto Mirabello ($),  very convenient, right next to the ferry (just cross a bridge)
> https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1...1d44.101130481424114!2d9.827698698642052!5i17
> 
> The Ferry is hop on hop off but we went straight to Monterossi and it took probably over an hour or an hour and a half. There are 4 stops before that so it depends where you go. However, the trip is pure joy, I could have watched the scenery for hours more from the boat since it is so beautiful.
> On the way back we took the train that is much faster (probably around 25 min Monterossi to La Spezia Centrale train station). From the train station we took a cab back to the port, a 5 min ride.



I'm wondering if the ferry you took is the same one we used inside of Cinque Terre last fall. On our cruise tour we took a bus from the ship's port in Santa Margherita to Manarola, and then used the boat/ferry to go to Vernazza and re-boarded to go on to Monterossa. We then took the train to meet back up with the bus to go back to the ship. I had assumed that boat was just operating between the five villages, but it sounds like you may have been on the same boat, and if that's the case, the route must actually start in La Spezia. The boat in the picture below is like the one we were on. Sounds like the best way to get to Cinque Terre.


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## DannyTS (Jun 25, 2019)

from what i heard, there is only one one ferry so it must have been the same one you took


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## DannyTS (Jun 27, 2019)

We had a great dinner at Le vecchie cantine, about 15 min by car from the resort


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## DannyTS (Jun 27, 2019)

The pool is not very big but big enough for laps. because most guests come to Borgo to visit the area, the pool is not busy at all. This is  a picture taken at 10:30 AM!


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## brp (Jun 27, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> The pool is not very big but big enough for laps. because most guests come to Borgo to visit the area, the pool is not busy at all. This is  a picture taken at 10:30 AM!



Well that certainly makes sense. If I'm in Italy, I'm surely not hanging by the pool! But even the pool setting is fabulous. Maybe in the evening with a Sangovese.

Cheers.


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## jehb2 (Jun 27, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> I am surprised by the number of good restaurants in the area.



At the restaurants where you eaten, could we wear capris & cargo shorts or is that too casual.  Thanks.


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## DannyTS (Jun 27, 2019)

jehb2 said:


> At the restaurants where you eaten, could we wear capris & cargo shorts or is that too casual.  Thanks.


I have been wearing bermuda shorts for the whole week and I did not feel underdressed in any of the places we have eaten


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## DannyTS (Jun 27, 2019)

Today we went to a cooking class organized by Arianna and friends.  I highly recommend it. I was not too keen on going but my wife thought it would be a good idea. I am glad we went, i could not believe we stayed there for 6 hours  and that at the end we had to drag our kids out. They wanted to know when our next cooking class was going to be!


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## DannyTS (Jun 28, 2019)

Another photo taken on the Cinque Terre ferry. The pics absolutely do not do justice


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## DannyTS (Jun 28, 2019)

no mosquitoes so far throughout Tuscany!


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## Talent312 (Jun 28, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> No mosquitoes so far throughout Tuscany!



Darn.
Looks like we need something else to keep the unwashed masses away.
How about ticks? We could import 'em from Acadia Nat'l. Park per another thread.


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## amirh (Jun 28, 2019)

Do you speak Italian? If not, are you finding issues with language barrier? I know it’s not an issue in the big cities as I’ve been to Rome, Milan, Pompeii, etc. but what about the country side.


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## DannyTS (Jun 28, 2019)

amirh said:


> Do you speak Italian? If not, are you finding issues with language barrier? I know it’s not an issue in the big cities as I’ve been to Rome, Milan, Pompeii, etc. but what about the country side.


Those that offer services speak English, enough for simple communication. We did not have a problem although I activated my roaming cellphone service so we relied more on Waze,  google, google translate, tripadvisor etc than on anything else. At the resort they speak English very well.


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## DannyTS (Jun 29, 2019)

By the way, at the resort they recommend going to Florence by train, in part because the "centro" is in an area that is restricted to non-residents. What we did instead, we drove and found a parking lot right next to the Roman gate

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Borgo alle Vigne, Via di Casanova, Selvatelle, Province of Pisa, Italy&daddr=Parking location&geocode=FRCHmAIdYh2jAClrnf3imAsqEzHYQtk3tpRkrQ==;FWy_mwIdOoirAA==&dirflg=d

The parking is 2 euros/ hour, a   10 min walk to Ponte Vecchio


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## DannyTS (Jun 29, 2019)

this is the sign people should be aware of, in these areas only cars owned by locals can go. Google maps do not indicate this areas so it is easy to get tickets just by following instructions


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## brp (Jun 29, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> this is the sign people should be aware of, in these areas only cars owned by locals can go. Google maps do not indicate this areas so it is easy to get tickets just by following instructions



When we were last there we didn't specifically see zones for locals only. What we did see where zones where one had to have a permit to enter. One could purchase the permit in advance, and then be OK. The signs looked similar to these. That was a while back, though. Maybe they've added more restrictions 

Cheers.


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## DannyTS (Jun 29, 2019)

brp said:


> When we were last there we didn't specifically see zones for locals only. What we did see where zones where one had to have a permit to enter. One could purchase the permit in advance, and then be OK. The signs looked similar to these. That was a while back, though. Maybe they've added more restrictions
> 
> Cheers.


if i understand correctly, one can only purchase a pass now  if the hotel is within the ZTL area. I think the ZTL is only June 1st to October 1st

http://www.visitflorence.com/moving-around-florence/by-car.html


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## brp (Jun 30, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> if i understand correctly, one can only purchase a pass now  if the hotel is within the ZTL area. I think the ZTL is only June 1st to October 1st
> 
> http://www.visitflorence.com/moving-around-florence/by-car.html



Interesting. Then, yes, a further restriction. Our driving trip in Italy was maybe 8 or so years ago, and one could buy ZTL passes for places one would travel. We didn't, and I had planned to avoid them. The ticket (and related EUR 60 Rental Car company tattletale fee ) that I received a few months later indicated that I failed to notice a sign somewhere in Modena 

I can see why they might want to restrict traffic in these ancient cities.

Cheers.


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## JIMinNC (Jul 2, 2019)

To the OP...would love to read a short summary of what you've done/seen and, since we love to eat out at great restaurants, places you may have found for dinner in the area. Sounds like from your posts above you did San Gimignano, Florence, and Cinque Terre at least. We are hoping to visit HGVC Borgo alle Vigne in 2020 and will be trying to book for either May or September when the Club window opens. We'll probably just book a hotel in Florence for a few nights before or after our HGVC stay, since we want to use HGVC as a base for visiting the Tuscan countryside, hilltop villages, and wineries.


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## DannyTS (Jul 6, 2019)

JIMinNC said:


> To the OP...would love to read a short summary of what you've done/seen and, since we love to eat out at great restaurants, places you may have found for dinner in the area. Sounds like from your posts above you did San Gimignano, Florence, and Cinque Terre at least. We are hoping to visit HGVC Borgo alle Vigne in 2020 and will be trying to book for either May or September when the Club window opens. We'll probably just book a hotel in Florence for a few nights before or after our HGVC stay, since we want to use HGVC as a base for visiting the Tuscan countryside, hilltop villages, and wineries.


We had a great time at Borgo but there is not much more to write besides what I already posted. We did not do as much as could have done because we have two pre-teen kids and because we had few days with temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius. I tried to post what is more relevant to somebody that stays at Borgo rather than what you can find in any blog about Tuscany. I think really the best source of information while you are there is the excellent staff at the resort. Sara, Raphael and Andrea (I may forget some unfortunately),  really go out of their way to provide with information about the area.


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## JIMinNC (Jul 7, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> We had a great time at Borgo but there is not much more to write besides what I already posted. We did not do as much as could have done because we have two pre-teen kids and because we had few days with temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius. I tried to post what is more relevant to somebody that stays at Borgo rather than what you can find in any blog about Tuscany. I think really the best source of information while you are there is the excellent staff at the resort. Sara, Raphael and Andrea (I may forget some unfortunately),  really go out of their way to provide with information about the area.



My main question I guess is about restaurants. We generally (almost always) eat out for dinner, and like nice restaurants with great food. I've always been concerned with Borgo's more remote location and what the dining options are in the area. I was intrigued by your comment in your initial post that you were surprised by the number of good dining options in the area. Can you offer any more detail there? How far? What kind of food? What kind of atmosphere? Any recommendations?


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## DannyTS (Jul 7, 2019)

there are really a lot of choices for lunch and dinner in the area, all within 5-15 min by car. Because we had 3-4 meals in the condo and because of the day trips, we did not have more than 5-6 meals at the restaurants nearby. However, I never had the impression that we were running out of places to eat at. This is a link from Tripadvisor so that you can see what I mean:

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaura...lvatelle_Terricciola_Province_of_Pisa_Tu.html

I may be missing some but from what I remember we ate at:
La Sorgente: 5 min from Borgo on a hilltop, great food, great atmosphere, great service.
Da Carlo: 5 min from Borgo, in the village. Good food, seemed to be preferred by the locals, probably the biggest restaurant in the area.
Pasticeria Feretti: 8 min from Borgo, in Peccioli. A small place, only 5 tables. Good food, great service.
Le vecchie cantine: 15 min from Borgo, possibly the best meal we had around Borgo.
La Locanda delle Streghe: 5 min from Borgo. Nice terrace in the back, good food.
All restaurants in the area are typical Italian/Tuscan cuisine. If you are craving for an Argentinian steak, a Thai or a South Indian restaurant you may have to wait to return home


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## JIMinNC (Jul 7, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> there are really a lot of choices for lunch and dinner in the area, all within 5-15 min by car. Because we had 3-4 meals in the condo and because of the day trips, we did not have more than 5-6 meals at the restaurants nearby. However, I never had the impression that we were running out of places to eat at. This is a link from Tripadvisor so that you can see what I mean:
> 
> https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaura...lvatelle_Terricciola_Province_of_Pisa_Tu.html
> 
> ...



Thanks! Exactly what I was looking for. I'm pleased at the options, and yes, when in Tuscany we'll be looking for Tuscan cuisine for sure!

I think we've decided to target September 2020, so we will have to wait until December to try to book at Borgo. I think we're going to try to start out with a hotel stay in Venice for maybe three nights, then take the train to Florence for another three nights, and then rent a car to go to Borgo all Vigne.


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## Blues (Jul 9, 2019)

DannyTS said:


> La Sorgente: 5 min from Borgo on a hilltop, great food, great atmosphere, great service.



Let me add a hearty 2nd to La Sorgente.  It's a small family run restaurant, and the family were delightful!  By the 2nd visit, the mama and my wife were fast friends, with DW receiving hugs from the mama; this despite the fact that she (mama) spoke not a single word of English.

The food was delicious!  Highly recommend the cabbage soup, which was apparently from an old family recipe.

The son was the primary waiter.  He was delightful, and spoke impeccable English, having spent several years studying the restaurant business in LA.  The daughter was the pastry chef.  Despite the likelihood of being completely full after dinner, you still have to try her desserts.

The family also runs the resort / vacation villas on the property.

We ate there 3 times in the week we stayed there.  Never had a bad meal.

ETA - Also highly recommend the house red wine.  We liked it so much that, after getting 2 glasses of it, we asked about buying it by the bottle.  They sell it on-site, 8 Euros per bottle.  Best $8 wine I've ever had.  Indeed, it was the best wine we had in all of Italy, other than some expensive Nobile de Montepulciano's and Barolo's.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jul 9, 2019)

We visited 4 years ago. Although we cannot remember the exact restaurants, I concur that the front desk staff recommendations were excellent. They even made reservations for us.


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## rdw95 (Aug 15, 2019)

Borgo was absolutely horrible.  Please never book there.  People don't speak English.  Everyone eats late. The food is terrible....

Ok...that was written in jest to keep everyone away!  We LOVED Borgo and Tuscany.  We were stationed in Italy years ago and love to go back.  We were at Borgo last September and had a wonderful time.  We love going to Florence, having been there 13 times.  We went to the small town about 15 minutes from Borgo and took the 50 minute train ride into Florence. It is then just an easy 10 minute walk to the Duomo.   You do not need a car in Florence.  

 We also took the cooking class and had a wonderful time.


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## brp (Aug 15, 2019)

Well, people do tend to eat late in Italy... 

Cheers.


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