We just returned from a week at Borgo Alle Vigne and wanted to provide our review. It was perfect for us and could not have been better. However, you need to rent a car and be willing to explore. It is located about 35 minutes from the Pisa airport in the heart of Tuscany. We picked up a car at the Pisa airport and drove to the resort. You are about 40 minutes from Florence and within an hour of most areas of Tuscany. This was our third trip to Italy so we had some experience. The resort itself is beautiful and brand new. There are olive trees and grape vines all around the resort. There is even an outdoor pool which was not open yet in early April. We had a 1 bedroom unit which was a nice size for my wife and I and our 17 year old son. The master bedroom had a small closet, desk , flat screen television and full bathroom. The bed was very comfortable. Outside the bedroom is a half bath. The kitchen is fully equipped but we did not do much cooking. The living room had a pullout sofa (which my son said was comfortable) and another flat screen TV along with a table for 4 people. The front desk staff were very helpful. The staff do schedule tours but we went on our own except for the last day of our trip which I will describe later. On our way from the airport we stopped at a local market and picked up essentials for breakfast. Incidentally a baker comes to the resort each morning selling bread and pastries.
On our first two days we hired a private guide we have used before in northern Italy. I drove while he provided directions and insight. He is great and speaks perfect English. Disney also uses him for their Florence tours. If anyone wants his name send me a PM. We toured certain towns with him, local wineries, olive oil farms and he joined us for meals. He helped acclimate me to the roads which was helpful because we do not know Italian. He showed us where to pay tolls, speed boxes etc… On the second day he took us to Pisa, Lucca and other locations north of Pisa, On a previous trip we had visited Sienna, Florence, San Gimignano and Montepulciano which should not be missed. All within an hour drive of the resort.
On days three and four we left the resort and drove to Santa Margarita, Portofino and then to Lake Como. We spent two days on Lake Como at the Villa D’Este which is a beautiful hotel on the lake. In this regard we viewed the Borgo Alle Vigne resort kind of like a home port from which to take excursions. Thereafter we drove to Bergamo and towns at the very northern border of Italy where my wife’s descendants were from. We returned back to the resort Thursday evening. In all we drove 900 miles.
On our last day the front desk scheduled a private pasta making class for us with a local tour operator. It was fantastic and was held at a local farm where a chef and the tour host/translator (his name was Luca) taught us how to make three different types of pasta which we all ate for lunch in the perfect Tuscan setting. It was 65 Euros per person and was well worth the cost. Frankly, I do not know how they did it so cheaply. From there we went to the Vespa museum in Pontederra (a personal interest) and then spent the evening in the ancient town of Volterra.
If you are looking for a self-contained resort this is not such a place. But if you are in Tuscany in our view you need to explore Tuscany. Although the resort is not immediately near anything, it is within 30 minutes to an hour of everything. For us, it was perfect.
On our first two days we hired a private guide we have used before in northern Italy. I drove while he provided directions and insight. He is great and speaks perfect English. Disney also uses him for their Florence tours. If anyone wants his name send me a PM. We toured certain towns with him, local wineries, olive oil farms and he joined us for meals. He helped acclimate me to the roads which was helpful because we do not know Italian. He showed us where to pay tolls, speed boxes etc… On the second day he took us to Pisa, Lucca and other locations north of Pisa, On a previous trip we had visited Sienna, Florence, San Gimignano and Montepulciano which should not be missed. All within an hour drive of the resort.
On days three and four we left the resort and drove to Santa Margarita, Portofino and then to Lake Como. We spent two days on Lake Como at the Villa D’Este which is a beautiful hotel on the lake. In this regard we viewed the Borgo Alle Vigne resort kind of like a home port from which to take excursions. Thereafter we drove to Bergamo and towns at the very northern border of Italy where my wife’s descendants were from. We returned back to the resort Thursday evening. In all we drove 900 miles.
On our last day the front desk scheduled a private pasta making class for us with a local tour operator. It was fantastic and was held at a local farm where a chef and the tour host/translator (his name was Luca) taught us how to make three different types of pasta which we all ate for lunch in the perfect Tuscan setting. It was 65 Euros per person and was well worth the cost. Frankly, I do not know how they did it so cheaply. From there we went to the Vespa museum in Pontederra (a personal interest) and then spent the evening in the ancient town of Volterra.
If you are looking for a self-contained resort this is not such a place. But if you are in Tuscany in our view you need to explore Tuscany. Although the resort is not immediately near anything, it is within 30 minutes to an hour of everything. For us, it was perfect.
