Sinalunga holiday house: Valdichiana Siena area

After a long journey we were delighted with the first view of 'Little Palazzo'. The accomodation was comfortable and very clean and the kitchen was well equipped. It was a good area to base yourselves for visiting the surrounding areas. We had a problem with the hot water but it was resolved very quickly when we pointed this out to Laura and were compensated for our inconvenience.
The property is situated on the side of the hill-top village above the road leading to the top, consequently we found the noise of the traffic to be a constant drone and very irritating (except between 2 and 5 in the morning!).
The public swimming pool, an easy walk away, was a welcome oasis from the heat and was 6 euros each together with 2 euros for hats - which were compulsory for all. However, we found this rather misleading as the house description mentions a 'pool down the lane', so we assumed (wrongly) that it was a pool which was shared by a few properties and not the public pool.
The restaurant immediately below the terrace of the house was very good, friendly and welcoming and the large market held on Tuesdays was great fun.
We had a teenager in our party and we would recommend bringing books; cards; games etc as there was little to do for them in the evening or when just having a day in. Infact, other than visiting the beautiful surrounding towns and hill-top villages there did not appear to be any child or teenage attractions/activities in the area - except for the public pool and eating the wonderful ice-cream.
Overall we enjoyed our stay in Tuscany.

We always wondered what was behind the big, heavy doors lining the streets of the towns in Italy. In Sinalunga we discovered a lovely home at the end of a passageway with a view of the town below and the Tuscan countryside beyond. "Laura's Little Palazzo" worked very well as a base for touring southern Tuscany. Laura is an accomodating and helpful hostess and the Palazzo was very comfortable for our family of 4. We felt we had good value for the price of the rental. The kitchen was well equipped, all appliances worked well.We did find the traffic noise found its way through the open windows at night as closing the windows and shutters in the summer heat wasn't an option for us. The nearby pool is very nice but costs 6 Euros per person and everyone must wear a swimcap, something that none of us had with us. Bring your own pool towels. Our teenagers liked the house but were at somewhat of a loss for things to do when we were back at the end of the day, having to resort to playing Monopoly in Italian (a challenge that didn't always have a happy ending!) Not a bad place place for a family with teenagers if you are prepared, just come with books and games. Thanks Laura for sharing your Italian experience!

We stayed at Laura's little palazzo which was a little gem of a place. The terrace gets the sun most of the day. The facilities were excellent. Sinalunga is ideal for exploring Sienna and the rest of Tuscany. Sinalunga itself is a charming old village with beautiful old streets. It has an amazing opera house one sixth scale of La Scala Milan, called Pinsuiti. There are number of very good restaurants in the town, the Grotte and Forcillo being excellent value for money. Within 5 kms you have dozens of other fine dining places to choose from. I cant recommend it too highly.