More about Residenza Il Villino
Il Villino il Magnifico.
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed in The Residenza il Villino for five nights in October 2004. It is a well run friendly Bed and Breakfast hotel.
Il Villino has more than clean, spacious, well appointed, quiet, comfortable rooms and an excellent buffet breakfast; it has Sergio Badini and his wife. At every moment of our stay both of them took a personal interest in us and immediately resolved any minor problem we might have (the mosquitoes for instance were quickly dispatched when Sergio produced from his magic drawer a plug-in vaporiser.) We wish to thank both of these hospitable, patient and discreet hosts for a first class stay.
Florence is inspirational; the experience is heightened if you stay at il Villino.
Thank you from the Macmillan family.
This hotel will be the highlight of your trip to Florence
by A TripAdvisor Member
Can I please rate them six stars, instead of five?? I just returned from my wedding and honeymoon in Italy. My husband and I and our families and friends rented out all but one of the rooms at the Residenza Il Villino. This is a really special place... The minute we pulled up to the door, Sergio was waiting to greet us. He and his wife Elizabeth were so helpful to our family and friends in booking tours, suggesting restaurants, and being our "family away from home." For example - on the morning of my wedding day, Sergio and Elizabeth gave me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers with a pepperoncini for good luck. Their warmth and hospitality was overwhelming. Yes, the hotel is immaculate and the courtyard is a wonderful oasis, the rooms are big and the view delightful (our room overlooked the Duomo)... but what made the difference for me was the people -- they are truly special. When I return to Florence, I will not consider any other hotel. Residenza Il Villino is it for me -- we loved it!!!!!!
A gem in Florence
by A TripAdvisor Member
My daughter and I stayed at this place for 4 nights
Sept 27. I usually stayed at a 4 stars hotel in Florence. Since my daughter is buyiing me this trip, I want to save some money on hotel. We read the reviews on trip adviser and decided to stay there. We love the place, you feel like staying at a home instead of hotel. Sergio and his wife Elizabeth are very friendly and go out of the way to help us, not like hotel receptionists, too business like. I sent an e-mail to ask if Sergio can buy the opera tickets for us before arrival, and he did and got us good seats.Elizabeth called to confirm airline reservation for us.
Also, breakfast time from 8am to 10am. There were times when we got out our room at 10:30am, they still reserved a table and breakfasts for us. Also I went to buy a luggage one morning, my daughter still sleeping, when I got back around 11:30 am, Sergio still save a table and breakfast for us, you really get this warm feeling, as they treated you like friends. We stayed at the ground floor, it is very quite. The room is large, and bath room is large. The window is beautiful. I read review with mosquitos problem, and I was worried, but I did not run into the problem, as they installed some equipment in the room, if you turn it on it will kill the mosquitos. We did not turn it on at all, with window open, we only have one. When I stayed at the other 4 stars hotel with window opened, there were mosquitos also, even more. This place is closed to the Duomo area with 10 minutes walk, to the train station 20 minutes. I highly recommend it, and definitely will return to stay at Residenza Il Villino. I love this place.
Wonderful small hotel, wonderful hosts
by A TripAdvisor Member
My wife and I spent four nights at Residenza Il Villino in October 2004 and it was delightful. The owner, Sergio, is warm, charming, and extremely eager to please. His wife Elizabeth is equally charming and helpful as well.
We had the room at courtyard level, and it was spacious and comfortable. Il Villino is housed in a beautiful old building and the rooms have high beamed ceilings, charming rustic furnishings, and king-sized beds (actually two twin beds joined together).
The building does tend to transmit noises readily, but unless you are a very light sleeper I don't think noise will be a problem here. There is no noise from outside because the rooms don't open onto the street, so the only noises you're likely to hear would be from people climbing up and down the stairs or walking about in their rooms. With only 9 rooms, there just aren't that many people coming and going to generate much noise.
As others have noted here, the location is good, approximately a ten minute walk from the Duomo. The continental breakfast is fine, with good coffee (the coffee in Italy seems to be uniformly excellent), croissants, juices, fresh fruit, etc.
If you can, set aside some afternoon or evening time to enjoy a drink in the small courtyard. Sergio will sell you a bottle of good local wine for a very reasonable price (under $10 Euros).
When we return to Florence, we will stay at Il Villino again without hesitation. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this lovely B & B style hotel.
We can't disagree with all the other great reviews
by A TripAdvisor Member
We loved Il Villino and will definitely stay there again when we next return to Florence. My husband, daughter, and I spent several nights there and found it to be wonderful. It was immaculate and pleasant and we enjoyed being with Sergio and Elizabeth who made us feel they cared about us as people, not just as customers.
They did numerous favors for us, including finding elegant rooms for us to stay in at another nearby B & B when we decided to return one night earlier than planned to Florence from Sorrento and Il Villino was totally booked. Although the place they found for us was considerably more expensive than Il Villino, Sergio was able to negotiate reduced rates for us. Nevertheless, we were happy to return to Il Villino the following night as the atmosphere there is so homey and warm.
Our room had a beautiful stained glass window which opened to the courtyard and was near the breakfast room. It was quiet and spacious. The bathroom was large and beautiful and the linens immaculate.
I can't say enough about how lovely Il Villino is. I highly recommend it and will always stay there during future visits to Florence.
A Real Find
by TripAdvisor Member CamilleLongIsland_NY
I second all the wonderful reviews. Our room was spacious, charming, quiet, and very clean. My a/c worked beautifully--as cold as you wanted.
Screens would be a good idea for the mosquito problem. (A minor complaint.) The entire hotel was clean and beautiful with a true feeling of Tuscany. The lovely courtyard was a beautiful place to start the day. The location was great--quiet, yet just a short walk to the Duomo.
The coffee was very good and the breakfast was fine. Sergio & Elizabeth are very warm, gracious and everything one could want in hosts.
We would certainly stay here again. You won't do better in Florence.
Magnifico!
by A TripAdvisor Member
Sergio, Eliz(s)abetta, and Marco made us feel very special at this hotel. With less than ten rooms, guests are treated like friends, and the owners and staff are extremely gracious. They are wonderful people. The hotel itself is beautiful and comfortable. There were wood beam ceilings, a lovely courtyard, and clean rooms. As for the mosquitos, the owners have installed a mosquito repellant in the rooms, and guests have only to turn the repellant on to ward off the annoyances. I recommend this hotel without hesitation.
Forum Posts
Driver/Guide from Florence to Nearby locations
by DaveHMaryland
We (2) are spending 6 1/2 days in Florence (Residenza il Villino) in mid-October. Intend to use 2 1/2 days to see the sites in Florence and one day (using train or bus) to visit Siena. On one more day, we want to see Pisa, Lucca and if time permits on the same day Viareggio. Unsure if it's best to use the trains or a private guide. If a guide is able to get tickets for entry into the popular sites before our arrival, then assume it will be a smoother visit. The last two days we are seeking a driver to (one day) San Gimignano/Volterra and then last day hill towns like Montalcino, Radda and or Greve.
1. For mid-October, should we wait to find a guide once we arrive Florence, or try and find a guide before arriving?
2. Is the Pisa and Lucca trip a better idea with a guide or using trains?
3. Any driver/guide recommendations?
Re: Driver/Guide from Florence to Nearby locations
by kathymof
Part of the charm of Lucca is just wandering around - waling or riding bikes on the walls - that type of thing. Because of this, I would take the train so you could be on your own. Pisa is very near to Lucca so you could start in Pisa where you could see the sites in a short time and then head to Lucca and spend most of the day there and take a later train back to Florence. Lucca is very charming.
Re: Driver/Guide from Florence to Nearby locations
by johnmperry
Pisa is an easy train ride from Florence. We took a (local) bus tour to Siena which included S Gimignano on the way back.
Pisa we just turned up and went in. At that time you couldn't get in the tower. I don't know about now.
