I have just returned to America from 7 days at Villa Gamberaia and it was not near enough. I am not even sure how to describe Villa Gamberaia other than to say that I communed with its gardens and fell in love with this place. I came with my wife and yound children, a girl of 5 and a boy of 8, and our long-time babysitter. On our first trip to Italy, we decided to spend most of our time in Tuscany and saw Villa Gamberaia as a place we might really enjoy. We do not normally spend $500/night on lodgings, especially not for a lengthy stay but we thought it might be worthwhile. Now having been there, I would have spent much more.

Villa Gamberaia is centered now on the main villa, first built in the 1600s and substantially rebuilt after the Nazis burnt it down in an attempt to keep their maps and warplans from the advancing allied armies. Running alongside the main villa is a "bowling lawn" that must be a mile long. Our accommodations were situated in front of the... more