Rob and I have recently returned from a visit to Tuscany and Rome to seek out some new properties and revisit some of our old favourites.It was my first jaunt to Tuscany although I have visited neighbouring Umbria quite a few times but never quite made it across the border so I was pleased that I finally had the opportunity. Our first stop was the Maremma coastal region south of Pisa and the delightful Poggio Ai Santi. This is an all-suite property with just 11 rooms in a very tranquil setting above the coastal town of San Vincenzo. With a large swimming pool and good restaurant serving freshly made food and using vegetables grown in the garden. Poggio Ai Santi is great for couples who want a stylish hotel in a beautiful setting, close to the beach and as it is only about an hour’s drive from Pisa Airport, it could even work well for a short break.Still in the Maremma region, another property we really liked and will soon be featuring on our website is Le Versegge. This is a collection of 8 one and two bedroom apartments with a shared pool and will be great for families and couples alike. Near the small town of Braccagni, it is about 25km from the coast and close to the hilltop villages of Massa Marittima and Montemassi. Being quite good value too, we feel that Le Versegge will be a welcome addition to our growing Tuscan programme.We also headed further inland to the Val D’Orcia area to visit some of the villas on La Foce estate which we have used for a number of years and sent many clients to, some of whom return year after year. The four villas, Fontalgozzo, Gonzola, Montauto and Sassaia (will shortly be on our website) all have the own private swimming pools and have nice gardens to relax in. The gardens of Fontalgozzo especially were impressive overlooking that typical view of the Val D’Orcia, the winding road with the cypress trees.We also visited another villa near Cortona, quite close to the Umbrian border. La Torcella, again, soon to be on our website, sleeps 8 to 9 and has a lovely large swimming pool and very nice sweeping gardens making most of the view. It is only about a 10 minute drive to Cortona with the small village of Pergo which is about a kilometre away and has a couple of restaurant and a mini market.After our day of visiting villas, we were lucky enough to visit the Castello Banfi Il Borgo (a Workham Hotel) near Montalcino, one of the newest properties to our Italian Portfolio. We were suitably impressed by this property with just 14 rooms on the Banfi estate which is well renowned for producing some very fine wines. The hotels rooms have all been converted from the cottages of the workers who once worked at the castle and there were people living here as recently as 2001. The views from the swimming pool across the countryside and over the vineyards are spectacular and it is a great place to watch the sunset with a glass of Banfi wine. The food here is renowned in La Taverna restaurant and you can arrange wine tasting, cookery lessons, horseback riding, cycling, or just relax and enjoy the scenery. A few days here would combine very well with a stay in Rome or Florence, or perhaps as a 2 centre with one of our hotels in Umbria.

Our final visit in Tuscany was to the island of Elba. We have sent quite a few families to Elba in the past who have enjoyed it so it was great to witness it for ourselves. Driving off the ferry from Piombino, you instantly feel a change in atmosphere to a more laid back island way of life. The hotel we were visiting is the 4 star Hotel Del Golfo in the village of Procchio, about a 20 minute drive from the ferry port. Right on the beach and with a large swimming pool, this hotel with its 120 rooms will be a welcome addition to our programme. There are a couple of tennis courts for the more active and you can use the golf course at its sister hotel, the Hermitage. With a small kids club and interconnecting rooms, this is a great hotel for families. We were very impressed by the service and especially by the food we were lucky enough to try in the evening.After our stay on Elba, we then headed south to Rome. By some miracle, we did find our way into the centre of Rome very easily, finding where to drop the car at Termini Station was another matter but we got there in the end and we very much appreciated our drink on the roof terrace at our favoured 3 star hotel in Rome, the Albergo Cesari. Located a stone’s throw from the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain, we can understand why some many clients give us positive feedback on this hotel. While we were in Rome though, we thought it was a good opportunity to seek out a few other options, and we were very glad we did.A couple of our clients have been able to stay at the luxurious and beautiful Villa Spalletti Travelli (a Workham Hotel) and I really hope to send a lot more. It is like a country house retreat but in the centre of a hectic city and full of antiques and rare furnishings from the Spaletti Travelli family but with all modern comforts of a top class hotel. The 12 sumptuous rooms and suites have all the mod cons which you might need and are beautifully furnished and all have views over the garden or the small park just in front of the hotel. In the warmer months, breakfast is served in the garden and you can also have a drink here after a day’s sightseeing. There is also an impressive Spa and the most recent additions to the property are the two garden suites in an adjacent building which are great for families. Both these apartment style suites have 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, their own private terraces and their own entrance, but of course still have the benefit of all the services which the Villa Spaletti provides. The location is also second to none, an easy walk to the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon.The other two hotels we saw and will be adding onto our website shortly are the Inn at the Spanish Steps and the Inn at the Forum (Workham Hotels) . Sister properties, we feel that both of these small hotels will be great additions to our Rome collection of hotels. The Inn at the Spanish Steps is made up of three buildings with 24 rooms in the main building and 4 rooms in each of the other two buildings, the View at the Spanish Steps and the Annexe. Both the main building and the View have rooftop terraces where they serve breakfast in the mornings, afternoon tea and drinks in the evening and are open just for guests. The rooms are stylishly decorated with a contemporary feel and there are also a couple of interconnecting rooms so great for families and for larger parties, you can actually take the four rooms at either The View or the Annexe to create an apartment.The Inn at the Forum is, as the name suggests, close to the Forum and the Colosseum, tucked on a pedestrianized side street. Again, the 14 rooms are very stylish decorated and there is roof top terrace where breakfast is served as well as a roof top garden which is a little haven from the busy city. There are two suites which overlook the garden and if you book them both together, you will have exclusive use of the garden which must be quite unique in Rome. Another thing which makes this hotel so special is the ancient Roman frescoed underground passageway in the cellar which really does give you an insight to the history of the city.All in all it was a very successful trip and all we need to do now is get the new properties onto our website and start sending some of you to them.Author – Sarah Mclennan – Real Holidays www.realholidays.co.uk