Gratitude is the emotion I felt as our wonderful week at Casa Barthel came to a close. I am grateful to Daniela and Elena Barthel for graciously hosting us on their stunning antique tuscan estate overlooking Florence (MAGICAL) and for welcoming us into their little village.

From the moment we arrived we received a friendly welcome and were escorted to our accommodations; we felt relaxed and at ease. In this countryside setting, life slows down and human experience and interactions flourish.

Casa Barthel is the epitome of understated Rustic Elegance (see Riccardo Barthel stores). I fell in love with the antique tile and marble sink in our kitchen. Each rental is unique with a different theme and combination of antiques and found treasures. We stayed in the Cinema House with wonderful vintage movie posters ranging from Bernini to the Blues Brothers to Tom & Jerry.

The grounds are impeccably groomed. Each detail is subtly curated...there is also a sense of creative whimsy. Antique daybeds with red and white striped cushions are strewn around the pool area, a glass treehouse (also for rent) is set among the ancient stone buildings and manicured olive trees that dot the property, and so on.

On a practical level...

ALL WELCOME - Families, couples, individuals, Artists in Residence. We came with our 2 young boys (4 and 7). They had a wonderful time exploring, swimming in the pool, playing tennis, ping pong, foosball, even running through the sprinklers at night.

LOCATION - 15-20 min from Florence, 1 hr from Siena, 1.5 hrs from the beach.

GROCERIES - easy and inexpensive at a brand new and massive COOP supermarket 5 - 10 min drive into town.

CLEANLINESS - very clean:) No bugs:)

FUNCTION - Everything works:)! From the washing machine to the blender (which we broke, and were given a new one in less than one day)