This is the place where I stayed the longest and enjoyed the most during my trip to Italy. It's located on a small hillside in the heart of Val d'Orcia. After a 1km forest path, the view suddenly opens up to vast lawns and sweeping valley scenery. The host, Letizia, is a kind elderly lady who doesn't speak English, but we communicated smoothly using a translation app – she is very warm and welcoming. The house is spacious, cozy, and decorated in classic rustic style. She came by every day to check if we needed anything; my son played with her on the lawn, and her cat is also very cute – my son spent time with it every day. We watched pink sunsets in the evening, and admired the valley mist in the morning – everything was wonderful. It was a bit cool in May, and the gas-powered wall heater came with an extra cost, which she clearly explained in advance. If you want to experience local life, connect with people, and love nature, I highly recommend staying here! A 10-minute walk away there's a family-run winery – we booked a wine tasting tour by email. Also, walking up to the hilltop village of Compiglia and climbing Rocca peak are great off-the-beaten-path activities.

We stayed in the downstairs apartment, which was spacious, comfortable and thoughtfully decorated with some lovely antiques. The surrounding grounds, olive orchard and view are also beautiful. We had lots of rain, and especially enjoyed the covered patio—which allowed us to be outdoors and enjoy the view without getting wet! I like to cook while traveling, and appreciated the spacious kitchen with plenty of pots, pans and serving platters. The location is also great for getting to walks through the countryside and exploring nearby towns and villages. And don’t give short shrift to the local village by the house. While we enjoyed Pienza, Montalcino and Montepulciano, they are very touristy. The village by the house is the opposite—no souvenir shops, restaurants, etc. Nevertheless, their is a great walk (with numbered plaques providing interesting historical notes) up the hill to La Rocca with unparalleled view of the Val d’Orcia. (For groceries we recommend San Quirico d’Orcia rather than the supermarket in Abbadia San Salvatore. We found a great butcher and cheese shop, bakery and produce market all within a few feet of each other.) We do note that during our 2-months of traveling in Italy, this was the only home we rented that (despite comparable prices) does not include ample linens and towels for the duration of the rental. Rather, they supply one set of sheets and one set of towels per person. Anything additional is an extra charge. Similarly, this was the only rental that charged for use of the washing machine. And while these charges were noted in the house rules, we were not informed until the day of our arrival that (also unlike every other home we rented) they only provide one role of toilet paper in each bathroom, a small amount of dish soap and a few dishwasher soap tabs. We were told that this was to assist until we could go shopping. The difficulty with this approach is that it requires renters to buy far more than they will need—as things like toilet paper, dish soap and paper towels aren’t sold in small enough quantities to just cover a two-week stay. But, all-in-all, it is a lovely home in a beautiful location.

We loved everything about our two-week stay at Le Rogheta. Our hosts Letitia and Giorgio could not have been more welcoming and helpful. Our apartment was spacious, well-equipped, and tastefully decorated, with stunning views of the Val d'Orcia. Extremely knowledgeable about the region's history, geography, and cuisine, Letitia and Giorgio, helped us discover the ancient, out of the way villages and towns that make this part of Italy so appealing to visitors.

Fabulous location! Stunning scenery and easy access to many of Tuscany's fabulous sites. Hosts were amazing, friendly, helpful but gave us space and privacy. Only reason for 4 stars and not 5 is the house had a mild musty or damp smell. We were very unlucky with the weather and it was very wet so this is probably why and not normal for the summer season. So definitely don't let that put you off! We would thoroughly recommend this property for a stay in Tuscany!! Thank you to our hosts, much appreciated.