We had a wonderful, Marco is a wonderful host!!’

A unique experience to spend a week at the Palazzo Guicciardi.

We had a wonderful stay here, in this incredibly characterful and historic house. To begin with the children found it a little overwhelming, being so old, but it was clean, warm and well equipped, and it was a perfect base for our week long holiday in this hidden away and interesting area. The kitchen was a joy to cook meals and to eat in - it felt like one had stepped into a period drama TV show! The living room was very comfortable, and the bedrooms perfectly fine. We enjoyed using the table tennis table, and the location of the house, so central in very charming Ponte in Valtellina, was great - we had the little grocery shop less than a minute's walk away, the ice cream shop two minute's walk away (although it closed for the end of the season part of the way through our stay - probably a good thing!), and various cafes, restaurants and bars within five minute's walk. The cobbled streets of Ponte are quite lovely, and the views from here absolutely spectacular. The house's location gives many opportunities for exploration - we thankfully had a car for the week - suggested drives: visit the Alpe Gera dam (the drive there is incredible, and the dam is an awesome sight); drive into Switzerland up to St. Moritz, over the Bernino Pass (much cheaper than the Bernino Express, and you can stop when you like - stop at Poschiavo for a coffee and some food, and enjoy the change in architectural style, and other contrasts, but be aware that there's nothing cheap about St. Moritz that we could find!); drive up to the Stelvio Pass, than take the cable car up to the top station (it's truly spectacular, and to watch people skiing was quite a surprise - the whole drive and visit was a highlight); explore some of the hidden valleys not far from Ponte, including the Val Fontana (you won't see many people up here, and once you've parked as far up as you can, keep on walking, as it's very beautiful). We also enjoyed visiting Tirano - the Parravicini was superb, and for great pizza, try Il Braciere. Finally, we can't thank Marco enough (our host), for his very warm greeting, and the fact that he spent nearly an house showing us around and answering all our questions. He also gave us some lovely local food and drink - the salami and honey were amazing! Thank you Marco - we highly recommend that others come and stay at your house in Ponte, especially if they want to get off the beaten track a bit.

We felt very comfortable in the house and everything was as described and expected. Thanks also to Marco for the tips where you can eat and what can look like.