Villa Ulivi

I may probably feel as one of the lucky ones, because after reading all the negative reviews, I feel like I have been to a different Villa that other guests are describing. It was maybe 3 years ago or so, it was beautiful summer in Florence and the villa was a wonderful place to stay. Quite, surrounded by gardens, animals living in the small wood next to the house. It felt like being back in the times of Ludwig IV or so ;) Anyway, the room was very sweet, no bugs in the bed, the bathroom was a bit small indeed, and not everything was perfect there, but it was worth the money we spent for a day or two being around Florence. We took a look in and around the house and it was wonderful however the house needed quite a lot of work on it. The lady there said, that the owners are not able to invest money into the house but still trying to keep it in a shape as good as possible. It is of course a pity, that such a fantastic and rare place is left to slowly "die". I haven't seen the owners, at that time they were not yet living in the house. Hope this small review helps someone to consider to stay in the villa (maybe out of a pure curiosity- as we did with my friend when we were there).

This was the worst vacation rental we have ever had in Italy, it actually surpassed many 3rd world accommodations. Most of the electrical plugs, washer, balcony canopy did not function. No screens, lots of mosquitos tormented us all night long. All the insulated glass seals failed years ago, making the views opaque. Our shower was about 5' tall and sloped down to 3' in height, there also was no glass or shower curtain. The 1/4 mile walk to town, did not mean to the historic center, but to the bus stop which required 8 - 9 bus stops to town. Our friends had the room next door. Their room had no window. Both of our rooms had no AC, or adequate ventilation. Our friend's sink trap was held together by tape, leather and was shimmed with a bar of soap. Our balcony canopy was shredded in tatters, and all the ancient outdoor furniture is warped and had dry rot. This vacation rental should be shuttered until basic repairs and restoration can take place. this facility is falling apart. Word to the wise, do not waste your hard earned Euros here. WiFi only worked next to check in desk, not in rooms. No other services available. September 2014

I was exceedingly fortunate to have gotten out of this rental due to the owner's decision to give my suite to another family, moving my actual check to a day later. He had provided me with "a comparable room" for 30 euro less, but upon entering the room, I found a stained dirty carpet, sagging beds, broken air conditioner, stale tobacco smoke, a shabby deck with an awning that had numerous tears hanging down. I said I couldn't take it, so the owner insisted on showing me the actual suite I had reserved, barging in on a nice family during their dinner! He was very rude to the guests leaving me embarrassed, so after apologizing, I told him I wasn't staying. He then called me names and went on a tirade. It turned out for the best since the listing was totally misleading and false. It was like being in a Hitchcock movie! I found a perfect rental in the Santa Croce district in the actual city of Florence. I should have read trip advisor because I found many unhappy reviews of this dump!