Perfect family-friendly agriturismo in Tuscany, Italy. Our review of Agriturismo Campo di Carlo, Tuscany, Italy
I love roaming around and discover new cultures, foods and locations.
However, I also love going back to places I love and one of these places is Tuscany.
There are many reasons I love this area and you can find my selection of the best places to visit in Tuscany with kids here.
However, today I am not here to talk about Tuscany itinerary or attractions but rather, to share with you a gem that we found when we last visited.
The places is called agriturismo campo di Carlo and it is a wonderful, family-friendly agriturismo in Tuscany and more precisely in Sassetta.
We found this agriturismo on booking.com and paid for out stay in full.
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Table of Contents
What is agritursmo and why stay in one
Campo di Carlo is an agriturismo in Tuscany, in an area called Etruscan Coast, about about 2 hours from Florence and Siena.
‘Agriturismo’ is an Italian word usually translated as ‘farm stay’, but I feel this definition can be misleading: an ‘agriturismo’ is a hospitality structure in the countryside, operating as a family run hotel, B&B or self catering accommodation.
Some of them are working farms, but others, like this one, do not have farm animals on site and are simply beautiful country homes open to guests.
I found this agriturismo while looking for accommodation for three nights in the summer and I immediately felt it would be a place for us.
First of all, it had all the things I was looking for:
a beautiful country house, a big garden with play space for the children, swimming pool, spacious rooms and a location in the countryside but close to the sea.
Also, it had glowing reviews and the photos I found on the web suggested a place that was at the same time functional, beautiful and authentic, elements that in touristy Tuscany are not always to be taken for granted.
Finally, when I made contact with Cristina, the owner, I found her to be extremely pleasant, efficient and helpful and so my mind was made up!
We drove down to the agriturismo (or maybe I should say up, since it’s at on a hill) one late afternoon in July and we immediately saw that it matched all our expectation.
Family-friendly accommodation in Tuscany
The house
The house of agriturismo Campo di Carlo is a traditional Tuscan building, made of exposed stone and red bricks.
Despite its old age, the house has been fully renovated, so as well as a beautifully kept exterior, it has newly refurbished rooms, a beautiful patio overlooking the garden and a fully functioning, modern kitchen for the guests.
The agriturismo has 8 rooms and can host a maximum of 20 guests, which is a perfect number for the generous space provided.
We asked for a family room and got a beautiful one with one a double bed, two single beds, a private bathroom, air conditioning and mini bar.
We were there in the middle of the summer, but the room also has a huge beautiful traditional fireplace which I am sure would make for cozy winters!
The room was spacious and very clean, and its door opened onto the side of the garden with the pool. Beautiful!
The swimming pool
One of the reasons I chose this agriturismo was the fact that it has a swimming pool.
The pictures showed it as an idyllic corner of the garden and this is exactly what it is.
The pool has a shallower end (about 120 cm) which you access with comfortable steps and a deeper end.
It is suitable for kids however, it has no wading part so you really want your kids to be able to swim or to be equipped with a vest or armbands to make the most of it safely.
It’s a generous size and it has beds and umbrellas for the guests.
The breakfast
The agriturismo offers a self catering kitchen and a breakfast service Italian style.
The buffet breakfast is amazing: bread, jams , croissants, cakes, cheese, cured meat, coffee, cereals….
Basically, whatever kind of breakfast you are into, you will find something to get you start the day.
To give you an idea about how good it is, my kids commented: ‘can we have breakfast like this at home every day?’
And I will try, but it’s not that easy to replicate amazing Tuscan food back here!
The self-catering kitchen
The kitchen is modern and spacious: if you stay a few days, it is definitely worth using it, shopping in the many local shops in the surrounding villages.
If you only stay a couple of nights, as we did, you might prefer going to a restaurant.
Cristina has agreements with some restaurants in Suvereto, the small town down the hill from Campo di Carlo, and we were able to have not only the recommendation of a local, but amazing meals at a discounted price.
We loved both the restaurants she recommended and were really surprised how child-friendly they were.
Despite looking pretty posh (white tablecloths, lovely table decorations and interior, rich menu), they were open to special requests for kid meals and offered to prepare half portions of anything on the menu for them, for half price.
This is the kind of family-friendly place I love!
Things to do, surrounding area
The agriturismo is in a lovely area called the Etruscan coast, full of things to do.
If you are sporty, you can get bikes delivered straight to your door from a local company, that hires them out at a discounted price to the agriturismo’s guests. In the area, you also have the option to go horse riding, play tennis, go hiking on the beautiful Tuscan hills or even try water sports on the nearby coast. Did I mention you can even go to thermal baths, 5 minutes away from the agriturismo? Well, you can!
If you like the beach, some amazing stretches of sand and clear waters are only about 30 mins away by car (easy to drive, non-trafficked roads – Cristina has detailed maps of the area).
If culture is what you are after, the area is full of places ti visits.
Small villages such as Suvereto and Castagneto Carducci retain the original medieval charm, Populonia and its archaeological museum will show you how this part of Italy evolved over the course of the centuries and Rocca san Silvestro and its mines will give an insight on medieval life.
So, what do you think: the kind of place you might like?
Practical info and FAQ
– When to go: we went in the middle of July, a time when Tuscany gets very hot. The location on the hill, the garden and the pool made it the perfect place to escapes the heat. If you prefer milder temperatures, go in the spring.
– Do you I need a car? Yes, especially to make the most of the surrounding countryside and coast I recommend the use of a car.
– Is the agriturismo suitable for children? YES, it’s the perfect family hideaway. At the front of the house there is a lovely playground and the whole property is immaculately kept and very safe.
– Is there wi-fi? Yes, free wi-fi is available everywhere on the ground of agriturismo.
Tuscany is a dreamy place. I love the food, wine and hill towns and wine… oh I said that already. I recently watched a video on vacation home buying in the neighboring Abruzzo that got my imagination working overtime.
Abruzzo is wonderful too: I have been a few times but I can’t say I know it as well as Tuscany. I am hoping to go in the spring, will report back and have a look at a few houses for you 😉
sounds like an amazing place to stay Marta. I am yet to drive a car in a foreign country and quite honestly I find thought really intimidating. This counts me out of beautiful spots like this i guess. maybe one day
I hear you about driving Mark and would not recommend Italy as a place to start either! I learned in Rome and if you can drive there, I promise you, you can drive in many many many places….
This house sounds amazing, i’ve always wanted to visit Tuscany so i now have even more of a reason! 🙂 The breakfast looks incredible as well.
I LOVE Tuscany and this place was a real find! I hope you get to go and, if you do, make sure you go to the beach nearby: crystal clear water and soft sand – a slice of heaven 🙂
This looks like just the sort of place I want to have an Italian adventure. Good to hear the kids loved it and yes, can I have that breakfast every day as well?? 🙂
Haha I know, it was amazing! This was a real find for us and there is so much in the area I absolutely want to go back!