Press
CONDE' NAST TRAVELLER APRIL 2010:
Follonico - The lack of a pool at this very tasteful, very welcoming rustic-chic country retreat north of Montepulciano is the smart guest's gain. It ensures and air of cultured calm, and also keeps prices down to seem to like a giveaway in one of the most sought-after regions. Standing in an undulating landscape of vineyards and sheep pastures, the centuries old farmhouse has been rescued from neglect without the cementification that plagues so many Tuscan farmhouse “restorations”. In the four suites and downstairs communal spaces, salvaged materials (such a weathered scaffolding boards and old doors) play off against retro Italian-design pieces. And the hosts, Fabio Firli and Suzanne Simons, are charming and helpful. Breakfast is a sumptuous spread of local and homemade organic products, and there are little extras such as free broadband access. For the best views, ask for the Blu Notte Suite, which has its own balcony overlooking the Renaissance church of San Biagio and the turreted outline of nearby Montefollonico.
THE TELEGRAPH SEPTEMBER 2010
Follonico is a smart, designer farmhouse run by a simpatico Italo-Dutch (they wrote German but is completely wrong), with just four rooms and no pool-something that helps to keep prices down to reasonable levels.
BUDGET TRAVEL SEPTEMBER 2010
Set in a picture-perfect 19th-century farmhouse, this six-room B&B overlooks the medieval hill town of Montepulciano. The competition among Tuscan farmhouse hotels is undeniably stiff, but newcomer Follonico 4-Suite B&B still manages to stand out. Set among vineyards and sheep pastures just outside the medieval hill town of Montepulciano, the quaint stone home is a case study in successful restoration. Suzanne Simons and Fabio Firli, a Dutch and Italian couple, spent two years searching for a picture-perfect 19th-century farmhouse and three more years redoing it, and their touches are everywhere, from the handpicked antiques that decorate all six rooms to the locally made jams and pastries they serve each morning at breakfast. They even took the views into account: The couple converted the former kitchen into one of the inn's premier suites—complete with a broad balcony overlooking Montepulciano's 16th-century San Biagio church.
