RoseGardener007
Google
We stayed at Casa Fabbrini’s Rome accommodation and loved it — the atmosphere was warm and welcoming. When the blond lady who manages it told us about their Tuscan property, we decided to try it. Big mistake.|The website promises “traditional hospitality embellished with modern comforts” and menus by “expert chefs Paola and Giorgio.” In reality, it was nothing like that.|Food|We stayed three nights and had dinner twice (we skipped the third after two bad experiences). Despite telling them we don’t eat cheese or pork (and most red meat as we are trying to cut it down and I told the staff), we were served both.||The first night, dinner was cooked by young summer workers with none of the “traditional” vibe. Pasta with an extremely salty, tinned-tasting tomato sauce, then soup (the only decent course), followed by flavourless rabbit, limp salad, and tinned pickled peppers. Dessert? Just vanilla ice cream with raspberry sorbet — not the promised “selection" on their website. Guests around us also left food unfinished.||The second night was even worse. We were served burnt gnocchi in a tinned tomato sauce smothered with cheese — despite reminding them we don’t eat cheese. It was inedible, and the couple next to us didn’t eat theirs either. No one asked if it was all right; plates were just cleared away and replaced with mashed potatoes, fried chicken (for me), salty courgettes, and pork for my husband — even though I had already told them he doesn’t eat pork. Dessert was again ice cream, even though I had said I didn’t want any. Staff barely spoke and avoided interaction.||Meanwhile, Giorgio, the owner, sat watching TV at full volume. During the day, he napped in the main guest lounge, making it impossible for guests to use the space. I never saw either owner cook, despite the claims on their website.||Rooms and Facilities||Our first room had leaking air conditioning (water pooling on the floor), a faulty shower that swung from scalding to freezing, and hornets coming through the open window because there were no nets. We asked to move; no concern was shown, but eventually we were given another room — slightly better but still shabby and run down. The nicest areas are clearly reserved for the owners.||The pool was unusable because of swarms of biting flies. No citronella candles, no effort made. The owners parked their cars by the house while guests had to walk further, fighting off flies and wasps. Toiletries were sachets — just two per day, not enough for more than one shower (when it would be better to just provide shower gels like most hotels and B&Bs do). There is lots of cost cuttings happening here at the expensive of the comforts of the guests. It isn't an expensive place but a little bit of concern for guests goes a long way. The driveway and parking were unlit at night, so we had to use a torch while being swarmed by insects.||Breakfast|Breakfast was terrible: stale bread, no toaster, filter coffee (in Italy!), packet-mix cakes, and the same tired cherry tomatoes every day. Their website claims olive groves — we didn’t see a single olive.||Overall|The only positives were the dog (who is very well mannered and friendly), the rustic farmhouse (though only the owners’ areas are nicely decorated), and the cleaning staff who worked hard. Everything else felt designed for the convenience of the owners, not the comfort of the paying guests.|I would not recommend staying here.
