 |
Guestbook
Dear Nico,
Now that we are near the end of a litre bottle of your special extra virgin olive oil, we want to thank you again for this great gift and to tell you that we have enjoyed every drop! It became our special table olive oil only for dressing salads (which we have everyday) or occasionally over cooked pasta. We shared it only with a few discerning friends and they thought highly of it too. We think back often to the wonderful time we had in the heart of Tuscany, at Sant' Antonio in July last year. Even the boys comment from time to time about the fun they had playing rugby between the olive trees, swimming in the summer warmth and generally enjoying the quieter country life.
It would be lovely to return someday.
Regards
Dawn and Simon G. (March 2009)
Nico , just a note to tell you how much Pam and I enjoyed your lovely Sant' Antonio! What a beautiful place you have . Your hospitality was exceptional and made our stay so enjoyable We shall return ! Looking forward to staying with you again.
Take care and good luck with the weather !!!!
Anne S. - USA (February 2009)
Rarely do I get back in my office and have time to think and appreciate where I have been.
Tuscany, the historic towns, the food, wine and tranquillity of Sant' Antonio has allowed me and my husband to enjoy an wonderful stay on your property.
I congratulate you on what you have created at Sant' Antonio – your website does not do the property justice… but we have been through that!
Thank you and your staff for all your help and we look forward seeing you soon.
Maggie S. - London, England (January 2009)
Hi Nico
Was it really only a few days ago that we were under the Tuscan coldish sun of January?
Thank you, and your staff, once again for a wonderful holiday in Sant' Antonio.
We look forward coming back soon - I think we already need another holiday!
Take care
Dee H. - London (January 2009)
Good Morning Nico!
Keron and I are just now getting settled in. We had a wonderful time in Tuscany! The land was beautiful, the food was amazing and the wine was delicious. We are so grateful that we got to spend our time at Sant Antonio as we could not have asked for better lodging or a better host. I have already recommended Sant Antonio to friends. Hopefully, Keron and I will be able to return in the future. Thanks for everything and please keep in touch.
Keitha J. - USA (November 2008)
Dear Nico,
Anne and I returned from our Italy trip late Saturday. We have been digging through the mountain of communication that accumulated during our absence.
We had a wonderful time on our entire trip. The weather was fantastic, with the only rain occurring one evening while we were staying with you at Sant' Antonio. As you might recall, it had cleared the following morning, so we were very fortunate during our twenty-two day trip in Italy. We have many fond memories from our Italian travels and hopefully we were successful in making some good photographs as well.
One of the highlights of our visit was staying with you at Sant' Antonio. We are hopeful we will be able to return to Tuscany in a couple of years. We will contact you as soon as we have possible dates to see if we can stay at Sant' Antonio again. We loved the place and greatly appreciated your kind and most helpful assistance during our visit.
I'm sorry that we'll be in Denmark while you are in California this December. If by chance your travels ever bring you in our direction again, please feel free to contact us in advance. We would love to have a chance to share a meal with you, and visit with you in California.
If we can provide any assistance with your trip planning, please let us know.
With warmest friendship,
John and Anne, California, USA (October 2008)
Hi, Nico. Just a short note to say how much Kathie and I enjoyed staying at Sant' Antonio a few weeks ago. The best part of our trip to Italy and I am sure we will make it back soon. I tell everyone I see what a lovely time we had there (the group dinner was great) and I am sure you will see a few more Canadians show up over the next couple of years as a result.
We are back in Toronto now and getting ready for winter (it snowed yesterday). All the best.
Bob - Toronto; Canada (October 2009)
Nico hi,
Just a short note to tell you how much we appreciated your hospitality last week. A beautiful spot and very comfortable – the mid-week meal with beautiful food – and the weather (no, - not your doing!) sunny and still. Plenty to see every day – the obligatory morning jog a salve to the conscience when settling in for light lunch and wine wherever one might be. Osteria dell Acquacheta (?) our kind of place.
Zoe and Mike are back in Germany – their thanks as well for your generous gifts.
Who knows.....we may see you again.
Fond regards,
STAN & CHRISTINA (October 2009)
Greetings to Nico and Family,
Breese and I truly enjoyed stay with you. Tuscany and your hospitality were the highlights of our 6 weeks in Italy. As we had spoken of , we are preparing to send you a DVD set of a television show that was produced by HBO. It is called Rome and presents great and reasonably accurate history of Caesar, Marc Anthony, Cleopatra and what life was like at that time.
We really enjoyed it and when we spoke to you of it, you said that you would like it in English. That is fine, but...do you have an American style DVD player? The technology is apparently different by region. Europe uses a different format than the USA.
Tell me so that I can get this on it's way and I can fulfil my promise.
Your friend
Bob G. - USA (September 2008)
Dear Nico,
We have just downloaded the photos of our holiday at Sant' Antonio and they brought back many happy memories of our stay at your lovely Country Resort.
It was a really relaxing week and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the many hilltop villages around Montepulciano. Your recommendation of La Grotta for a meal to celebrate our Ruby Wedding Anniversary was a great start to our week and thank you also for your kind gift of Sant' Antonio Olive oil which is fantastic and has pride of place in the kitchen as a happy reminder of our lovely holiday in Tuscany.
We will certainly recommend Sant' Antonio to any friends travelling to Tuscany in the future.
With best wishes
Sandra & Rod S. - England (August 2008)
Hi Nico,
Thank you to you and all your staff for another great week.
We had a marvellous time, and the weather was wonderful!
I am sure I will be coming back again in the next 2-3 years.
Viareggio was baking hot, very busy, hellishly expensive, but terrific fun.
I definitely achieved the contrast I was trying for.
Back at work now to try and pay it all off.
Ciao,
Mark and family. - England (August 2008)
Nico,
Just wanted to let you, your lovely wife and the staff at Sant' Antonio know how much we appreciated the time we spent at your wonderful resort the last week of June. Your hospitality and attention to detail were much appreciated. Our friend, Ann, is absolutely right - Sant' Antonio truly is a slice of heaven!
I can still smell the lavender, jasmine and rosemary perfuming the air.
And those endless views from every corner of the property! We'll most definitely be back!
All My Best,
Bruce I. - UK (June 2008)
Ciao Nico,
Thank You! Our week at Sant' Antonio was fantastic!
We can truly say that the week there with Anne & friends was the best holiday we've ever had.
We feel especially lucky to have had all of Sant' Antonio to ourselves.
The food, the accommodations, the views and you and your staff were all perfect.
We hope to visit again and again.
Please say hello and thanks for us to Elena, Susanna and Daniela - they are the best!
If you come to Los Angeles please let us know in advance so we can plan to meet you.
Thanks again -
David P. - California (June 2008)
Dear Nico,
Thank you for a wonderful stay at Sant' Antonio. You have a wonderful place with a great team.
We will be back.
Best wishes,
Jeremy K. – London, UK (June 2007)
Nico,
A quick note to thank you for the wonderful stay and for all your help in resolving the passport and flat tire problems. On the plane yesterday, we decided Sant' Antonio was perfect!
Cordialissimi saluti,
MaryEllen, Jill, Deb, Roberta and Carol (June 2007)
Nico,
I wanted to send my thanks for your hospitality. Staying at Sant Antonio was a perfect way to spend a week to rest, relax and to enjoy Italy. You and your staff were a wonderful addition to our experience. Florence is shockingly big and busy in comparison with our time in the Tuscan towns. Thanks for your advice in driving straight to the airport. It would have been a huge mistake for us to drive in Florence.
Thank you again. We hope to return.
Regards,
Kurt O. – USA (June 2007)
Dear Nico:
I just wanted to let you know that we loved your wonderful resort, you made us feel like it was our home and that you cared about us. We hated to leave and now look forward to some day returning to your beautiful place. I hope your summer goes well and I will be surprised if you don't own most of Tuscany by the time you are done. With all of your hard work, intelligence, and energy, I know you will have many great successes. Thank you for being such a thoughtful host and we wish you and your family the very best.
John F. – USA (June 2007)
Nico,
Thank you for the wonderful stay at the beautiful Sant' Antonio. We loved our apartment and we loved meeting you and your wife and the lovely guests staying there. La Porta was simply fabulous so thank you for recommending the restaurant. I also appreciate your kindness in helping me receive and send faxes.
Hope to see you and stay at Sant' Antonio again. We will be telling our friends and hope to send more business your way,
Ci vediamo & grazie mille,
Lynda, USA (May 2007)
Dear Nico,
Our drive back to the airport was silenced by the memories of our 2 weeks at Sant' Antonio. Thank you for making our family reunion a complete success and for organising numerous dinner reservations.
Sam and I will be back soon – perhaps on our own!
Thank you once again,
Theo, Amsterdam (May 2007)
Dear Mr Nico Pannevis,
Grazie, Grazie for a wonderful stay at Sant' Antonio, for looking after us and organising a superb evening at our Tuscan “wine” oasis – Osteria del Leone in Bagno Vignoni.
The boys loved the open space and cycling around your forests on their mountain bikes – what a wonderful estate you own.
Wishing you great success in all your business ventures and good luck with the new opening in Montepulciano.
Jim, England (February 2006)
Ciao Nico.
A quick thank you for being such a wonderful host and for making our 30th wedding anniversary one of our most memorable holidays. You have an incredible property and I am sure this was the 1st of many trips.
Dinner at your restaurant Osteria del Leone was the Cherry on the Cake and your business partners Edgard and Becky were just wonderful.
Grazie!
Jan & Nette, Holland (October 2005)
Hi Nico
Its been so long since our Holiday with you but its still very much fresh in our memories. I never got to email you to thank-you for your hospitality during our stay at Sant' Antonio and let you know how much we enjoyed it. We all agreed that we wished we could have stayed longer than just the week, and for home birds like us that's saying something. Mum still has some olive oil, mine was finished long ago as was all the wine brought back!! I come across a lot of things that remind me of our stay and have very happy memories!
I also wanted to thank-you for the extra attention you provided to Jack. It certainly took away all the stress of travelling with a small child and gave us great peace of mind. I see you have updated your website, I have passed it on a few times to various people looking for good places to stay in Tuscany and hopefully we will be back over the next few years!
Many thanks again
Jane, Ireland
Nico:
Both the Johnson families (Dewey/Susan and Marlyn/Lorrie) want to thank you for the wonderful accommodations at Sant Antonio. The apartments were cozy and inviting as the home base for our adventures into the Tuscany area.
We had dinner our last night at your restaurant Osteria del Leone. The food is excellent with impressive service.
Thanks again for your hospitality.
Susan J.
Dear Nico,
Janella and I had the best time. Thank you for all your wonderful advice on where to visit in your "picture-postcard" environment. The Tuscan food night was a highlight, and please thank Daniella and Suzanna for their cooking class. I have made the ragout already! You may not be surprised (but I was) that they want more! I am off to our local "men's group" tonight (we meet monthly) and am taking some Sant Antonio oil, and Avignonesi Vino Nobile and the grappa (along with information off the net about the products, and how to go there). We hope to return someday.
John and Janella, Australia.
Hi Nico
We're safely back in New Zealand and the world of olive trees, swimming pools and Avignonesi Super Tuscans are all becoming a distant memory!
Daniella asked that I send through the photos I took at our fabulous cooking lesson which I've done here. Hopefully I've shrunk them enough to go through the system without a problem.
Thanks again for a wonderful holiday. We'll definitely be back as soon as possible.
Please send our regards to Daniela and Susannah,
Ciao
Nico:
Apologies for taking so long to thank you and your lovely better half for helping to make our stay particularly memorable. Sant Antonio will always be remembered as the site of a wonderful family vacation, and the place where my Son asked his future wife for her hand. We will be back, and with any luck, again and again.
Harold J. - USA
Ciao dear Nico,
We have finally settled back down - back to our everyday life, but we still carry with us the vivid memories of Tuscany.
Sant' Antonio is a lovely spot and the (short, indeed) time we have spent over there was truly wonderful.
We have left the place feeling certain that we would return, probably sooner than we expect.
Your hospitality was kind and considerate and you can count on us that in our next visit we would insist on having long evenings of discussions and good wine.
If you ever find yourself in Israel, we would be more than happy to spend some more time together and show you around.
Thanks again for everything and warm regards,
Amit, Sharon & Yotam.
Tel-Aviv, Israel
Dear Nico,
I wanted to thank you again for your incredible hospitality while we stayed with you last week. Sant Antonio is gorgeous and we felt completely at home with you all. I can't wait to come back with my husband.
But for the kindness of a cab driver we might still be circling the airport in Rome looking for the car rental drop off - chaos! The drive was easy enough though and we made it to Rome in excellent time.
My mother and aunties had the time of their lives - they fell in love with Tuscany - Sant Antonio, Montepulciano and Pienza may well have to suffer through more of their visits in the future. It was very special for me to see the pleasure they took from Italy - now they really understand what I mean when I say that Tuscany is where I belong - they felt the same way.
Good luck with the Kenyan project - you certainly lead a fascinating life - and please give our best to the sweet Susanna, a kiss to Antonio, and a special hug to Diva. We left Sant Antonio feeling like we had extended our family circle with you all. I hope one day to live in Tuscany - my heart is always there.
Warmest regards,
Jan M.
P.S. If Susanna ever decides to leave you, please let me know - I would happily take her job!! ;-)
Dear Nico,
I hope this email finds you well. We wanted to write and thank you again for a fantastic stay at Sant' Antonio. We truly enjoyed it. We appreciated your hospitality and your time, especially with the winery tour. Visiting Avignonesi was a highlight for us, both for the very interesting information you shared as well as our time with Elena.
Thank you also for your recommendations. The Gregorian chants were amazing and the Aquachetta in Montepulciano was a wonderful meal. We also finally got to eat pizza from Saloon Pizzeria. Three times we went there over the course of our stay and it was either closed or we were too early in the evening. On our last night there, we picked up a couple of pizzas to enjoy in between packing. They were very good and we were glad we did not miss out!
Attached are a few photos I thought you might enjoy (including a few of Diva :). Please also send our regards and thanks to Elena for all her time and hospitality. We so enjoyed talking with her and will be sure to send her a copy of the magazine when it comes out later next year.
All of the experiences we had and you and Elena helped to make this an unforgettable trip. We're already figuring out when we can return!
Best wishes,
Nicola W.
Ciao Nico,
I hope you and your family are well, no doubt you're super busy now!
Just wanted to say thanks ever so much again for everything. Lina, Ady and I had a truly fabulous time in your beautiful residence. It's been more difficult coming home than any holiday we can remember, which says it all I guess. Your recommendations, help and attention to detail made the holiday such a special one, and we look forward to coming back to Sant Antonio one fine day soon.
Good luck with all the future plans and we look forward to seeing you again some sunny day.
Best wishes,
Steve, Lina & Ady
Ciao Nico,
Just a quick note to let you know how much my family and I enjoyed our stay at Sant' Antonio. It was everything we hoped it would be. We really appreciated your terrific hospitality at both Sant' Antonio and the restaurant--what a great dinner! We loved Montepulciano; our time in Tuscany was definitely the highlight of our vacation.
We also had a great time in London--despite being on the underground during the second bombing attempts. Fortunately we were on the Jubilee line, which was mostly unaffected except for some station closings.
Nonetheless, there were police and sirens everywhere--quite the experience. So sad for the people of London to be going through this.
Hopefully the next time we are there things will be calmer.
We all agreed that we will be coming back to Sant' Antonio (although the next time Jim and I may leave the twins at home and come by ourselves!) I am lobbying to return next fall.....
Many thanks,
Anne, Jim, Maddy and Chris
Nico,
Jim and I just wanted to tell you what a wonderful resort you have in Montepulciano. We have never felt more welcome and more at home than we did at Sant'Antonio. The views were so beautiful that I decided to put Sant'Antonio as my back drop on my computer at work. The dinner at your restaurant Osteria Del Leone was also a memorable meal. The Truffle barley was excellent, which brings me to ask for the recipe if would give that out. Thank you for getting us in the Avignonesi Winery. The tour and wine was excellent. We had no problem carrying all 7 bottles of wine back to the U.S.
When we are ready to return to Tuscany Sant'Antonio will be place we stay again. I would highly recommend the Sant'Antonio to any one I know that will be coming to Italy along with our travel agent for her future customers.
Again, thank you for making this a memorable trip.
Jim and Debi, Arizona (July 2005)
Nico,
A big thank you to you and all your staff for your contribution to a fantastic holiday at SantAntonio.
The accomodation was great, the surroundings superb, and the the countryside around ' a little corner of paradise '.
Your restaurant was first class, we won't forget our birthday dinner.
Sorry to tell you but we WILL be back!!
Adrian, Derek, Marian, Amanda and Doreen Day.
Dear Nico,
Just a quick note to thank you.
We always find a consistently high standard in both accommodation and customer service from you and all your staff. We are always confident that we will thoroughly enjoy our stay and this year has proved no exception.
We have returned to work with renewed vigour ( for week or two at least!).
We look forward to seeing you again,
Janet, Mike and Kate, England (June 2005)
Dear Nico,
thank you so much for making my family so welcome at your wonderful resort.
I am so sorry that it has taken this long to e mail you, but work has been a little hectic since
our return.
Molto grazzie per tutti
Adrian B. (& family of course!), England (June 2005)
Dear Nico,
It has been about a month since our stay at Sant Antonio. I just want to thank you for making our visit unforgettable. Your kindness and hospitality were wonderful and we immediately felt right at home. Robert and I both agree that Tuscany was our favorite part of our European vacation and Sant'Antonio was definitely the main reason.
All of your restaurant recommendations were perfect and we loved our meal at Osteria del Leone. We are already trying to figure out when we can plan another trip back to Italy, to return for another relaxing week at Sant'Antonio, our new favorite travel destination.
Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Lisa, USA (October 2004)
Article kindly written by Mike M. on a travellers website:
Recently, our family of 8 adults and 2 children spent one of those always hoped for but seldom realized, perfect Tuscany vacations. Much of the enjoyment was due to Nico and his beautifully renovated 14th Century Franciscan monastery outside of Montepulciano. Like many vacation seekers, we went to the web and began wading through an enormous amount of material designed to lure us to Tuscany. Almost by accident, we found the Sant'Antonio website and began corresponding with Nico, the owner and host of these quality accommodations. The monastery contains several apartments, each unique, with kitchens, living rooms, one or two bedrooms with an equal number of bathrooms and all the amenities that one needs to live comfortably. He reserved the units he thought would fit our needs, both for privacy, and for spending time together. One unit, which housed one couple
and their 2 children, was large enough to accommodate all of us for family dinners and get-togethers.
The grounds of the 300 acre estate are carefully tended and provide lovely outside spaces to enjoy dining alfresco (each unit has its own outside table and chairs with umbrella) or to allow the children to run around and play.
Two large barbeque areas are available; we could easily grill enough food for the 10 of us, plus new Aussie friends who were also staying at Sant'Antonio. Outside amenities also include a large swimming pool and an underground parking garage along with natural beauties like lovely views of the Tuscan hill country, olive groves, and a real forest that is part of the estate.
The one element that made the vacation extra-special was Nico and his staff. They were extremely knowledgeable about the area. They recommended restaurants and day trips and baby sitters. We were never disappointed in
their recommendations. They were available for any glitch, such as allowing their phone to be used when members of our family were trying to meet up with one another as we were all arriving at various times and from various
parts of the world. One of the couples who had brought over bicycles to ride between hill towns was dismayed to find that one bike's derailler had been damaged during transport and was inoperative. Since there was no local
bike shop, Nico had his right-hand man, Paulo, fix the rather delicate mechanism, so that bicycling could go on as planned. One of the family members was arriving on her birthday. Nico ordered a very special cake and
had it waiting for us so we could all celebrate. These are just examples of the excellent service provided by the Sant Antonio staff and made the week especially memorable. We cannot recommend them too highly.
Mike M. USA (August 2004)
Nico,
I just wanted to thank you again for our perfect Tuscan holiday. Sant'Antonio was the highlight of our trip and I am recommending it to everyone I know. Your warmth, wonderful hospitality and extra attention made us feel very special. The grounds, lovely Tuscan construction, amenities and outstanding views make Sant' Antonio unequaled. The location was perfect as we were able to make daytrips to all the gorgeous hill towns and nearby Montepulciano (our home town) was the very best. Two of the most special days were trips to Bagno Vignoni and the Avignonesi winery. We enjoyed your great wine (Avignonesi) and managed to drink it all before leaving the country so have already checked out a local vendor and found it!!! Our two meals at Osteria del Leone were both outstanding. I am already having fresh Pici withdrawals.
Chere and David, Albuquerque, New Mexico (September 2004)
Dear Nico,
Now that we have returned to the USA, Rob & I would like to thank you for our terrific time (16-9 to 25-9) @ Sant'Antonio......and for the opportunity to meet some very nice people during our stay. We actually plan to meet up with Bill & Patricia (the Australians) when they are in Los Angeles this January!
We wish you the very best in the future and hope to return very soon to Sant'Antonio. Ciao....
With best regards,
Alice & Rob in California (September 2004)
Sehr geehrter Herr Nico
Leider haben wir uns immer verpasst, aber ich möchte mich trotzdem bei Ihnen für die nette Unterkunft und all Ihre Mühe bedanken das alles so wunderbar funktioniert hat. Wir hatten ein sehr komfortables Appartement und haben die Ruhe und die Ausstrahlung die es hat genossen.
Wir halten es in sehr guter Erinnerung und werden es unseren Freunden weiter erzählen wie schön es bei Ihnen war!
Wir wünschen Ihnen noch alles Gute und noch viel Erfolg Und verbleiben mit freundlichen Grüssen
Gerhard, Switzerland (September 2004)
Dear Nico,
I just wanted to drop you a very quick note to say how much Cate and I enjoyed meeting you. I also wanted to apologise for not having called you later during the week to take you up on your kind offer. You have a wonderful restaurant and are clearly quite the entrepreneur!
All the very best with all your endeavours and perhaps when you next come to London you might get in touch. We would love to give you a glass of wine at the very least!
With very best personal wishes
Christopher and Cate, London (September 2004)
|
|
