Organising a birthday for a group of friends, a graduation party or a family anniversary almost always means solving the same problem: finding a place where everyone can eat together and, above all, where nobody has to watch the clock or drive home at the end of the night. The Ancient Guesthouse of Tòsina has been a place of hospitality for almost a thousand years, and today it offers exactly that: a meal for the group — lunch or dinner — and an overnight stay in the same building, a 14th-century guesthouse an hour from Florence.
We are in Località Tòsina, in Borselli in the municipality of Pelago (Florence), at almost a thousand metres above sea level along the road climbing to the Consuma Pass, between Vallombrosa Abbey and the Casentino Forests. Florence is about three quarters of an hour away, yet you are far from traffic and from next-door neighbours: the ideal condition for a celebration that wants to take its time.
Why choose a venue with overnight accommodation
A restaurant closes, a hall empties, and the party stops at its best moment. A place that combines the meal with the overnight stay changes the shape of the day: you arrive in the afternoon, you spend time together before and after the meal, you sleep on site and the next morning you have breakfast together, unhurried.
- Nobody has to drive after dinner: you go up to your room, not into a car.
- One single place for everything: aperitivo, meal, after-dinner, night and breakfast.
- A single point of contact: everything is agreed directly with us, with no commission.
- The group stays together: families, children and friends under one roof.
The lunch or dinner + overnight package: how it works
Meals at the guesthouse are for groups (more than 6 people), on request and with advance booking: menu and time are agreed together, so that allergies, children and vegetarians are taken into account. The overnight stay is added in our four rooms, all with private bathroom and breakfast included.
- Lunch or dinner for groups: €20–30 per person, menu agreed in advance.
- Rooms with private bathroom and breakfast: from €70–75 per night, +€15 for each extra guest.
- The whole Pilgrims' Castle Room (groups of 6+): €200 per night with your own sleeping bag, €260 with linen and towel set included.
- Dedicated breakfast for groups (5+ people): €8 per person.
- Children: free under 3, €10 per night from ages 3 to 6. Tourist tax €1 per person/night from age 10.
The spaces: a 14th-century guesthouse, all for your group
The four rooms add up to 21 beds: a large group can therefore reserve the whole guesthouse and have the house to itself. The ground-floor Camaldolese Room preserves a 14th-century portal and stretches of Lombard masonry; the Guelph Innkeeper's Room sleeps up to six; the Forest Room is the double for a couple; the Pilgrims' Castle Room, with its bunk beds, is the natural choice for groups of friends.
Around you: the guesthouse garden with its old well, the bell tower of the Church of Santa Margherita — documented since 1038 — and the woods of the Florentine Apennines. Inside, common spaces with a fireplace: in winter that is where the party moves after dinner. Parking is at the guesthouse, so a group arriving in several cars is not a problem.
The history of Tòsina, from the Etruscans to the Camaldolese monks
Birthdays, graduations, anniversaries: the events we host
The meal + overnight formula suits very different occasions. These are the most frequent at Tòsina:
- Birthdays with friends — 18th, 30th, 40th, 50th — with dinner and a night at the guesthouse.
- Graduation parties and class reunions, when the group arrives from different cities.
- Anniversaries and family lunches, with grandparents and children sleeping in the same place.
- Get-togethers of hiking and cycling groups and CAI sections after a day on the trails.
- Retreats, association weekends, parish and scout groups, choirs and residential courses.
- Small work meetings and out-of-town team building, with lunch for the group.
The day after the party
The less obvious advantage of celebrating in the mountains is the following morning. After breakfast you can drive up to Vallombrosa Abbey and Forest, reach the panoramic Secchieta summit at 1,449 metres, look out over the Consuma Pass and the Casentino Forests, visit the village of Pelago with its castles or head down to the wineries of Rufina. In summer the garden and the trails around the guesthouse are enough on their own; in winter the snow on the bell tower does the rest.
What kind of celebration works here
Tòsina is a guesthouse, not a nightclub: it is only fair to say so before you book. We ask for quiet from 13:00 to 15:00 and from 23:00 to 08:00, smoking indoors is not allowed, and the fireplace is not lit at night or when rooms are left unattended. Within those limits the house is yours: long tables, toasts, guitars and stories late into the night work beautifully; a party with a full-volume sound system after midnight does not.
How to organise your celebration, in four steps
No complicated quote is needed: a few details are enough and we take care of the rest.
- Send us the date, the number of people, whether you need lunch or dinner and how many rooms: via the contact form, by email, by phone or on WhatsApp.
- We agree together on the menu, the time of the meal and how to allocate the rooms; for a cake, decorations or setups, tell us in advance what you have in mind.
- The booking is confirmed with a 30% deposit, with no intermediary fees.
- On the day: check-in between 15:00 and 19:00, check-out by 10:30 the next day, breakfast included.
Frequently asked questions about parties and events
- How many people can attend a celebration with overnight stay?
- The four rooms of the guesthouse add up to 21 beds, so a group can sleep on site up to that number. Meals at the guesthouse are arranged for groups of more than 6 people: send us the exact number and we will work out the best solution together.
- How much does the meal + overnight package cost?
- The group meal costs €20–30 per person depending on the agreed menu. Rooms start at €70–75 per night with private bathroom and breakfast included, +€15 for each extra guest; the Pilgrims' Castle Room can be reserved in full (groups of 6+) at €200 per night with your own sleeping bag or €260 with linen and towel set. A tourist tax of €1 per person per night applies from age 10.
- Can the whole property be booked exclusively?
- Yes: by booking all four rooms the group has the guesthouse and its common spaces to itself. It is the option we recommend for birthdays and parties, because it lets you manage times, tables and the after-dinner freely. Write to us a few weeks ahead, especially for weekends.
- Until what time can the party go on?
- The house rules ask for quiet from 23:00 to 08:00, as in any mountain guesthouse. Staying together at the table or by the fireplace beyond that hour is fine, provided there is no loud music and the quiet of the place is respected.
- How far is it from Florence and where do we park?
- We are at Località Tòsina 3, in Borselli di Pelago (FI), along the road to the Consuma Pass: about three quarters of an hour by car from Florence. Parking is at the guesthouse, convenient even for a group arriving in several cars.