lgk627

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a week-long trip to Tuscany with friends (no kids), and the selection of villas is very overwhelming to say the least! This may be a long-shot, but I'd love any recommendations for villas that:

-would house at least 4 couples
-has a swimming pool
-is walkable to a town with grocery store, restaurant and a cafe/bar (doesn't need to be huge, just close with a few options when we don't want to stay home or need something)
-has air conditioning (preferred- we've had bad luck with heat waves the last 2 times in Europe in June!)
-has a pool table (this would be awesome, but I haven't seen too many in my searches so this is more of an added bonus if a place like this exists)

I've been on quite a few travel sites, but if there are any recommendations for those that have a good selection/are trustworthy/have reviews, that would be really helpful as I try to narrow these down.

Ideally we'd like to be a bit more central in Tuscany, as we'll take day trips to different towns and go wine tasting, etc. The town where I've found the most places to fit our needs is Cortona - but is this too far out of the way?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

bobthenavigator

Cortona is not your best option---too remote.
That combination will be hard to find. You may have to compromise your criteria---perhaps AC.

HappyTrvlr

Contact Karin at Chianti and More. She has several properties that satisfy your requirements. Look at Panzano, Villa 203.

zoecat

Check out this villa in the small village of Montisi. This is lovely and a great location. The surrounding countryside is beautiful.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Vacation...i_Tuscany.html

zoecat

This might also interest you-

http://www.borgolucignanello.com/#

massimop

I don't think Cortona is too remote but it's hard to say without knowing if you have any specific towns you want to visit, and which those are.

I was also going to suggest Panzano.

Most villa owners advertise through more than one agency. If you find something you like here, look it up on the web & see if you can find multiple reviews. you can fliter the search for houses with pools & air con. Also, consider the number of bathrooms you will want & also realize that villas advertising "sleeps 8" may have some beds no one wants to sleep in, so be careful about that

massimop

also, are you going in june? which weeks?

lgk627

Thank you for the suggestions!

We're planning to go June 23-30, 2018. I haven't selected exact villages to visit yet, though San Gemignano, Chianti, Montelpulciano, and Siena are some that I plan to look further into. I tend to like the smaller, off the beaten path villages, so the more I research the more this may change! I'm seeing many houses offer tours and cooking classes, etc, so I'd imagine that our itinerary would be created based on those suggestions as well. I'm also reading a lot about the Val D' Orcia region, so that's intriguing too.

I think the biggest thing for us is to have a nice place we can spread out and relax in with a pool that's walkable to the town. The rest, I feel like, can fall into place. Having had bad experiences driving and parking in small, Medieval towns with rental cars, the option to walk is needed!

lgk627

Those villas are beautiful, but unfortunately not available for our week!

I've reached out to Karin at Chianti & More, but please if there are other suggestions, I'd be very grateful!

zoecat

Many properties do not start renting for 2018 until January, so if they show not available on the booking site, double check with an email.

massimop

Another poster who is planning a July trip to the Le Marche region of Italy is considering a villa with a pool table, which also has a pool & is walk to town. Has air conditioning. If you would really prefer to be off the beaten track -- because the places you are naming are swamped during the daytime with tourists, consider Le Marche. It is quite beautiful.

https://www.vrbo.com/94126ha?CID=a_c...01ad3c76958172

HappyTrvlr

It really is hard to find a villa that is walkable to town but I am sure you will. It made a huge difference for us as all the teens walked to town every day.
Chianti and More is the only real estate agency that offers the properties you see on their website. They are exclusive to them.

geeper

We stayed in Podere Borgacciano in the southeast corner of Tuscany just on the Umbrian border. Seems out of the way when you look at a map, but unless you want to go to specific towns there are wineries and great food nearby. Plus the villa is great. AC in the bedrooms but not the main room. It did get a little hot. The grounds are on both sides of the road with house on one and pool complex (yes complex) on the other. Owners are awesome and stay in one side of the house renting out up to 4 BRs on the other.

https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p5354

Couple wineries we visited :

http://www.villalaripa.it/english/index.php

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...o_Tuscany.html

www.avignonesi.it/eng-aziende.htm

We had grand plans to visit Florence and San Marino and Assisi and...... Ended up enjoying the villa and pool mostly. Three day trips one to each winery. Cooked each night and most days.

They have a cook who can come and make a delicious meal for you, show you aow to use the pizza oven etc.

Monterchi is close, a bit of a hike, but doable. Or a short drive.

lgk627

A little late, but wanted to say thanks again for your suggestions!!