BaltoTraveler

I'm getting a WAY-early start on a family reunion trip that won't take place until June 2011. There will be diverse generations (ages 21 - 85) from a variety of locations in the U.S. We've always talked about someday renting a villa in Tuscany, or some other nice area of central Italy, but we've never taken it past the wistful-talking stage.

Although we won't know total numbers until we get closer (especially as to the inclusion of "significant others"), I'm guessing that there will be between 15 and 20 of us.

Anyone have thoughts for a specific villa? I've search some of the rental agency websites, as well as VRBO, and the possibilities look promising... but a personal recommendation is much better. Lacking a specific villa to recommend, how about a reputable broker?

Being quite close to a village would be preferred, and not-to-far from a city would be nice. As to cost, I'm thinking we'd max out around $10,000 a week, and we'd be hoping for a fairly classy place for that kind of money.

kybourbon

I would stay in the Val d'Orcia area (Siena province).
http://en.agriturismo.it/tuscany/siena/index.jsp

Will everyone have cars?

The tourism website for the area:
http://www.terresiena.it/page.asp?ca...earea=&lang=en

If you click on farmhouse holidays, you can tell at a glance how many people (22p). Then click the property to contact directly or access their website.
http://www.portalepienza.it/

BaltoTraveler

Thanks, kybourbon! I hadn't really considered the "agriturismo" option, where the building has been divided into separate apartments and/or hotel-style guest rooms, and is fully staffed. That mode has some advantages over just getting a big empty rental house. The prices are reasonable too, when viewed on a per-person basis.

As for your question - we would have enough cars to accommodate everyone, since we'd likely be a good distance from public transportation.

iris1745

slowtrav.com parkervillas.com villavacations.com www.tuscanynow.com Hi; Here are a few sites to start reviewing. Tuscany Now and Parker Villas will send extensive catalogs and you can order on-line. We use Villa Vacation and were very satisfied with them. Richard

kybourbon

Former co-workers took a group of 24 and stayed at Le Torri. It's not the area of Tuscany I prefer, but you might like it. It's a villa with individual apartments, some one bedroom, some two bedroom (each with bath). Their prices are very reasonable and they made my friends a very good deal booking their group. They've since returned and took their adult children and spouses (12 people).
http://www.letorri.com/index.php?dis...hianti-tuscany

Mimar

Have you checked out www.slowtrav.com? Lots of good information there including reviews of villas and of villa rental agencies.

You are not all that early in planning for a large group. Villas that accommodate such a large group are relatively rare and book up early. I would expect to reserve such a villa a year or more ahead of time. And don't look for villas that sleep exactly your number. If there's 20 of you, maybe get a villa that sleeps 24. Otherwise somebody is getting the short end of the bedroom stick.

I would assume that, as a famiy, you will want to get together for some meals. That's difficult when you're in, say, 6 little apartments, each with tables seating 4 max. Italian restaurants are used to serving large groups, but that's more formal.

We rented a villa in northern Tuscany that slept 14, had a big dining room table and also a big table out on the terrace. There was a cook associated with this villa who prepared 2 dinners for our group. The price per person was very reasonable, and the dinners, though not fancy, were memorable occasions.

The planning of this event took months. Just getting everyone to agree on a date was difficult. We collected the full expected cost (including the cost of rental cars) from everybody up front and put the money in a dedicated account. We also kept track of all expenses during the trip, and settled up afterwards.

As you can see, there's lots to think about. Good luck!

tarquin

The Landmark Trust, based in the UK, owns a beautiful Palladian villa south of Vicenza, west of Padua. It's called the Villa Saraceno, sleeps 16 and has a resident housekeeper. I am not going until May so cannot report yet, but it looks wonderful.

TPaxe

Castello Montalto is fantastic!!
www.montalto.it
In-expensive, heart of Tuscany and we keep going back almost every year!

BaltoTraveler

Mimar - Thanks for the link to Slow Travel! It took all of 20 seconds to get to their excellent section on "vacation rentals in Italy for large groups" - http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/vr/large_group.htm

My three siblings and I have made an agreement to celebrate our respective 60th birthdays with family get-togethers at interesting places. This will be mine, so the timing is basically up to me, and family members can come along if they wish. There are some college students and school teachers in the group, so early June seems like the best bet. I'm strongly considering paying the full cost of renting the villa myself and letting the others cover their own additional costs (travel, car rental, food), while everyone takes turns cooking some dinners. One of my nieces is a professional chef, so I'm definitely hoping for her to come along!