Hi everyone - now I am getting desperate! After much toing and froing, I've now been advised that one of our party needs to do an overnight trip to Trieste. He says he will drive by himself, so has suggested that Verona and environs would be the best area for us all to base ourselves in.

BUT - I can't any villas/accommodations with pool, in a nice village that we can walk to with the children, within 2 hours driving time of Trieste. Our budget is $US3000 max. for June 2013, to sleep 4 adults and 4 children. Does anyone know of any such a beast? Would the train be an option that would open up more areas to us? Am I being completely unrealistic?

We would also look at maybe staying in a villa without a pool if there was a public option we could use, but there don't seem to be the agencies that specialise in this area unlike Tuscany/Umbria. Any suggestions gratefully received!

Doi not panic - you will find something for sure.

Go to Tripadvisor, type in Verona Villas and see what comes up that might interest you. If that particular villa has a website, email them directly to check availibility and price.

Alternitevely, google "Villa with pool in Veneto", the whole region where Verona is situated, and so many will come up for sure. As always, it is always much better that you book with owner directly.

Why should the plans of seven people defer to the plans of one person?

Find a place that suits the majority.

It is far too early to panic about June, 2013.

Having said that, Verona is a wonderful city in an attractive region. Presumably the rest of you will have access to a car so that you do not need to be within walking distance of a village center, but that too shouldn't be impossible.

You have a massive area to look at Verona, Parma, Bologna, Ferrara, Padua etc even the Euganian hills has villas on it. Just expand the search.

Also check out reviews on www.slowtrav.com they have a huge section on rentals in Italy.

Look around Vicenza - absolutely charming small city, right on the train line between Verona and Venice. Also easy to train to Padua from there. We stayed there for a week without a car and took the train everywhere. Let the person take a train to Trieste - probably just as cheap and easy.

I think part of your problem is finding a villa close enough to a town that you can walk it with children. Villas tend to be further into the country than that and typically you have to rely on car rentals.

I'm not saying it doesn't exist - but that it will be the exception.

agree with nytraveler , "villas" are usually not in walking distance of a village or town. there are a lot of options in Veneto.
why 2 hours from Trieste again ? i am not sure if i undersatnd; you are worried about one person driving?

you said "base" , do you have an itinerary in mind?

I agree the whim of one person should not dictate to the entire group. Let that person come up with his/her own solution.

Thanks everyone - as always great advice here! The Trieste thing is because he has to visit his manufacturing partner there, but I do agree that the train is probably an easier option.

The searches on the veneto region are giving results that are out of our price range, this is on Tripadvisor etc, so it may just be too expensive. But thanks to your tips I have expanded it to Emilia Romagna and am having a bit more luck here.

I have found a villa that looks really good Casa Ruspiano near the village of Vernato - does anyone know of it?

I do appreciate that villas are out of town, especially with a pool, its more laziness on our part to save loading everyone into a car everytime the children want an ice cream , but we will have two cars probably.

The joys of group travel - compromises sometimes just have to be made!! Thanks again everyone, I'm sure there will be loads more questions before June!

Another suggestion: Google "Agriturismo with pool near Venice" or Verona, Vicenza or Padua, etc. I found a couple that look lovely and would have room for your group. Some are used only for guests, not the family, giving you some of the same things as your own villa. Many have pools and offer other things like playground and horseback riding for the kids. One was called Praeto, very close to Venice, looked good.

You might also try Cottages4you. I didn't see anything for eight people off hand near Venice, but they have some great places.

Casa Ruspiano does look really lovely, and IMO has a very good rate for the month ofJune, since it is a five-bedrommed villa. It is situated near the village of Vergato not Vernato, you mispelled it. Vernato is in the provence of Bolzano in the very north of Italy.

The region of Emilia Romagna is also very lovely, you might even do a day's trip to the coast of Emilia Romagna to a seaside resort, or visit the Mirabilandia fun park in Ravenna (more than an hour's drive each way for sure, but maybe in June the park opens till very late in the evening, check it out), or the Aquarium in Cattolica, or the Italy in Miniature in Rimini- the kids would love all these outings for sure. Plus some Tuscan towns and cities would also be reachable for a day's trip. Verona is a one hour 45 mins drive away. (saying that, if you want to base yourself more to the north of Emilia Romagna, in the Garda area there is the Gardaland theme park and the movie park, as well as a water park)

The choice of location all boils down to what and where you are interested in seeing most, along with, of course, affordable accommodation. If you tell us which region you would really prefer to stay in, maybe some of us will browse a bit for you. If you are dead set on that villa you found, I would not take too long in booking it. Check out if you can find any reviews on it, that would give you a better picture of what it would be like staying in that villa.

Good luck, as I already said, do not lose heart, you will find some nice accommodation for sure, like an agriturismo that would have several rooms or apartments to let for a weekly stay, with a nice pool and lovely scenery, some of them offering a delicious home=made breakfast and dinner - plenty of them all over Italy!!

you can try these places:

http://www.veneto-agriturismo.it/index.php

http://www.agriturismo.net/san-martino-di-venezze-110/

http://www.villasitalia.com/italy-re...ice-veneto.asp