Italy
 

I have started to look at the possibilities for a three or four weeks in Italy in 2007. Arrive in Venice for 2-3 days, then go down with a car in Tuscany for a 2-3 weeks stay and finaly Rome for 4-5 days.
I would apreciate comments on where could I find a reliable source for reservations. That the Villas, B & B, or else are really as the description. An organisation one can trust.
In Toscani we would like a Villa, private or with very few other guests. In the country with vineyards and olives.
Thank you for all comments

Start with slowtrav.com

Best wishes,

Rex

Do a search on this forum for lodging in Tuscany. Someone in the past month or two posted a rave review of a wonderful place in Tuscany. It looked beautiful on the website, too. I think it offers many types of lodging, and grows its own organic produce. Anyone know the place I'm referring to?

If you are looking to stay at one of the many agritourist places in the countryside, I just stayed at a beautiful farmhouse on the border of Tuscany and Umbria. It was wonderful. A working olive grove and vineyard, with horses and fields - just lovely. And the apartment was excellent. Clean and modern, but country with a real Italian farmhouse feel. And the woman who owns/runs the place was great. The town it is in, Verranazzo, is a small village with one bar/cafe. But it is close to some very nice larger towns on the lake - Lake Trasimeno.
Here's the website:

http://www.lacasacolonica.com/

If you inquire, ask for Stefania and tell her I sent you.

Enjoy,

Jack Rothman

Thank you for your replies. I have search the web sites mentionned and surfed the Toscany area also.
Finaly, after reading some recommendation on the "slow Travel site, we have decided that we would like to be in the Chianti region, in between Florence and Sienna.
A place we could cook, surounded with vineyard and olives trees.

If you plan to stay in Chianti, you can make your own reservations with any of the places listed on www.greve-in-chianti.com, or use either of two very good local agencies: www.toscana-casa.com and www.chianti-and-more.com. The Greve web site has a lot of other useful local info on it.

By the way,the region is Tuscany(in English) and Toscana in Italian.This would affect your search results.

Thank you Constant. Very nice links. Have you or others here used their services and could give me an apreciation?
By the way are you French-speaking? Your name looks French.

Yes, I have used toscana-casa.com in the days before I booked directly - the results were good and the owner is the same Monica Baur who helped me. French-speaking yes, but not French, although you're right, the name is of French origin.