Recommendation for Tuscany (near Florence) Villa that sleeps 6 comfortably
Jan 31st, 2007, 05:53 AM
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Recommendation for Tuscany (near Florence) Villa that sleeps 6 comfortably
My wife and I, and two other couples, are looking for a villa in Tuscany to rent for one week at the end of September 2007.
I am looking for recommendations about specific villas from folks who have had a personal experience with the facility. We think we would like to be near Florence, but are open to suggestions regarding the location.
Thanks again for all the great help I always get from Fodor's!
I am looking for recommendations about specific villas from folks who have had a personal experience with the facility. We think we would like to be near Florence, but are open to suggestions regarding the location.
Thanks again for all the great help I always get from Fodor's!
Jan 31st, 2007, 06:02 AM
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I stayed here with a group of friends/coworkers in October. There are three bedrooms, one with a double bed, one with 3 singles and a small one with two singles. It was clean, the owners were friendly (spoke almost no English) and the scenery was beautiful! Not the place to stay with no car, it was a km or two down dirt roads. The directions we had from the rental agency were perfect though, so no worries about getting lost.
We rented through www.labellatoscana.net
We stayed in the Caterina in Poggibonsi. We were 45 minutes to an hour from Florence, depending on traffic, but made the commute several times with ease.
We paid €500 for the week in October.
If you go to their website and search under their Tuscany propeties, you'll see it under "6 persons". I believe it's #45.
Enjoy!!!
We rented through www.labellatoscana.net
We stayed in the Caterina in Poggibonsi. We were 45 minutes to an hour from Florence, depending on traffic, but made the commute several times with ease.
We paid €500 for the week in October.
If you go to their website and search under their Tuscany propeties, you'll see it under "6 persons". I believe it's #45.
Enjoy!!!
Jan 31st, 2007, 08:10 AM
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Here is a wonderfull villa we stayed at outside Florence. The owners speak english and it is about 2km to the town of Pontassieve which has daily train service to Florence which takes about 15 min.
http://www.villacafaggiolo.it/default.asp
http://www.villacafaggiolo.it/default.asp
Jan 31st, 2007, 10:35 AM
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Brea67, that looks like a lovely villa where you stayed. What appeals to me is it is only 7.5 miles from Florence and 1.5 miles from rail station and village of Pontassieve. I am thinking of travelling to Tuscany in the fall. Do you have any other comments, negative and positive about the villa or area, that might be helpful? Thank you.
Jan 31st, 2007, 05:08 PM
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For several years, I did freelance work for florencevillas.com and can vouch for the company, its helpful owners, and the properties they own outside Florence.
There is a large estate with various houses, and a very nice pool; gorgeous private grounds, trains and buses, but a car is helpful.
If you do email them, feel free to tell Meaghan or any of her assistants that Debbie, who used to write their newsletter, sent you.
There is a cooking school in the palazzo that is the center of these grounds, and a day class is really fun. Lisa is fabulous teacher.
Nice place, nice people.
There is a large estate with various houses, and a very nice pool; gorgeous private grounds, trains and buses, but a car is helpful.
If you do email them, feel free to tell Meaghan or any of her assistants that Debbie, who used to write their newsletter, sent you.
There is a cooking school in the palazzo that is the center of these grounds, and a day class is really fun. Lisa is fabulous teacher.
Nice place, nice people.
Feb 1st, 2007, 03:13 AM
#10
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tuscanlifeedit,
Thanks for the reference, their website looks like it has a lot of nice villas. Are you referring to one particular villa in your post? Thanks again,
Could you email me off the board at dwzemens AT comcast DOT net?
Thanks for the reference, their website looks like it has a lot of nice villas. Are you referring to one particular villa in your post? Thanks again,
Could you email me off the board at dwzemens AT comcast DOT net?
Feb 27th, 2007, 07:02 AM
#11
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do you still need a suggestion?
i know of a great one but it is expensive
http://www.castellodicasole.com/defaultHTM.php
i know of a great one but it is expensive
http://www.castellodicasole.com/defaultHTM.php
Feb 27th, 2007, 07:32 AM
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I would definitely recommend speaking to Marjorie Shaw at
www.insidersitaly.com.
She lives in Rome, works with a small group of excellent villas that she knows intimately and will work with you to find the perfect place. I know many happy clients of hers.
Or speak to James Fantaci who runs:
www.purplefete.com
Again, he has a small group of luxury villas of different sizes and knows them all very well. He will even provide you with a DVD for each property so you can see everything yourself before you choose.
There are simply too many mediocre villas out there not to talk to someone who has vetted it out first. These are both total experts on villas in Tuscany and work with the best and provide a high level of service.
As a villa owner myself, these are the two I trust! (I think mine is too big for you, which is too bad! www.la-bandita.com) Have fun.
www.insidersitaly.com.
She lives in Rome, works with a small group of excellent villas that she knows intimately and will work with you to find the perfect place. I know many happy clients of hers.
Or speak to James Fantaci who runs:
www.purplefete.com
Again, he has a small group of luxury villas of different sizes and knows them all very well. He will even provide you with a DVD for each property so you can see everything yourself before you choose.
There are simply too many mediocre villas out there not to talk to someone who has vetted it out first. These are both total experts on villas in Tuscany and work with the best and provide a high level of service.
As a villa owner myself, these are the two I trust! (I think mine is too big for you, which is too bad! www.la-bandita.com) Have fun.
Feb 28th, 2007, 08:05 AM
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In October 2005 we rented La Capanna (www.tuscany-villas.net) in the hill town of San Giovanni d'Asso. The villa was about an hour from Florence (easy drive) and was perfect for six perople (three couples). The owner was very gracious and easy to deal with. I posted a trip report on Fodor's with lots of details but I don't know how to link you to it (maybe if you click on my user name you will be taken to my posts?). I did a lot of research before deciding on this villa and I would highly recommend it. If you have any questions let me know. K
Feb 28th, 2007, 02:12 PM
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i agree with la-bandita.......there are so many mediocre to bad villas out there.....particularly if you have high expectations regarding beds that arent lumpy and bug contol indoors or screens or airconditioning
i would def. only rent from someone who manages their business by seeing all their properties on at least an every other year basis. basically....you get what you pay for......so remember that when you see prices....
i have rented for the last 10 years
and finally bought to solve the problem
i would def. only rent from someone who manages their business by seeing all their properties on at least an every other year basis. basically....you get what you pay for......so remember that when you see prices....
i have rented for the last 10 years
and finally bought to solve the problem
Feb 28th, 2007, 05:57 PM
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this is probably too big for you, but we've stayed at Villa Tramonti just outside of Castellina in Chianti, through TuscanyNow.com. It has a main house with 4 dbl bdrms, and a refurbished poolhouse that sleeps another 4. Typical lumpy beds, but very clean, and a modern kitchen. The caretakers don't speak english, and you'll absolutely need a car. $5600/wk last year in April, but it'll be perhaps $1000 more in September (and September is definitely the time to go to Tuscany).
Mar 1st, 2007, 09:00 AM
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dwzemens: We went mid-October and the rate was 1500 Euros (500 per couple). I found my old thread and have cut and pasted the villa info here for you:
THE VILLA: La Capanna (beautiful!) was rented six months in advance through www.tuscany-villas.net. This is an on-line service where you are renting directly through the villa owner, not a rental company. We found this worked very well and we were able to contact the owner in advance to ask questions about the villa and the surrounding area. The owner, Federica, was very helpful and gracious and was able to provide lots of great sight seeing and dining tips as she lives in Tuscany. She also provided an initial shopping for 80 euros so that we had things in the villa to eat and drink and didn't have to find a market and navigate a shopping list immediately upon arrival. The villa was 1500 euros for the week, had three bedrooms and two baths and was clean and very nicely furnished. The building dates back to the 16th century and was carefully modernized to retain its rustic Tuscan charm. The kitchen, though not large, was more than adequate and had a wonderful large dining table. The best part was the large, very private terrace, with gardens and a swimming pool (we actually used it though it was quite chilly - no heating). The views from the terrace were unbelievable and we enjoyed dining outdoors in the morning and at night under the stars. This wasn't one of those huge rambling villas, but it was more than large enough to accommodate the six of us and would be perfect for a family with children (though probably not small children due to lots of stairs and the location of the pool). We were offered the occasional services of a cook if we wanted and we opted to have a typical Tuscan meal prepared for us on our last night. The cost was 30 euros per person and the cook bought, prepared and served everything, including wine and homemade vin santo (dessert wine). It was excellent and I would recommend you do this at least once if you rent a villa and a cook is available.
THE LOCATION: La Capanna is located in the small hill top village of San Giovanni D'Asso. It is located approx. midway between Rome and Florence (the drive from the Rome airport was approx. 2.5 hours, to Florence under 2 hrs). The village is very cute and boasts a castle housing a white truffle museum (SGD is the white truffle Mecca and there is a little enoteca in town that sells truffle related products and offers truffle hunting tours), a very nice hotel with restaurant (Castello del Locando), a bank, a cafe/bar/gelateria, a hardware store, a butcher, a small Co-Op (grocery store), and a few tiny churches (one of some import that dates back to the 8th century). There were larger Co-Ops in Sinalunga and Buonconvento (approx. 20 mins. away). On our first night we walked across the road and had dinner at the Locanda Del Castello. It was a very fine restaurant, with a good wine list - which was unfortunately a bit lost on our jetlagged group. The food was very good though (especially the roast suckling pig) and the atmosphere was nice. Next time I would plan something simpler for the first night - bread, cheese and prosciutto maybe with a bottle of wine at the villa. The town felt very safe to walk around at night and while tiny there were always locals out and about. There are tremendous views from the village and a few well placed benches near the outer walls to sit and watch the sunset. We found the location to be perfect for visiting nearby Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino, Cortona, Siena and even Florence. Mostly we planned our day trips so that we left after a leisurely breakfast at the villa, then we'd eat lunch out at a restaurant and return in time for cocktails on the terrace before dinner at the villa, except for Florence (the furthest day trip) where we left after a quick breakfast and had dinner in the city.
THE VILLA: La Capanna (beautiful!) was rented six months in advance through www.tuscany-villas.net. This is an on-line service where you are renting directly through the villa owner, not a rental company. We found this worked very well and we were able to contact the owner in advance to ask questions about the villa and the surrounding area. The owner, Federica, was very helpful and gracious and was able to provide lots of great sight seeing and dining tips as she lives in Tuscany. She also provided an initial shopping for 80 euros so that we had things in the villa to eat and drink and didn't have to find a market and navigate a shopping list immediately upon arrival. The villa was 1500 euros for the week, had three bedrooms and two baths and was clean and very nicely furnished. The building dates back to the 16th century and was carefully modernized to retain its rustic Tuscan charm. The kitchen, though not large, was more than adequate and had a wonderful large dining table. The best part was the large, very private terrace, with gardens and a swimming pool (we actually used it though it was quite chilly - no heating). The views from the terrace were unbelievable and we enjoyed dining outdoors in the morning and at night under the stars. This wasn't one of those huge rambling villas, but it was more than large enough to accommodate the six of us and would be perfect for a family with children (though probably not small children due to lots of stairs and the location of the pool). We were offered the occasional services of a cook if we wanted and we opted to have a typical Tuscan meal prepared for us on our last night. The cost was 30 euros per person and the cook bought, prepared and served everything, including wine and homemade vin santo (dessert wine). It was excellent and I would recommend you do this at least once if you rent a villa and a cook is available.
THE LOCATION: La Capanna is located in the small hill top village of San Giovanni D'Asso. It is located approx. midway between Rome and Florence (the drive from the Rome airport was approx. 2.5 hours, to Florence under 2 hrs). The village is very cute and boasts a castle housing a white truffle museum (SGD is the white truffle Mecca and there is a little enoteca in town that sells truffle related products and offers truffle hunting tours), a very nice hotel with restaurant (Castello del Locando), a bank, a cafe/bar/gelateria, a hardware store, a butcher, a small Co-Op (grocery store), and a few tiny churches (one of some import that dates back to the 8th century). There were larger Co-Ops in Sinalunga and Buonconvento (approx. 20 mins. away). On our first night we walked across the road and had dinner at the Locanda Del Castello. It was a very fine restaurant, with a good wine list - which was unfortunately a bit lost on our jetlagged group. The food was very good though (especially the roast suckling pig) and the atmosphere was nice. Next time I would plan something simpler for the first night - bread, cheese and prosciutto maybe with a bottle of wine at the villa. The town felt very safe to walk around at night and while tiny there were always locals out and about. There are tremendous views from the village and a few well placed benches near the outer walls to sit and watch the sunset. We found the location to be perfect for visiting nearby Pienza, Montepulciano, Montalcino, Cortona, Siena and even Florence. Mostly we planned our day trips so that we left after a leisurely breakfast at the villa, then we'd eat lunch out at a restaurant and return in time for cocktails on the terrace before dinner at the villa, except for Florence (the furthest day trip) where we left after a quick breakfast and had dinner in the city.
Mar 1st, 2007, 10:14 AM
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Also check out "Tuscan Enterprises". While we haven't personally used them, I have their 2007 brochure on my desk and they offer a wide variety of accomodations. We do have several friends who have used them and give them excellent reviews. [One couple now owns a villa in Tuscany - they're our new best friends!]
