HI - If anyone knows of a great service for renting a house, perhaps with a chef in Tuscany or someplace similar"ish", I would love to hear about it and your experiences.
Thanks so much -
Lisa

Look at www.slowtrav.com; it's especially strong on Italy. Lots of detailed info about renting self-catering accommodations and what to expect. In particular, there are reviews of rentals and rental agencies. I prefer to rent through a reputable agency -- and not one that just provides listings for owners.

How many people will be coming? And you seem a bit unsure of your destination. Is elsewhere in Italy OK? Like Umbria? Or maybe France?

Thank you Mimar - yes other areas would be ok too. It's a starting point. Someone threw the idea out to me so I thought I'd start on the research. We need to get an idea of cost so we can see how many people - that sort of thing. All advice is gladly welcome!

Thank you Mimar - yes other areas would be ok too. It's a starting point. Someone threw the idea out to me so I thought I'd start on the research. We need to get an idea of cost so we can see how many people - that sort of thing. All advice is gladly welcome!

Echo Mimar on slowtrav. We found Summersleases on this site. We have used them four years in a row. Our house is about 20kms from Perugia and we have a chef when we want.

Rentvillas.com is another source. A little more upscale, perhaps, but a good source. We stayed here: www.villatorrealfina.com last September, and it was like our dream villa. It sleeps 8. It's in a tiny town, Torre Alfina, which has only two streets running through it and a huge castle on the top of the hill dominating the town. Price depends on the season, of course. There is not a chef service, but there is free red and white wine from the wine cellar, and the tiny hotel around the corner has a wonderful kitchen and is not the least expensive. The garden is full of fruits and vegetables you are free to use. It's a half-hour from Orvieto and from Civita di Bagnoregio, and you can get to Val d"Orcia, or the etruscan areas to the west and south including Lago di Bolsena, or go further east into Umbria on day trips.

Another agency, particularly strong on rentals in Umbria--www.homeinitaly.com. We used them a few years ago for a rental outside Todi.

We stayed at Casa Rosa with Tuscanynow.com. The property was fantastic, huge property with pool, lemon trees and spectacular views of the San Gimingano skyline. The ladies who take care of the property will cook for you. Just tell them what you would like and they will take care of everything. The property was a couple of miles from the town which made it very convenient to the train station.