Looking to rent a villa in Tuscany this summer for a few weeks. There would be about 10 people. Any ideas on how to go about finding a place? Also, is July a better time to go than August? Thanks a bunch.

Regarding villa rental in Italy, I am currently working with a wonderful woman at Eurovillas, Inc. in Emeryville California (Phone/fax 1-707-648-2066) She represents an Italian villa rental agency called "Tuscany Now". They have a beautiful color catalogue of the properties they rent. Our group of 12 is renting a villa from them in Castellina In Chianti in October. Other villa agencies: Vacanze In Italia (800) 533-5405, Villas International in San Francisco (800) 221-2260. Good luck.

After much investigation we have found that it is much cheaper to book a villa directly with the owners through the internet. There are many available so just search.

Rentals in Tuscany are well developed. I rented from Vacanza in Italia, although there are many agencies that rent property. My suggestions are to decide what price range you want to be in, from the basic to the extravagent, and where you want to be. I rented a property in Castellina in Chianti and found this to be an excellent location due to the road/highway access. Some other towns of seemingingly equal appeal would have been far more more difficult due to some very tortuous and winding roads to get to them (and out of them). Otherwise, collecting a bunch of catalogs and trying to decide between the large number of properties can be overwhelming. Hosts/Owners that speak English can be a real plus if you want any assistance.

veddy interesting to see your comment re: location
of villa and referral to agent which I will follow.