Our first choice for Cortona Apartments was booked out 5-12 October 2002. Can you nominate nice place with view 4 adults about AUD $1500. Double bedroom and two singles with extra bed in living room. Quiet. Will have a car. Near Cortona is fine. Thanks<BR>Anne

Do you want a villa or an agriturismo. Do a search on google with these words: castiglion fiorentino agriturismo, and you will get a lot of choices. Castiglion Fiorentino is a sleepy, little walled hilltown between Cortona and Arezzo. It's not as famous as it's two neighbors, so the prices are cheaper. Let me know if you need more information, and I can do some more searches for you.

Aarghh.<BR>Of course I meant "its neighbors," not "it's neighbors."<BR><BR>Anyway the beauty of this place is that it is not touristy at all, and it is great hiking country. But you are only a few miles from Cortona or Arezzo, and you can get to Florence in 45 minutes by train.

Thank you. Have been looking. Your reply was helpful. Actually I don't know the difference between an apartment and an agriturismo.Anne

I may be wrong, but in my mind a villa is a structure that you rent by itself. Sometimes it comes with staff, sometimes not. An agriturismo is a farm house with one or more buildings. Sometimes the agriturismo will have independent, unattached apartments, sometimes everyone is in one or two large structures. Think of agriturismos like an inn.<BR><BR>Generally, agriturismos (agriturismi to be painfully correct) are a better value, although their popularity in Tuscany has driven the prices up.<BR><BR>Do a search on this forum for Tuscany villa or agriturismo, and you can also go to Tuscanynet.com (I believe). Plug these words into Google, too.<BR><BR>Hope this helps.<BR><BR>

Stayed at "I Pagliai" in March. Beautiful and reasonable just outside Cortona. E-mail is [email protected]<BR>Vittorio took very good care of us in a beautiful renovated farmhouse with a view of Cortonese mountains. He has several units to rent. You won't be disappointed.