Hi all.. this is my first time posting.. I am overwhelmed by this whole itinerary planning... I am going with my husband and possible my brother and sister in law to Italy for 14 days. It will be our first time and we plan to do Rome, Tuscany (including Florence) and Venice. Since we will be doing Venice and Rome, we wanted to try and stay in a more bucolic non-city setting in Tuscany as opposed to Florence. I was thinking a villa or Farmhouse... in a central location so that we can use that as our home base and do day trips for a few days including Florence. I would love a pool and air conditioning... We will be going mid September and I imagine it will still be warm?? Every website I come across is a week to week villa rental. I dont think we have a week there... I want quintessential Italy... landscapes and olive gardens and vineyards... the whole thing. Anyone have any recommendations for town/village/place to stay? Thank you for all your help!! And any comments on my itinerary are welcome!!

mkude I know just how you feel. We've always used a travel agent, but this time I was determined to do it all on my own. This will be our first trip to Italy and the "Big 3".

Do a search here using key words from your initial questions. You'll find more information than you can get through. Every bit of information I've gotten has been on this site. I've used it for years and you can trust the advise from the seasoned posters.

For example, look at the property we've rented in Tuscany. It looks like it meets your specifications. If not, this is a great sight. It's http://www.tuscany.net/fabiano/index.html

If you're lucky Bob the Navigator, Patrick, Rex, Ira, calamari, Scarlett and a host of others will respond. If not, I'd suggest doing a search under their names.

Thanks for the flattery, Jayne... but no one individual can hold a candle to the _collective_ knowledge and wisdom that this "community" offers.

I think that finding a place with a pool open in mid-September will not be that easy. Italy is not Florida in climate, and there seems to be a tendency to shut the pool down "for the season" around the first of September, just as you might find in the midwest (US) - - even though, yes, ndeed, there are stll any number of nice days for swimming left before October 1.

But you probably CAN find a "self-catering accommodation" (this term applies to "whole" villas and farmhouses, but lso to similar properties which have been subdivided into apartments more suited for two or four occupants) - - withOUT a seven-day stay requirement. In particular, I recommend that you check out www.domani-usa.com - - even consider calling Larry Haase (owner) directly and discuss with him what you are seeking. Feel free to say that I recommended him.

And no earch for self-catering would be complete without looking through the extensive resources of www.slowtrav.com (this could take you hours); I know of nothing else nearly as good for this mode of traveling, especially for Italy.

Best wishes,

Rex

Check out I Parigi B&B on florenceby.com. We stayed there last May and just loved it. It's in the small town of Galluzzo just south of Florence proper. They do rent by the day and have a swimming pool on gorgeous grounds.

mkude
Try http://www.lacrociona.com/
wonderful vineyard about 3 km outside Montalcino. You will
need a car but there are many little towns very close (within a half hour)
Siena, Pienza, Montepulciano, Bagno Vignoni, Sant Antimo, Monte Oliveto
Maggiore, Buonconvento, Murlo (Florence is about an hour away). The driving is easy and the food and wine in
each town is special.You rent directly from the owner so sat to sat is not required. If you want more information e-mail me.

I loved, loved, loved where we stayed just outside Siena-Frances lodge. Close to Siena (5 mins) central location, beautiful setting, great hosts. (No this is not an advertisement just a happy customer). Check out franceslodge.it.

Siena is certainly a city, and it's not exactly bucolic but, on the other hand, it's far less intense than Florence and allows few cars in its city center so if you'd consider staying in a non-rural setting in Tuscany, I couldn't recommend it highly enough. We stayed there for five nights in April 2002 and loved it. It was a great base for exploring Tuscany by car.

Capo good point, to me it was the perfect location for exploring Chianti, eastern Tuscany (Cortona (overrated in my opinion) Montelcino, Montelpulciano), Chianti and San Gimingnano. I was totally captured by Siena though.

last summer we rented a place that was part of a castle,
about 14 miles east of Siena.
I loved it!
Their website is www.montalto.it

we rented Casa Guarda , but they have approx. 7-8 other rentals, ranging in size for couples to 8 persons.
There is a lovely pool but no A/C.
Even though we were there early July, and it was very hot! it stayed fairly cool at night and there was always a breeze.

I did not pay attention as to whether they rented for less than a week, But it is such a lovely place I suggest you at least check their site.
We would certainly return there again.

Have fun! where ever you end up.

Thanks everybody... so far, we have sent a few emails.. am waiting for replies. We can not wait to go... it all looks soo amazing!!!

Re: <i>Cortona (overrated in my opinion)</i>

Oooooh...them's fightin' words, swalter! Actually, I wouldn't base myself in Cortona, but we really loved spending an afternoon there.

Glad to hear you were equally captivated by Siena. I had been there once before, on a day trip from Florence, in 1987, and liked it but didn't get to &quot;know&quot; it like on the 2002 visit.

mkude, You will find that everyone has a favorite. There are hundreds of choices. I suggest you decide your criteria first:
Type of accommodation
Location[by region]
Price range
How many days/dates
Then, go to tuscany.net and start a search by criteria. Most &quot; farm villas&quot; will only book a week. A real charmer that is hard to find is at:
www.borgoargenina.it But, you set the criteria--not me or anyone else.