yyippee thank you. It will be so great to go back to Italy.

We stayed at Le Manzinaie in May for one week. The villa is right outside of Montepulciano.

http://www.lemanzinaie.it/HOMEI.HTM

They have a nice pool and BBQ area. The hosts are great and helpful in recommending restaurants and places to visit. We had a wonderful stay there and plan to go back. You can find reviews on tripadvisor.com and on slowtrav.com

Thanks again to all for your recommendations. I spent many long hours perusing all the sites suggested and eventually settled on this VRBO rental, Casa Cucule: http://www.vrbo.com/50795

It's near Gaiole in Chianti and looks like it'll be perfect for our relaxing holiday.

If anyone has any recommendations for exceptional restaurants, unforgettable sights, great walks, etc. in the area, then the info would be gratefully received!

Gaiole is near enough to Greve - look at their web site - www.greve-in-chianti.com - it's full of info about castles etc in your area. There's also authentic rustic eating at Restoro di lucarelli not far from where you will be: http://www.lucarelli.info/il_ristoro...arelli_eng.htm