Umbria/Tuscany/Le Marche villa suggestions for large group
 

Hi there, hoping to draw on your expertise in planning an event for next year in late July/ early August - a week in Italy to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday. I'm guessing we will be about 25-30 people, a mix of grown-ups and kids/teens. Would love to find someplace charming and comfortable (definitely with a pool and a well-equipped kitchen, plus space for people to spread out a bit) but nothing too precious or fancy. I started to look at properties in Umbria near Todi but then got overwhelmed and thought I'd see if anyone here has any suggestions. We are open to anything in Italy really, but would probably prefer to find something in Tuscany (southern), Umbria or Le Marche because we know and like those regions very well.

Thank you in advance!

We rented a beautiful villa with pool for a large family group in Panzano, in the Chianti region, from Karin Dietz at www.chianti-and-more.com The properties on her website are only offered by her agency and she knows them well. You will find that many prperties are offered by a number of agencies includong those not based in Italy. If you email her with your requirements, she can recommend several for you to consider.

I have been down this road before and I cannot emphasize enough that your most crucial criterion should be location.

Get some good sources and decide WHERE you want to be before you get diverted by a specific property. That size will limit your options but do your homework on what sights are most important to you before you jump. I have seen too many pick the wrong locations and regret it later.

If you know those named locations really well and know you like them, then I think that what you need is a travel consultant or property agent who specializes in groups. It will help greatly if you figure out now what kind of sleeping configutions you will need (how many bedrooms, beds (twins or kings or bunks?) and how many bathrooms.

I think I would include looking for wedding venues, even though this is not that occasion. You might do better in a complex or small bongo with multiple structures, so long as it has one large enough kitchen and the estate is willing to set up communal dining space.

Sorry I dropped a word -- what I meant to write is:

If you know those named locations really well and know you like them, then I think that what you need is a travel consultant or property agent who specializes in groups THERE.

And one other thought:

Unless you plan to fly en masse and go by charter bus from your arrival airport to the villa, might help if the location of the villa is reasonably near an airport most people in your party would find convenient as their arrival and departure point.