TDudette

I am so looking forward to your trip report, jimbria!

annw

Love both Umbria and Tuscany; if you wind up in Tuscany you might consider Impruneta, about 9 miles outside Florence.

Relais Villa L'Olmo has several units each with 2-3 bedrooms sharing a kitchen and living area.

Villa Monteoriolo has a 4 bedroom unit and a 2 bedroom unit. I've stayed at both; probably the Relais would suit your needs better.

However, dining options for the Relais include either cooking or dining out vs. an on site restaurant. At Villa Monteoriolo the lovely owner, Eleonora, also does dinners/banquets in a stunning dining room. Both have a few reviews on TA (Impruneta is a small town and not obvious to touring parties; most travels we've seen there are Europeans.)

Just some ideas; good comments above.

iris1745

franco; To give you an idea on hiring a cook. It was refreshing to return to the villa at 8pm and have dinner waiting. Our cook, Alberto, was wonderful. For 12 people it cost about 300euros, plus tip. We gave him another 60 euros. That included shopping, wine, seconds of everything. A three course meal. For us it was worth every euro. The first nights dinner was included with the cost of the villa. For our week at this villa, we hired Alberto two additional times. He was busy every other night. Great cook. Richard

franco

I see, that's actually not that much!, and if the cook is good, a nice alternative to a restaurant. Thanks for the information.

Mimar

Annw's suggestions reminded me of another thing to consider. If you rent a number of smaller units, there will be no one place big enough for you all to get together, no living room, no dining table, no outside table. We limited ourselves to places that did have big living rooms, big dining areas, etc.

zeppole

Mimar,

Very often places with smaller units will provide a big table and such for eating outdoors.

annw

Agree with Zeppole; at the Relais I mentioned there is a large terrace dining area; also, there is an indoor area suitable for such a gathering; we just never used it, but it is a good question to ask. The unit I was in had 3 bedrooms, a large kitchen, a large dining area, and two bathrooms. We had several meetings both in our large living area and in the terrace area, but we were only about 10-12 at times so you'd want to check the numbers. Also, another Eleonora (not the one I mentioned above) is the administrative person for the Relais and would know if her place is suitable for your size of group.

What I like about Impruneta or similar small town in vicinity of Florence is the access to Florence but also to Greve, San Giminiano, even Siena (where my group went in a small shuttle) and the like.

Were I planning your adventure, I would probably stay at the Relais (Villa L'Olmo) and see if I could arrange a couple of group dinners at Villa Monteoriolo/the other Eleonora's place. They're probably a couple of miles apart on the same road from Florence. Also, for those not wanting to drive it is right on the bus route into Florence, about a 20' ride. Villa M's dining room is amazing!

Anyway, just some ideas -- others probably know excellent agriturismos that could accommodate your whole group. I did love Spello, Assisi Perugia, Ravenna, etc. all in Umbria, but for your purposes I like the Tuscany option. And there is also a two hour train into Rome from Florence.

Reminds me about the interest in Orvieto -- I went there on my last trip, traveling down from Florence, then Umbria, stopping in Orvieto (overnight) on the way to Rome for last two days and return flight. well worth the stop but not an easy day trip and back from Florence area IMO, especially as you could see it on the way to/from Rome more conveniently. It's not just the stop, it's getting up to the town center, time to look around, etc. JMHO.

iris1745

Hi; Have you had time to look at the villa web sites. You will find a number or villa's that would accommodate your whole group. Easy to navagate, as you just put in the number of people and area. For me, I would stay closer to Siena. That way you are near Florence, but much nearer the many hill towns of Tuscany and also nearer to many towns of Umbria. We are going to Greece in June with ten people. One of our requirements is one villa for all. That way you are all in one room at the end of the day to talk about that days adventure and what to do the next day. So I agree with Mimar. Richard

ama22

maitaitom
What a great trip report -- what a talent you have. I enjoyed reading it. Thank you