Villa in Italy
 

Hello all,

Our family will be renting a villa in Italy this summer (late June / early July) for two weeks, but we just cannot make up our minds in which region we should stay in, and when we decide on a region, which town we should be close to.

On our previous vacations, we always plan a drive and explore trip, staying a few nights in each place we visit, but that has meant packing and unpacking every time we reach a new destination. This year, we want to actually "live" in Italy, and renting a villa and staying there for two weeks seems like such a relaxing, interesting and different type of vacation than we are used to. And the idea of buying local produce and cooking some of our own meals instead of always going to restaurants really appeals to us.

The problem is we just do not know where to stay. We have traveled and seen many parts of Italy and our first idea was to stay somewhere in Tuscany but we really can go anywhere. We will be flying into either Rome or Venice, depending on where we choose to stay. and also renting a car, which we will have with us the entire time.

Even if we chose Tuscany, we do not know what town to stay close to. We would want to stay in the countryside but be able to have a short walk into town, one that has some nightlife and does not just cater to tourists during the day. The place we stay should also be close enough to interesting towns and sites so that day trips are easy and fun. Finally, if possible, we would also like the place we stay at to be not more than an hour (approximately) drive from a nice beach (either east, west or southern coast), so we can spend two or three days relaxing.

Any ideas and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

I think you should consider Le Marche, where, I have to reveal that I may have a special bias, because that's where I live. There are plenty of beaches on the Adriatic Coast, and there are hundreds of charming little hill towns just inland of them.

Since I live here and am in no way connected with the tourist industry, I don't know anything about villa rentals. However, some places that you might consider:

Some place near Urbino, which would be near the beaches at Fano and Senigallia.

A bit further south, inland from Senigallia, where there are many pretty towns, such as Mondavio, Corinaldo, Monterado, and Serra de'Conti. There is a castle in Monterado that rents out rooms, and also has two apartments. I recommended this to someone a few years ago and she loved it.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/cas...terado.it.html

There is a restaurant associated with the castle, but maybe under different management. Monterado is a speck of a town, and there probably isn't a big choice of places to eat.

For a town to walk into, I would recommend Corinaldo, one of the prettiest towns in the area, with more restaurants and bars than the other towns I've mentioned. I don't know of any villas to rent there, but I found this villa that has three separate apartments to rent:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/il-...ldo.en-us.html

Senigallia has wide sandy beaches, and some of the best restaurants in Italy, including two restaurants with two Michelin stars apiece, one of which is consistently named in the top ten Italian restaurants.

Further south, Serra de'Conti is within easy reach of Senigallia's beaches, or the Riviera del Conero, with has several very scenic little beaches. I need to warn that these beaches are usually pebbly or gravelly rather than sandy, and that they are tiny, at the foot of Mount Conero. However, they have the best scenery on the Adriatic coast. Portonovo is especially pretty, with its Romanesque church on a hill overlooking the sea. Parking at these beaches is virtually impossible on summer weekends.

Recanati is another charming hill town, an easy drive from the Riviera del Conero.

Porto San Giorgio has a very nice beach, and some pretty towns inland. Matelica is one of my favorites, but it's about an hour and a half by car from Porto San Giorgio. Some of the towns on the Riviera del Conero, such as Sirolo, are just a little over an hour from Matelica; Sirolo probably has more parking than some other Riviera towns. Matelica is also near one of my favorite spots on earth, the Upper Potenza valley, with the charming towns of Pioraco and the many tiny hamlets that make up the town of Fiuminata. (Fiuminata is really just a collection of tiny places; the biggest, called Massa, is the administrative center of Fiuminata.)

You might look for villas in the vicinity of Urbisaglia, Treia, or Filottrano, which are closer to the sea than Matelica.

Torre di Palme is a tiny walled town on a cliff overlooking the sea. I doubt that there is a villa within walking distance, but there may be apartments for rent inside the walls. This is fairly near to Porto San Giorgio, and also to the small city of Fermo, which is worth a visit.

One problem with any villa within walking distance of a charming hill town, is that, by definition, the walk into town will be uphill, and maybe steep. Also, parking at any beach can be difficult in the summer, especially on weekends.

You must be dreaming!

You are already too late if you mean 2017.Start planning now for 2018 and locate near San Quirico.

I am also a big fan of Le Marche. We have spent many weeks around Urbino and live the area. We always stay at an agriturismo in the country, but it may be too remote for what you are looking for http://www.latavolamarche.com and is probably fully booked for this summer.

This year we are trying out the area by Macerata.

You can see our pics here to give you an idea of the area. Many of the places bvlenci mentions above are in the pics.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...57634528008046

Happy planning!

I don't think it's too late to find something in le Marche, although it may be a bit late for Tuscany. A rental for two-weeks is always harder to find than one for a shorter stay.

Such great information. Thank you.

We could go in mid-June. Would it be easier to find something then?

It's not too late to find something nice almost anywhere in Italy. There is much more accommodation that there are tourists in any given year.

Le Marche is a fine suggestion. I will add you can find everything you want in either the Maremma area of southern Tuscany, or in the area of Lazio south of Rome known as the Latina and the Pontine coast

http://www.cntraveller.com/recommend...-as-we-know-it

https://trulymadlyitaly.com/2015/09/...e-coast-lazio/

https://www.travelblog.org/Europe/It...og-260909.html

http://itri.southlazioitaly.com

https://lapretanera.wordpress.com/20...ysses-riviera/

Another area that has everything you are looking for is the lovely Lunigiana, at the northwest corner of Tuscany with very easy access to Liguria's colorful Gulf of the Poets (towns like Lerici, Tellaro & Portovenere)

http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/allt...thern-tuscany/

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/liguria/gulf-poets

Contact Karin at Chianti and More in Panzano to see if she has any villas left for this year! We booked ours a full year ahead.

I don't think June would be much different from July and August; it's still high season. However, as I said, I don't know much about villa rentals. If you do find a villa with 2 whole weeks open in June (which is next month) you might get a discount, because they would be a little desperate by now.

Another vote for contacting Karin at Chianti and More. She found us a wonderful place to stay last month in Panzano. And she booked us a lunch/wine tasting at Antinori. It was truly one of the highlights of our trip.

carolsc

Hi again everyone,

Today, we booked our flights to Venice and we will be on vacation for 14 days (not including travel days).

Would you have any advice on an area/town where we should rent a villa for a week nearer to Venice (we plan on visiting Istria, Croatia for the other week)?

Thank you.

If you still want to be within an hour of the sea, check out villas in or near Cormons, Udine & Civedale dei Fruili or in the Isonzo river valley.

Hello,

We have narrowed our choice to the following five Tuscan towns where we will rent a villa on the outskirts of the town we choose to stay in:

- Volterra
- Cortona
- Lucignano
- Arezzo
- Anghiari

Knowing that we will want to walk into the town during the evening and eat or enjoy time at a bar, which town would you choose to stay near if you had the choice?

Thank you so much!

Volterra is 2 hours or more from the others (although you could reach the Med in about an hour), so it's hard to know what your geographic criteria are...

In your OP, you mentioned wanting to make day trips. Are you deciding on a base and then figuring out the possible day trips, or do you have a list of places you'd like to see and want to find a geographically central base?

If local crafts are of interest, Volterra is known for alabaster carving. You can observe artisans at workshops in town making decorative pieces and jewelry. Volterra isn't far from Colle di Val d'Elsa which is the center of Italian crystal production. There are a few shops selling handmade pieces.

Anghiari is the home of Busatti linens, and nearby Sansepolcro is known for a particular and beautiful type of lace (merletto a fuselli). You can google images of both. Cortona and Lucignano would put you closer to several towns around/near Lake Trasimeno which are also known for another type of amazing lace (pizzo d'Irlanda). Isola Maggiore, Panicale, others. And embroidery.

As much as I like Arezzo, I would rather be on the outskirts of a small town. Cortona gets organized bus day tours, so it probably wouldn't make my list.

I really enjoyed staying in Lucignano, and I believe you can still find nice restaurants there. I don't consider Arezzo a large town in terms of its historic center, and it is filled with interest & life but has remarkably few tourists for all its beauty. If you choose Arezzo, look for a villa in the hills right above the town rather than close to the train station and highway. Both Arezzo and Lucignano are extremely well situated for day trips throughout most of scenic Tuscan wine country and into Umbria. I have never been to Anghiari or much near it, but would also consider it if I wanted "to live" in Italy rather than be immersed in a tourist experience, which is what you will mainly have in Cortona and Volterra.

Only Volterra offers you any chance of doing daytrips to the seaside as part of your stay if you are still interested in that.

Thank you for your advice and taking your time to help me.

I have another question (which I hope you won't find too strange). I have read that in late June, mosquitos and other insects can be quite a problem in Tuscany, especially if you stay in the countryside.

Is that true?

Thanks

We didn't have a mosquito problem late June in Tuscany. Don't recall any.

Tuscany is a very large place and it really depends on where you stay. They can actually be quite a problem in Florence (because of the river) but you can find them in the countryside too. Historically Italians built hilltowns partly to get away from mosquitoes. Now there are swimming pools and golf courses to add to the mix. Plus climate change. Mosquito presence can vary from year to year.

Many Tuscan villas do not have window screens but have anti-mosquito devices inside. Still, if you are prone to getting bitten (not everyone is), you should invest in personal anti-mosquito protection for sitting outdoors at twillight/evening. You certainly should invest in anti-tick protection if you plan to go hiking in brushy areas in Tuscany.