Looking for recommendations for a villa in Tuscany ( possibly Castellina in Chianti or area). There will be 6 (need 3 bedrooms and prefer 2 baths) of us and we want to explore Florence, Siena, Montalcino, Pienza as day trips. We will be there for 6-7 days. We are open to other areas as well. Thanks.

Head over to www.slowtrav.com as they have a huge amount of reviews etc on villas in tuscany!

We stayed in the apartment Melograno but visited the folks staying in Totollo and it was wonderful. The villa Il Palagio and the town of Panzano are wonderful. Panzano is central to the Chianti area, Florence and Sienna but Montalcino and Pienza are quite a drive for a day trip.
http://www.tuscanenterprise.it/index...amp;cod=060101

Yes, as jamikins said, Slow Travel is the best source for info about self-catering in Italy with reviews of villas as well as rental agencies.

Just a note. Rentals are usually Saturday to Saturday. Though, of course, you could leave early if you can arrange the hand-over. Sounds like the area around Siena would be best for your base.

We stayed at Iesolana 5 years ago with my family of 6. We had the Belvedere apartment (3 bedroom/2 bath). It is in Bucine, near Arezzo, about 1/2 hour from Florence either by car or by train. We used this a base to visit Assisi, Florence, Siena and tour the Chianti area. It was a great place. They are listed on www.tuscany.net - we have also used this website recently to book small hotels and B&B's in the tuscany region.