Can anyone recommend a source for villa rentals in these areas for next May-June (2006)? It would be for four people, and we don't need anything fancy--just a pretty, quiet place with kitchen facilities. Does anyone have a favorite? We'd probably go for one or two weeks in the last half of May or first half of June. TIA!

Your question is very broad. There are probably more a thousand properties in Tuscany/Umbria. You could start at www.slowtrav.com. Click on Italy and settle in to read for a while. Gather some ideas, then come back to let us help you narrow down your choices. First, figure out which general area you'd like to explore. My favorite is southern Tuscany, in the Val d'Orcia.

Try www.rentvillas.com. There are lots of listings there.

Just spent 5 weeks in Italy and had a 7day period in apartment/villas in both Umbria and Tuscany.
Everybody has their idea of where to go/stay/visit etc but generally an area that can access the better quality sites at ones own pace. We stayed at the bottom end of umbria at Montefalco and thru the owners of the property had a entree to sights and tastes beyond normal.
In Nth Tuscany the town of Barga proved to be the other side of the Italian equation. Both these apartments were from Cusine Mags and were about $1100 Australian (E650)a week for 2 bedrooms and all amenities. web sites are as follows and eventually I will post anecdotal pieces of the visits.
www.montefalcons.com and mytuscany.com.au will show the places we stayed at.www.barganews.com is an interesting web site and we were in the mystery of the bells piece in May archive looking at discovering the bellringing.

In May of 2001, we (my wife and I) stayed in one of the apartments (Melograno) at Il Palagio which was just outside Panzano (not within walking distance but probably less than a mile from the town center). We really loved Il Palagio, Panzano and that particular area of Tuscany. Il Palagio has maid service and a pool. Florence and Sienna are both about 45 minutes from Panzano and we spent a day in each. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great villa with a fantastic view. It is not luxurious but it fit the bill for what my wife and I wanted - a nice place with some character and a view. We really enjoyed sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine at dusk looking out over the valley and listening to church bells ring in the distance. My idea of heaven!!! By the way, they make their own wine and olive oil, both of which are delicious. We found them through Tuscan Enterprises. The web adress is: http://www.tuscanenterprise.it/

As Betsy says, go to slowtrav.com, pick your favorite location, and read dozens of reviews. I too prefer south Tuscany.

Rachel, advertising is definitely not permitted on this board. Check the FAQ.

To pears43, a heads up: Be aware that different agencies may handle the same properties at varying prices. So when you find a property you like, Google it to see if another agency has it at less cost.

We stayed in good apartements last August, they were spacious, had a pool and very picturesque views the here are the following driving distances to the usual attractions, so a car would be favourable.
Firenze 50 Km - 50min
Siena 60 Km - 1 h
Pisa 50 Km - 50min
Lucca 60 Km - 1h+20'
S.Gimignano 25 - Km 30min
Volterra 35 Km 45min
Sea 60 Km - 1 h

Here is the website if you would like to take a look,

http://www.buonriposo.it/

The wine that they produce was only é2 per bottle and was palettable, and the site is suitabel for all ages.

Have recently spent two weeks in glorious Umbria on the Fabrizi Estate Just outside Montefalco at Camiano Piccolo. Waking to bells from the Monastery nearby - set among olive grove. I believe May/June the best time to go.

Umbria is not yet tourist-weary and I found the locals delightful.

Check www.livingitalyrent.com

Last Nov we stayed in a great house in Pistoia, just outside Florence. Fabulous location
Florence-15 min.
Pisa/Lucca-30-40 min.
Siena-1hr.
Just about everything in Tuscany actually 1-1/2 hrs.

Really great family-let us pick vegetables from their garden and provided us with lots of info on things to do, directions, restaurants etc. Comfortable and clean house. If you want to check it out here's their website
http://www.agohouse.com/

I would also recommend slowtravelers. We rented a villa in Umbria from them last year. We had 8-9 people for two weeks. It was rented through an English company and included two cars. The very best part of the vacation was having a cook, Bruna, come in several nights to shop, prepare, serve and clean up our dinner.

We stayed at Le Manzinaie (www.lemanzinaie.it)in May. The hosts are wonderful and very friendly. The grounds are well maintained & it's quiet as well.

www.parkervillas.com was highly recommended by a friend who used them a couple years ago. We're headed there about the same time as you, pears, so if you use Parker, I get first dibs!

We had a lovely apartment in Montepulciano which is a charming town and not as tourist-ed as some of the others. It's an easy day trip to many other towns. We got the apartment on VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner). I can't remember the listing number but there are only one or two in Montepulciano and this one has a link to pages of information about the town.

We stayed in Pie di Costa (piedicosta.com) last June. It is a
a charming farmhouse renovated into 5 self catering apartments. The garden is beautiful - lots of flowers and a swimming pool. Pie di Costa is located in Montaione between Florence, Siena and San Gimignano. It is a great location for making day trips and best of all you are in a quaint spot which is very relaxing. Highly recommend.

I haven't posted much to this site, but use it all the time for ideas and tips, so thought it only fair to pass on info, too....
I've used rentvillas.com twice in the past 3 years and would very highly recommend them. I intend to go back to Tuscany in the fall of 2007 and plan on using Rent Villas again. Their customer service is outstanding.
In 2003 we stayed in a beautiful villa (Francesca) outside of Poggibonsi, with views over San Gimignano. The property was extraordinary. And, as it was to celebrate my mother's 70th birthday it was important that it be "just right" And is was. While this property easily slept 6, Rent Villas has numerous others that would be for 4 people. Also, I'd recommend reading the comments about each property. They are, in fact, written by true guests, as I wrote a glowing one on this property.
Poggibonsi is nothing to write home about, but the surrounding villages are marvelous. You'd definately need a car to stay at this villa (and most others), but the towns of San Gimi, Volterra, Lucca, Montepulciano, Florence, and Sienna, are all easy day trips. Enjoy!

I second the VRBO.com site for a rental almost anywhere in the world. You deal directly with the owner of the property.

http://www.santantonio.it/

We stayed at the Sant Antonio Country Resort in Montepulciano and LOVED the area. The resort was in such a beautiful setting and had everything we needed. The owner speaks perfect English and is quite helpful. We day-tripped from Montepulciano each day so it was a great central area from which to explore Tuscany. I'd definitely return to this beautiful resort!!

We have stayed in great places in Umbria the last five years through www.montefalcons.com - they seem very reasonable.

We are going to go through them again this summer - anyone know of a good central hotel in Rome?

Jenny

Greetings from Florence, Tuscany. Please visit site of Collichiari turismo (www.collichiari.com). They have more than 1100 personaly checked properties in Tuscany, you can check avaliability and book online.