Villas in Tuscany
 

Seeking a classic villa in Tuscany for a 3 week period next year. There are SO many to choose from on the internet that I would like some personal reviews from this forum. Would like to be near some nice towns but away from main tourist areas. Will need at least 3 bedrooms. Thank you. Price range can be up to $1,800 - $2,000 per week .

try this, we loved it: <BR> <BR>http://www.italiareservations.com/ <BR> <BR>These three places are the BEST. Our one week stay in La Pietra was an absolute delight. Very clean and well appointed, yet quite "authentic"---not that I'd know... <BR> <BR>Way up a mountain road (2000feet elevation) with spectacular views. In fact I spent one entire day just lounging in the yard over looking the valley and watching it change colors--with a little wine and cheese, how can you top that for recreation. <BR> <BR>Private, but within a short drive to Mercatale or Umbertide for market shopping. And within one hour of Perugia, Cortona, Gubbio, Assisi, and many other hill towns in Tuscany and Umbria. <BR> <BR>One of the advantages of this location is it's on the border of both provinces, but we trained into Florence on a day trip without trouble, too. <BR> <BR>Local restaurants were great--especially Mimi's in Mercatale and Oscari in Santa Maria Tibertini. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Paul, Shopping for the RIGHT Tuscany can <BR>be very frustrating---I have done it <BR>several times for me and my clients. <BR>My advise is to narrow down based on the <BR>3 critcal criteria--LOCATION, PRICE, AND <BR>AMENITIES. You have the price defined <BR>but location is the real key. You need to decide an area of Tuscany to use as <BR>a base camp. That can be tough since it <BR>will effectively exclude some towns. <BR> <BR>Let me know if you need some help in <BR>deciding the best location--it can be a <BR>very personal choice. I prefer the areas either south of Siena or just NW <BR>of Siena. I feel the Cortona area is great for parts of Umbria but not the best for most of Tuscany. Frankly, given 3 weeks I would do 2 locations. <BR> <BR>I have counted more than 1200 choices in <BR>the various catalogs and web sites. That can be too much to fathom, so you <BR>need to narrow down by specifics. <BR>Holler if you need help.

Hi Bob, Can I sneak in here, perhaps my question will be of help to Paul. <BR> <BR>You are correct, it is overwhelming with so many choices. After much deliberation, I came across tuscanhouse.com recommended in Bon Appetite magazine and contacted them. I am very delighted with the price but of course we won't know the value until November when we arrive. My daughter is getting married in Florence and I thought that a villa for both families would be convenient. <BR> <BR>The question is...do you have any experience with Tuscan House? And do you have any thoughts on the location of the villa that I selected which is described as follows: <BR>San Francesco is located on a hill surrounded by beautiful countryside 2km outside the village of Palazzone in southern Tuscany. The location is excellent for touring in central Italy; you can easily make day trips to Siena, Florence, San Gimingano, Assisi and Rome. An Autostrada exit is only a 10 minutes drive away. <BR> <BR>You are always such a help. <BR>

Thanks to everyone for the replies. <BR> <BR>Mustangs81: tuscanhouse.com is quite a nice website with a wide array of choices. I would certainly be interested in anyone's personal experience with this organization. <BR>

Paul, I did feel good about the article in Bon Appetite that mentioned it. The writer had gotten her villa through Tuscan House. Thus far they have been accommodating. I did a search of this site but didn't come up with anything on Tuscan House or on the villa I selected. Actually I didn't select it, I contacted Zak at Tuscan House and he negotiated for me and found villa San Francesco.

Hey gang, I do not have any personal <BR>experience with that agency, I usually <BR>use Parker or initaly.com. As for that <BR>location, I feel it is too far south to be ideal. I would prefer closer to Siena. I am sure the setting is lovely <BR>but just too far to the primary Tuscan <BR>locations---hence the good price. <BR>I would prefer 30 miles north of there <BR>near Montepulciano, Sinalunga, Montalcino, Bagno Vignoni, and Siena. <BR>Tuscany is all good, just a question of <BR>driving time to the best venues. <BR>

I second Bob the N's suggestions. I've used Parker 3 years in a row. Great service, easy to deal with. Plus their web site shows current availability, which is a plus.

Is Parker and initaly the same company or does Parker have a specific web site I should check out. <BR>I am in the same quandry, trying to figure out where to go. I originally was working with overseas connections however they have no interest in renting a place for a week.

So...Bob, would it be terribly rude if I asked for my deposit to be applied to another villa? I am sure there are options closer to the area you mentioned.

Stephanie - Parker is a separate company from Initaly, and each has their own web site: <BR> <BR>Parker - www.theparkercompany.com <BR>Initaly - www.initaly.com

We spent a week a few months ago at a wondeful villa near Radda in Chianti. It was a four bedroom, three bathroom house that was built over in 1995. Very comfortable with a huge kitchen. Location was perfect as it was 35 miles north of Siena, near all the quaint towns of the Chianti Region in Tuscany. The website for the villa, called La Fontanela, is http://www.tuscanenterprise.it/fontanel.htm. <BR> <BR>Check it out. <BR> <BR>Have fun.

Please do not get me in the middle of <BR>a contract question. Ask your vendor <BR>about their policy and what options they may have for you. I do not mean to be a spoil sport, but I do think you would be happier further north.

My most humble apologies Bob, it was rather rude of me. I am aware of the cancellation policy as stated in my contract with the property manager and should have stated so. My question was from a social perspective, not a solicitation for a contractual opinion. Thank you for your geographical opinion.

Has anyone here ever booked through www.tuscany.net? Their website is great, but have found no one with firsthand experience. Would greatly appreciate any insight. <BR>

Everyone: I've been reading along, terrific information. I have one additional questions to add -- and I admit I'm a neophyte traveler to Europe so please bear with me. Is it safe to drive in the areas discussed (i.e., Siena area)? Not have driven in Europe yet, I have some apprehension about committing to a Villa only find out the driving in the area is dangerous (however, I am used to driving in around NYC, DC, Boston - if that experience helps). Sorry to interrupt the thread, but thanks.

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As for driving, it is alot like driving <BR>in the Napa valley or rural Vermont. <BR>Not a problem--just do not try the big <BR>cities.

We had good luck with italianvillas.com <BR> <BR>IF you get to Montalcino, try to eat at Ristorante di Poggio Antico. Expensive -- but by far the best meal we had in our two weeks in Italy (which included rome, florence, siena, etc).

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My family will be in Tuscany for almost 10-15 days next summer. Thus far we are planning at least 3 days in Florence and 2-3 days in Siena. We thought we would like to pick one other area at which to stay to use as a base for the remaining areas of Tuscany. Would you be kind enough to recommend another area? Right now I am thinking of somewhere outside of Cortona. BOB, please comment as you seem to have pretty specific opinions on this subject. Thank you in advance...

For Ingrid and others, Although Cortona <BR>gets the press based on the books it is <BR>not the best location to tour parts of <BR>Tuscany. I prefer 2 other base camp locations---the area NW of Siena near <BR>San Gimignano and Colle val d' Elsa is <BR>hard to beat, but my real favorite is <BR>south of Siena in the Val d' Orcia. <BR>I find the villages of Montepulciano, <BR>Pienza, Montalcino, Bagno Vignoni and <BR>even Asciano to be more authentic and <BR>less traveled. There are several good <BR>agriturismo farms in this area and also <BR>some well priced small hotels. We plan <BR>to return to this area next spring to <BR>explore in depth. You could also split <BR>the geographic distance and stay near <BR>Sinalunga---a good base to include Cortona and parts of Umbria.

Would you be willing to share a couple of your favorite agriturismo farms in the Val d'Orcia? <BR> <BR>Grazie

I have been last week at "Il Poggio" agriturismo, 20 minutes by car from Pienza in a place called Celle sul Rigo. <BR>I just can tell you that the location is fantastic, beautiful housefarm, and excellent food.See www.borgodelpoggio.it

To Bob the Navigator: <BR>Hi Bob, we are spending 5 weeks in a villa in Porto Santo Stephano, using it as a base for day trips and longer trips as well. We would value your opinion as to this location. Leaving on Friday Sept 29th. <BR>Thanks in advance

I have been following this discussion with interest. After returning from Venice/Florence March 1 (and disappointed by the snow), I'm belatedly planning a group trip to Tuscany for September or early October for apx. 6-12 people and have been looking at the Parker print catalog and site seeing nice ones get booked up quickly. I'm looking for personal recommendations of conveniently located villas, up to $650per person for a week, with a pool and nice view, good kitchen, laundry, decent mattresses, and preferably a lot of privacy (especially in terms of not sharing the pool). Also, what are the odds of truly lousy weather in late September/early October? We are food/cooking, wine, and art lovers looking to create the memory of the vacation of a lifetime. Any tips greatly appreciated.

K. Marie<BR><BR>Truly lousy weather? Well, it COULD happen, but not the three times I have been to Northern Italy in the last two years for fall (Sep 99, Oct 99, Sep 00).<BR><BR>But a villa CAN be a place where nighttime temperature can drop lower than you might suppose. The altitude can be a relevant factor, but no less important would be is the central heat turned on for the winter? (And how will you pay for energy consumption of the furnace - - which is FREQUENTLY "extra").<BR><BR>I rented a villa in Ambra (vaguely near Siena) in June 98 (20-27, to be exact) - - and we had a "cool-ish" week. The owner had turned off the central heat for the summer, and laughed when we asked about how it might be turned back on. To his credit, he said that there would be no charge for any firewood we wanted to use (this is no joke). I got pretty good at building a fire before bed time that almost lasted all night long (enough coals to easily re-light in the morning). The fireplace was enormous - - we put 5 foot lengths in it with almost no problem - - I don't know if it actually "kept the house" warm during the night - - but I got it going for breakfast almost every morning, and it was the favorite place to gather!<BR>

We rented from Classic Tuscan Homes a couple of years ago and were very pleased with the experience. The managers - Rupert and Donatella - are terrific and the properties they represent are lovely (and seemingly all well within your price range).<BR><BR>Here's their web site:<BR><BR>http://www.awts.com/tuscany/index2.htm<BR><BR>BTW - In researching villas in Italy I found that the Parker Company's rates were considerably higher for the same property - it pays to shop around once you've identified a villa you're interested in.

Have seen several folks mention http://www.knowital.com for Tuscany. They are not an agency, but feature hundreds of properties (also hotels and agritourism's) with direct contact to owners. Hope you find something.