Hi just wondered if anyone had ever rented a villa in Italy / had any recommendations of companies they'd used and found really good, ideally looking for a pool.
Did James's Villas in tuscany in 2007 and 2008. A little place called Montelopio about half an hours drive from San Giminiano and Volterra. Absolutely gorgeous and had private pool. Not cheap but worth doing.
A few tips. If you go to Pisa for the day (and you must!) drive to the airport and park in the multi storey. Get a bus from there to the area around the leaning tower (or walk - it takes about 45 minutes). Go really early if you want to get up the tower. The queues get horrendous. Volterra and San Giminiano are both terrific. We enjoyed Vinci too. The museum dedicated to Leonardo there is well worth seeing. As Mike says, sat nav is an absolute must. If you do go with James, talk to them about your needs. My boys were 12 and 8 when we went and we opted for a large villa in the middle of nowhere with private pool. It was great. But do specify if you want air conditioning (it tends to be loads of electric fans though this may have improved lately) as the temperatures in August/September can be really stifling. The supermarket delis in local towns (you may be looking at a half hour drive to get to a reasonable sized town) are things of enormous beauty. The cold meats are to die for. Ensure you have lots of insect repellent and mozzy killers, especially if you are in or near wooded areas as we were the second year (Montecatine Val de Ceccini). We preferred montellopio.
And then there is the wine! Yumsville. Montalcino is a gorgeous location and the brunello of that ilk is really something special.
Ooh, we might be going to Rome and Tuscany next year so any recommendations gratefully received here too.
Villa aside if you are hiring a car make sure you have a sat nav or an app on your phone because Italian road signs are abysmal.
Think I've still got a reason road atlas on the shelf from the last time I went to Italy, got by alright with that last time, but yeah, we'll probably take a sat nav.
One thing I've noticed is that many of the "villas" in the main players' brochures are nothing of the sort. Italy, more than any other destination, I'd say, has a lot of set ups on remote ex-farms where a number of "villas" (read converted barns) share a large pool rather than having a private one. If you value your privacy, choose carefully.
I would also say, perhaps because the season is quite short and because the locals like renting summer villas too, the prices go up to eye-watering levels from June through early September.
(Last time we went, we drove down in the TVR we then had which was fun. The Italians hated getting blitzed by a car they'd never heard of!)
All good points cafcfan and worth noting. We hired a large 3 bed villa with a private pool and no problems at all. Italy is expensive but that is why we like it, high prices keep the chavs away.
We have just returned from a cheeky week in Sardinia, great place but once again expensive.
James Villas are excellent. So too are Owners Direct and usually a little cheaper.
Just filter on your requirements and prepare to compromise. Tuscany is just a wonderful part of the World - so many wonderful towns like Siena, Lucca, St Gimignano, Arezzo and of course the beautiful Florence.
Some of the best food and wine in the World as well.
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And then there is the wine! Yumsville. Montalcino is a gorgeous location and the brunello of that ilk is really something special.
You won't regret it.
I would also say, perhaps because the season is quite short and because the locals like renting summer villas too, the prices go up to eye-watering levels from June through early September.
(Last time we went, we drove down in the TVR we then had which was fun. The Italians hated getting blitzed by a car they'd never heard of!)
We have just returned from a cheeky week in Sardinia, great place but once again expensive.
Just filter on your requirements and prepare to compromise. Tuscany is just a wonderful part of the World - so many wonderful towns like Siena, Lucca, St Gimignano, Arezzo and of course the beautiful Florence.
Some of the best food and wine in the World as well.