Comments on: Help me rent a villa

Question: Help me rent a villa

shothotbot — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 08:59:30 -0800

Inspired in part by this thread I want to rent a villa in Tuscany. I am reluctant - perhaps needlessly - to do this all over the InterWebs. Does anyone have any experience with an Italian villa renting agent? My ideal answer would be of the form "Contact Signore Agente, he found us a great villa!" But really, any insights from actual experience would be helpful.

By: jouke

jouke — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:24:29 -0800

We had a wonderful time in one of these villas in Monteleone d'Orvieto. Very nice people.
Halfway between Roma and Firenze.

By: MarkAnd

MarkAnd — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 09:43:56 -0800

Contact Donna Scharnagel at Tuscan Villas. She's great. We used them twice and a friend used them once. The web descriptions of the houses are very good. We weren't surprised by anything.

By: xo

xo — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:01:34 -0800

I used Parker Villas, which I heard about from an ad in the New Yorker, to book a Tuscan villa for my parents. I found it online and then booked it by phone. It was gorgeous and they were thrilled.

By: elquien

elquien — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:19:23 -0800

My family has rented villas at Montestigliano on several occasions. The owner is British, so making the reservations and getting information is pretty easy. She'll even set up tours or cooking classes for you if you're interested.

The location is just south of Siena, right in the heart of Tuscany. I highly recommend it.

By: booth

booth — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:58:17 -0800

We used Villa Vacations. It was a long time ago, so I don't remember who we worked with, but I do remember the rental process was seamless and we had a great time, staying on a vineyard south of Florence for a week, then on an olive farm near Siena for another week. While we were visiting Siena we ran into their staff in our travels, who make the point of visiting every villa and getting to know every region where they rent.

By: RobSog

RobSog — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 02:12:21 -0800

Having stayed a few times in Tuscany with friends and work colleagues, you could always try Essential Italy who have a great range of villas in Tuscany. Speak to Helen at the Cambridge office (UK) as she's stayed in most of the villas. It's her brother Ian (who lives in Tuscany) who is your local contact should you need any assistance whilst on your holiday, so you get great personal service and advice from 'a local'.