villa in tuscany advice

[Zaardvark]

Hi

Advice sought.

My in laws wish to vist italy during August for one month (high season I know, no other option as teacher in the family) they prefer to go to Tuscany, want us to go with them and and to rent a villa for one month. Prices look rather scary on the web - can anyone recommend a good deal? What about in a neighbouring but similar region? If we go for one month can we ask for a discount?

Best

Z

[????]

Umbria...just as good (next to Tuscany) used to be cheaper

[TillieTrotter]

Still slightly cheaper I think, but definitely not as good. Erm you could try a company like daltons holidays which advertise private villas. In fact just google private villas to rent in Tuscany.

[lozzyloz]

Another (slightly cheaper) option is to look at some of the huge farmhouses that are broken down into three separate living accommodations with 4-5 bedrooms each. You share the swimming pool but everything else is as if it were your own and each entrance is on a different side of the building. Pienza is a picture book area of Tuscany near the thermal springs.

[Comus]

Tuscanny for a month in August is going to be as expensive as it gets, but try Googling 'Residence Le Coloniche'. It is near the wonderful spa city Monticatini Terme (nearest airport is Pisa) and is run by a very nice family. Beautiful apartments and villas of various sizes, pool, very child friendly.

Umbria and the Marche are good alternatives (Stanstead to Ancona if you have the patience of an angel and fly Ryanair), but as August is the big holiday month in Italy everywhere is going to be busy. (And whatever happens avoid travelling around the 15th which is a national holiday). Scicily is cheap but gets extremly hot in August, so if you are looking at the more comfortable northern areas be resigned to being in competition with not only other British, but Germans, Austrians, Dutch and Belgians - all of whom are in the Eurozone and so not feeling the squeeze quite the way we are!

As for a discount - well everything is noegotiable more or less, but in my experience Italian people can loose their usual impressive command of English and revert to a charmingly vague grasp of European harmonisation (or even local dialect) when it comes to money!

Still, if you get there you'll love it!

[Zaardvark]

Thanks guys- useful advice indeed. I am looking into what you recommended - thinking I might try to persuade them that we could live like kings in Turkey for a month for less money.

Best

Z

[candj]

Agreed that Umbria is just as beautiful as Tuscany if not more so because it's a bit unspoiled. August is not only high season, it's the hottest season and the month most Italians are on holiday themselves, meaning sometimes restaurants can be closed for the whole month.

We've been renting villas from Tuscanynow.com and they are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but can perhaps negotiate in this economic climate. They are an English company so you pay in ?? rather than Euros.

Have a lovely time.

Best,

-C

[TillieTrotter]

Tuscany Now is a great company, very professional but pretty steep price wise I found. August is Ferre Augusto (sp) and candj is right in that lots of things are closed. In August there is something called The Palio held in Sienna which is a mental experience. Well worth going to. There are also lots of festivals in August.

[Mick Mac]

Following on from Tillie's point, I have not seen the Palio - but for those who do not know it is an annual horse race round the square in Sienna, and if you cannot make it in August, Sienna is still well worth a visit.

San Gimiano (suspect spelling) is also worth a visit - its the medieval manhatten with tall medieval towers.

You could also visit a Tuscan vineyear - Unfortunately I cannot remember the name of the one we visited, but they did organised tours and afterwards they provided a lunch with their wine and all their local produce, the vineyard was surrounded by forest where they hunted wild boar. It was the best wine tour we have ever been on.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Keycamp holiday - stay in a posh mobile home on a civilised camp site. No need to pay out vast somes of money for a villa.

[candj]

Agreed Mick Mac, San Gimignano has the most medieval towers of all the Tuscan hill towns (eleven total I think). Very crowded but well worth the visit.

And whilst in Tuscany or Umbria, must try wild boar (either as a ragu or in sausage format), called chinghiale... absolutely divine.

I can also recommend visiting Fiesole a small village in the hills outside of Florence. They have a lovely restaurant called I'Polpa and an amazing Eutruscian amphitheatre.