Imagine · Experience · Share™
Renting a villa is a family-friendly way to enjoy Tuscany.
( 3 Ratings and 3 Comments )
[Rate this article]
It’s important to make sure you are clear exactly what you are getting into when you rent a property. Find out if there are animals (we were surprised by the resident cat!); whether you’ll share amenities, such as a pool, with other guests; and who to contact if you have trouble. We had to pay for gas at our rental, which is used to heat the stove (about $20 for the week). Often property owners are elsewhere, so they may have a manager, but they may not. We felt lucky the Puccis were on the property to talk to and give us advice.
How you get around largely depends where you stay. In Florence a car is a hassle, if not an outright hindrance. However, if you’re outside the city, you’ll need wheels. For trips into the city, we took the local train, which was easy enough. Between the Puccis’ tips, our guidebook Italian and the English the train staff spoke, we managed just fine.
Eric Perrone
From our home base at the villa, we ventured to the medieval walled city of Lucca one day, which took about an hour-and-a-half. Another day we spent exploring Pisa. Since we had traveled with friends without kids, one day my husband and I left our daughter with them and took the high-speed train to Rome and back (about two hours each way).
We’re renting the same villa for the return trip (available through www.villacafaggiolo.it), but there is a plethora of rental options in Tuscany, including:
Italy Tourism - The official tourism site is a good place to get general information and request brochures.
HomesAway - Highly rated Web site for villa rentals.
Home in Italy - Specializes in luxury villa rentals.
The options for day-trips and excursions were plentiful. However, for a couple of days we did nothing but go to the market, lounge by our pool and cook with the freshest ingredients we could find—tomatoes, olives, fresh bread and mozzarella cheese one night, mushroom risotto the next, which we enjoyed from our patio. We drank cheap local red wine, which beat any of the fancy Italian wines we buy at home. Our view of the olive trees and vineyards outside our villa matched the fantasy perfectly.
I am in the early stages of planning another visit to the area, bringing a half-dozen family members with me who were impressed with my tales from the first trip. I have no doubts their Tuscan dreams will be realized too.
Comments
3 Comments on this articleBe adventurous
by Simon on September 16, 2008
Tuscany is fun but a bit of an overcrowded theme park these days. Think about renting a house or villa across the border in Umbria. The countryside is sensational and it's got lots of small, beautiful hill towns and villages to explore. If you're in Northern Umbria you're also only two hours away from Florence - if you simply must visit the Uffizi - although this is not something I'd recommend anyone to do anytime between June and September. Visiting in Spring or Fall is also something worth considering.
Cute
by BobbyLee on May 12, 2008
By the way, clever pose in the photograph with the little girl and the tower!
Wish I were there...
by BobbyLee on May 12, 2008
Wow, seems like a dream come true! How long in advance do you suggest the villas need to be reserved?