an apartment for 2 weeks in Tuscany in June-July

We stayed at a restored farmhouse that was divided into 4 apartments. Ours had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a kitchen and living room. It was very conveniently located on a back road just outside of the town of Certaldo. The property itself was very nice with a swimming pool, room for kids to run and sitting areas under shady trees. We found it very easy to get around to the other towns ie San Gimignano, Volterra, Siena, Montepulciano, etc. I believe the website is la-fonte.com. Check it out.

Tatyana,
Tuscany is a big area. You first have to determine where you want to go then look for a place in the middle of most of your 'want to sees'. My favorite area is southern Tscany, the Val d'Orcia. This will give you some ideas of what to see in southern Tuscany http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/hs_planning.htm

Tatyana:

Our favorite is Il Palagio located about 1km from the charming village of Panzano. The villa is spotlessly clean with wonderful outdoor areas and a huge pool. The views are spectacular. The owner (Monia) speaks English and is very helpful. Her website is www.infochianti.com.

The village of Panzano is 30km from Florence and 30km from Siena - making it perfect for daytripping. Panzano lies exactly in the heart of Chianti Classico wine country. There is a bakery, a couple of cafes, an excellent wine bar (Enoteca Baldi - great for a casual meal with the kids). Panzano has some very nice restaurants and is also the home of Italy's most famous butcher (Dario Cecchini). Be sure to have the Sunday afternoon supper in the nearby town of Lamole at Ristoro di Lamole. Have fun.

Tatyana: My choice would be the agriturismo Cretaiole on the outskirts of Pienza. We have stayed there the past two years and the location is great...we daytripped to Florence, Siena, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Assisi, Volterra, etc. Do a search on the Italian Agriturismos portion of this website...you'll see others raving about Cretaiole!

A friend recommended to us a castle that she has stayed in twice before. It looks heavenly, but they require staying a full week or more, which we were not going to be able to do. You might find it to your liking:

www.montalto.it/tuscany-villa/farm-castle.htm

Have a great time!!

Thank you all for your help!

We loved the Chianti area. We had a 2 bedroom apartment that was great. (Casa Nova in Greve) However, if you go to this web site:

http://www.greve-in-chianti.com

there are lots of choices. Some of them require a weeks stay, which is great for you (didn't work for us) As a previous poster stated: you are half way between Florence and Siena and there is a bus that will take you to either city. Since these are larger cities that you may not want to drive in, this is very convenient. (I cannot recommend driving in Florence at all.) You are right in the heart of Tuscany and can day trip to the other smaller villages.

Hi Tatyana, We stayed in a very spacious apartment in a really old and interesting section of Beaucaire. Nearby: Avignon, Pont du Garde, Arles, Nimes, beaches; a great location. Have a look at this website. The depection in the website is very accurate. www.mybeaucaire.com The apartment is owned by a couple that live in Brooklyn. It doesn't have airconditioning, but there are 3 or 4 fans. The apartment has very thick walls and heavy shutters, so you can do like the locals and close up during the heat of the day and open up at night. We were there at the exact same time of the year as your visit. Have a good time, Charlie Robinson, Lodi, California