Our family of eleven (includes four young children) will be in Tuscany next June and plan to rent a villa or farmhouse. We would like to be within a mile or two of a small town/hamlet and within 20 miles of either Siena or Lucca AND a swimming pool is a must. I know all the obvious websites like VRBO, Homeaway, etc. Any other thoughts on how to find a place? Thanks.
Posted by
11687 posts
We went through this process a few years ago and worried about the legitimacy of all the offerings online. We ended up renting a beautiful villa for 11 of us with an infinity pool, walkable to town. It was in Panzano, between Siena and Florence, a beautiful small town. The agency is Chianti and More and is exclusive to the listings they show and know the properties well. You will not see these properties listed on other websites with different names. The head of this agency is Karin Dietz and she answers emails quickly and leads you through the process of choosing the right one for your needs.
Certified by the Florence Better Business Bureau. Good luck finding the perfect villa and enjoy your time in Tuscany as much as our family did. Suki
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1090 posts
We used Tuscany Now and More villa rental agency last year. Great selection and service. I was a bit nervous, since you do pay in advance, but it worked out really well. I would use them again. The villa we chose was in Umbria, though we started out looking in Tuscany. It was incredible, and one of the best parts was that it perched on the edge of town so we could drive up a private lane and park at the back, yet walk out the front and into the main piazza of the beautiful village. Their website is very nice, and I called repeatedly with questions and got to talk to someone knowledgeable every time. They're based in England, and you can pay them in £, €, or US $. I chose £ so I could manage getting the best exchange rate I could, rather than letting them set the converted prices.
Posted by
Paris
10408 posts
My brother and sister-in-law also rented in May through Chianti and More, Karin Dietz, with some friends and were thoroughly thrilled with the place they rented. (They also ended up in Panzano.)
Posted by
Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
172 posts
12 people in our group rented a villa in Castellina in Chianti through Tuscany More and Now. An Italian friend of mine suggested booking a chef through Tuscany More on our first arrival date and on our last night. The reason for that was you will arrive on a weekend when grocery stores may have limited opening hours. On the last night you are busy packing, so having a meal ready was wonderful. The food was better than any of the restaurants we ate at. We even booked the chef for a night during the week.
Posted by
College Park, MD, USA
9 posts
I have used LuccaHolidayHomes.it in the past and have been very pleased.
Debora is very helpful and is easily contacted by email with any questions.
Posted by
OP
south portland, Maine, United States
74 posts
Thank you for these thoughts. After reading I sent emails to both Karin Dietz at Chianti and More and to Tuscany Now. I feel much more comfortable with these recommendations. I found it unsettling going in blind and trusting a random website. I look forward to hearing from them.