If you're planning a trip to Tuscany, you will frequently see the expression
Tuscan villa vacation rentals used while you're searching for your vacation accommodation in Tuscany, Italy. There is an element of confusion regarding the meaning of the word "villa" in the Tuscan tourism sector and you as a future visitor to Tuscany should probably clarify in your own mind what kind of vacation accommodation you are looking for before starting your search. A "Tuscan villa", properly speaking, is a large, patrician house, designed by an architect, surrounded by a formal Italian garden and probably dating from the 19th century. Of course, the most famous villas are medicean and dating from Renaissance times, but only one of those remains in private hands. Few true villas are rented out to visitors unless they have been broken up into holiday apartments or converted into hotels. However, common usage, especially in the UK, applies the term "villa" to almost any stand-alone house so that advertising in the Tuscany tourism sector frequently refers to Tuscan farmhouses as "Tuscan villas". As a consequence, tourists now search for a Tuscan villa for a family of four when what they are really seeking is a casa colonica, a Tuscan farmhouse. Bear this distinction in mind as you read through the accommodation offerings on the internet.
Some useful links:
A bit about the history of Tuscan villas and the villa in Italy.
The characteristics of Italian villas - gardens, fountains, architecture.
Gardens of the Tuscan villas.
Tuscan vacation villas to rent - real villas, not just farmhouses.
A selection of Tuscan farmhouse vacation rentals.
Useful tips on what you can expect from your vacation rental in Tuscany.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
