Apartment to rent in a small town or village in Tuscany

I often see enquiries on travel forums, from travellers preparing for their trip to Tuscany, requesting a recommendation for an apartment to rent in a small town or village in Tuscany. They have the right idea! There's no better way to enjoy and really understand life here in Tuscany than by renting a self-catering vacation apartment outside of the main centres. And it's economical as well! Today I want to describe just such a place, namely Appartamento Saverio in Greve in Chianti which sleeps 4 in a double room and a twin room, and can sleep two more on a sofa bed.

An apartment to rent in a small town or village in Tuscany

The apartment that I'm recommending today is situated right on Piazza Matteotti, the arcaded, main piazza of the small town of Greve in Chianti. Greve has around 14,000 inhabitants and is located on the scenic via Chiantigiana, the main road between Florence and Siena. Greve is accessible by bus from Florence (60 minutes to the centre of Florence) and Appartamento Saverio is a five minute walk from the bus stop, meaning that you don't need a car to get here nor to make excursions to Florence. There is a good supermarket in the town plus numerous restaurants and food outlets, many of them around Piazza Matteotti. And yet, in most directions, a 15 minute stroll takes you out into the vineyards and olive groves, and the mediaeval walled village of Montefioralle is just a mile away.

The apartment is large and both the structure and the furnishings are typically Tuscan, with a huge fireplace in the living room. In fact, the buildings around Piazza Matteotti date back several hundred years. Appartamento Saverio has two modern bathroom and a huge terrace that overlooks the piazza. A great place for a dinner al fresco or just to sit and enjoy the sun while watching the activity of the piazza. In essence, if you're looking for an apartment to rent in a small town or village in Tuscany, Appartamento Saverio should be at or near the top of the list!

More about Tuscany Holiday Apartment "Saverio" in Greve in Chianti.

The main sights of Chianti Italy

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Web Site Promotion 2012 - 2019. All rights reserved.

Poggio all'Olmo, a classic Tuscan farm house vacation location in Chianti

Now is the quiet season for Tuscan agriturismi, those rural vacation rentals that provide such excellent and economical holiday accommodation in Tuscany, especially in the Chianti Classico wine zone. Since agriturismi are, by definition, also working farms, right now most of them are attending to their olive oil production. I took the opportunity to visit Poggio all'Olmo, a classic Tuscan farm house vacation location in Chianti, owned and managed by my friend Francesca Vanni. It's been a year or two since I paid her a visit and it was great to be reminded of what a beautiful property she has in the Chianti hills above Greve in Chianti.

Poggio all'Olmo Tuscan farmhouse vacation rental in Chianti

Francesca offers two vacation apartments for 2 to 4 persons, as well as a double room. Since my last visit, the bathrooms have all been modernised to a very high standard. The rooms are furnished in Tuscan country style and the flowering shrubs on the terraces are more mature than during my previous visit. The swimming pool has fabulous views out over the vineyards and olive groves that surround the agriturismo on all sides. The olive harvest was completed last week so I picked up several bottles of olio nuovo!

Poggio all'Olmo swimming pool

The location of Agriturismo Poggio all'Olmo  is very convenient for those who would like to explore Chianti and central Tuscany together with Florence and Sienna. This is because Greve is located halfway between Florence and Sienna, on the scenic Chiantigiana road and it's an hour by car or bus to Florence. It's about the same to Sienna but for that you need a car, otherwise it's a long haul by bus to Florence and then from there to Sienna by train or bus.

Breakfast at Agriturismo Poggio all'Olmo

For those who want it, Francesca will prepare a spread of fresh fruit, juice, rolls tea and coffee for your breakfast - that's a worthwhile extra at 10 euros per person.

More about Poggio all'Olmo vacation accommodations in Chianti, Tuscany.

Don't forget to visit Elena Spolaor's Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany & Umbria. Chianti Travel Guide

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Web Site Promotion 2014. All rights reserved.

Volpaia - a place to stay in Volpaia, Tuscany

Volpaia is a village of great charm and well worth a visit if you are anywhere in the Chianti region of Tuscany, especially around Lamole, Gaiole and Radda. It is the home of the Compagnia di Volpaia wine company which owns a significant proportion of the village. Nevertheless, there are many private homes and businesses, as well as three excellent restaurants in Volpaia. The village also has much to recommend it as a base for a vacation in this part of Tuscany.

A view of Volapia in Chianti, Tuscany

Volpaia is a fortified village, known in Tuscany as a "castello", located on the frontier separating the territories of Florence and Sienna. In its present form, the "castello" of Volpaia dates largely from the 11C. Only part of the original protective walls and two of the original six towers are still standing, but the mediaeval layout and buildings within the village remain largely as they were 900 years ago.

"Il Cassero", a great place to stay in Volpaia, Tuscany

A great place to stay in Volpaia is "Il Cassero" vacation apartment. The Italian word cassero can mean quarterdeck, in nautical terms, but, in relation to architecture, it means a raised structure forming part of a castle - in our case, a watch tower. "Il Cassero" vacation apartment is built inside one of the main watchtowers of Volpaia. The holiday apartment is furnished and decorated in Tuscan country style and sleeps up to 6 persons. Unusually for a Tuscan vacation rental, the minimum stay is only two days.

More about "Il Cassero" vacation apartment in Volpaia, Tuscany.

Don't forget to visit my Tuscany Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany. Tuscany Travel Guide

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2015. All rights reserved.

A mediaeval ball game in southern Tuscany - "Palla ventuno" or "Palla-eh"

A mediaeval ball game in southern Tuscany called "Palla ventuno" or "Palla-eh" is gaining in popularity to the extent that there are now competitions between teams from six villages in the Alta Maremma. Palla 21 is the Southern Tuscan variant of the jeux de paume, which has been played throughout most of Europe since ancient times and from which tennis reputedly originated.

Palla 21 being played in Torniella (Casa Reasco in the background)

Palla 21 is played wherever enough space is available: in the square of the village or for that matter on the main street if the village is so small it has no piazza! The ball is hand made, containing a lead pellet wrapped in rubber and wool with a leather cover. There is no referee. The game is played by facing teams who strike (not catch) the ball with either a bare or gloved hand. Courts are marked out with painted lines on town streets, but there is no net, and players can move between sides. Adjacent buildings, objects, and sometimes spectators, are considered "in play."

Scoring is almost identical to that of tennis (15-30-40-game). In the variant called pallaventuno (or palla 21) each game counts as 7, and a set is won with three games (7 for the first, 14 for the second, and 21 for the third, hence the name of the game). In the other variant, games are simply counted in progression (game 1, game 2). Pallacorda (or palla della corda) is an extinct form of the game where a cord (precursor of the tennis net) was strung across the street. Pisa, Prato, Rome, Sienna and various Tuscan towns still have streets named via Pallacorda or via Della Corda.

Vacation apartments in Torniella, convenient to Sienna and the Maremma. Ideal for groups of up to 12 persons. Holiday apartments for 2 to 6 persons. Both apartments may be rented together with additional rooms providing accommodation for groups of up to 12 vacationing together. Click here for more about Casa Reasco.

During 2014, this is the schedule - heats on the Saturday and finals on the Sunday:

• Scalvaia, 26-27 July
• Ciciano, 2-3 August
• Torniella, 9-10 August
• Piloni, 16-17 August
• Vetulonia, 23-24 August
• Tirli, 30-31 August

Don't forget to visit my Tuscany Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany. Tuscany Travel Guide

Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2014. All rights reserved.

Where to stay in Chianti

Chianti is rightly regarded as one of the most popular places to stay in Tuscany. Before arranging your visit, sometimes decisions have to be made when deciding on where to stay in Chianti during your vacation. Here are some helpful hints in this regard:

• Village apartment or rural farmhouse ("villa")? For those who plan to dine out with plentiful wine accompanying their meals, it can make sense to choose accommodation within walking distance of restaurants, and that usually means in town or, if the place is small like Greve in Chianti, then right on the outskirts. Greve has real agriturismi within walking distance of the main piazza. But see the next point.
• Swimming pool or not? If you definitely want a pool, you'll need to stay in a rural area because only hotels have pools in town, and town hotels are very rare in Chianti in any case. Don't forget, however, that there are good public swimming pools in some towns, again notably in Greve in Chianti.
• Multi-unit accommodation or stand-alone farmhouse? Usually multi-unit vacation rentals are more economical if only because the swimming pool and possibly some other facilities, such as a barbeque, are shared. Some people also like the company. For others who prefer complete privacy and tranquility, having your own place to stay out in the country is the way to go.
• Do I need WiFi? More and more visitors to Chianti wish or need to have access to the internet during their vacation. In response, most of the places to stay in Chianti offer WiFi if it's technically possible. Not all of them specify this on their websites so be sure to ask. Truly remote farmhouses will probably not have an ADSL line.
• Must the road be sealed? If you plan to stay outside of town, be prepared for at least some gravel roads. These "strade bianche" pose no special challenges and often lead to very picturesque sights - castles, romanesque churches, monasteries, ancient farmhouses and tower houses.
• Access to public transport? The most efficient way, time-wise, to visit the sights of Chianti is by car, either driving yourself or by hiring a driver-guide. Nevertheless, it is also possible to see many places by walking and by using public transport - almost always a bus, since there are no trains within the Chianti Classico part of Chianti. Many rural accommodations have a bus stop nearby but be sure to study and understand the bus time tables. See Chianti without a car.
• Near Florence or near Sienna? This depends almost solely on whether or not you will have your own car. From Castellina southwards, the buses run to Sienna. From Panzano northwards, the buses run to Florence. Both of these famous art cities, located at the northerly and southerly boundaries of the Chianti Classico area respectively, are readily accessible by car from anywhere in Chianti in usually less than an hour.

Map of Chianti with links to town-specific websites.

More about what to expect from your Chianti vacation rental accommodation.

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

Places to stay in Chianti - villas, farmhouses, B&B rooms

All content copyright © ammonet Website Development and Design 2012 - 2017. All rights reserved.

Vacation villas and accommodations in Chianti, Italy

I am contributing to a new blog based around vacation villas and accommodations in Chianti, Italy, but, like my Tuscany-Toscana blog, open to everything of interest to visitors (and also residents) of Tuscany, and especially to the Chianti Classico area between Florence and Sienna.

The new Tuscany Blog is located here: http://www.greve-in-chianti.com/tuscany/

As we see more and more websites listing vacation rentals in Tuscany, it becomes increasingly important to do business via the long-established sites such as www.greve-in-chianti.com (founded in 1997) and www.bella-toscana.com (founded in 1998). Many of the new websites and the businesses behind them are very unprofessional and simply relist over and over again the same group of properties. Problems are also being reported by users of the bigger listing services, complaints being mostly with regard to inaccurate descriptions of the rental properties and lack of accountability if something goes wrong. Many of the big sites now belong to a very small number of corporate owners and this has exacerbated the issue of indifference to customers' problems with the rental procedures, refund procedures and the property descriptions. Too often, farmhouses are being listed as "villas", and rural properties that are not working farms are being listed as "agriturismi".

My recommendation remains to make use of owner-direct websites that are local so that the company owning the website has the opportunity to inspect every property listed, and so that there will be someone on hand to help out if problems arise. In my experience, the visitor has a much better feel for a place if he or she intereacts with the owner before arrival.

Don't for get to read my notes on what you can expect from your Tuscany vacation rental. Misplaced expectations can sometimes have a negative effect on your holiday.

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

Holiday rentals in Chianti

Chianti Tourist Information
Tuscan villas to rent

All content copyright © ammonet Website Development and Design 2012. All rights reserved.

What to expect when you arrive at your vacation rental in Tuscany

Visitors to Tuscany who have always stayed in a hotel during their vacations elsewhere might be hesitant to rent an agriturismo or similar self-catering holiday home when they visit Tuscany for the first time. There is a series of useful articles about what to expect when you arrive at your vacation rental in Tuscany on the www.tuscany-vacation-rentals.net website which will allay any worries you have and at the same time obviate possibly misplaced expectations. These articles cover the following topics:

What is a "villa" in Tuscany?
Arrival times, duration of stay and departure times.
Telephones and internet connections.
Electricity, water and natural gas supplies.
- Electricity in Italy.
- Air conditioning in Tuscany.
- Heating a vacation rental in Tuscany.
- Water supply in Tuscany.
Cleaning your Tuscan vacation rental.
- Towels and Linen.
Keys and Security.
- Breakage and Damage.
Food and other Supplies in Tuscany.
Insects, mosquitoes and other "bugs" in Tuscany.
Gardens and terraces in Tuscany.
Swimming pools in Tuscany.
Handicapped accessibility.
- Allergies.
Tourist taxes in Tuscany.
Festivals and events in Tuscany.
Roads and driving in Tuscany.

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

More about vacation rental accommodations in Tuscany

.

 

All content copyright © ammonet website promotion 2012. All rights reserved.

Bed and Breakfast Accommodations in Chianti

Ancora del Chianti Bed and Breakfast in Chianti

Not everyone realises that there is a plentiful supply of excellent Bed and Breakfast Accommodations in Chianti. These B&Bs are usually rooms but can also be small apartments, and they are located in both towns and villages as well as out in the country. B&Bs in town have the convenience that you can usually walk out your front door into the main piazza or be within a few minutes walk of it. In addition, a town location usually means there is a bus stop nearby linking you easily from rural towns to Florence. Bed and Breakfast accommodations in the countryside usually require a car for access but are also much more likely to have a swimming pool. If they are up in the Chianti hills, they will surely be cooler than average in summer, and of course quieter. Competition and the weakening euro mean that B&B prices are highly competitive and will usually give you much better value than a hotel.

An excellent range of B&Bs in Chianti are listed here.

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

Vacation rentals in Chianti

The Chianti region of Tuscany, Italy

All content copyright © ammonet website design 2012 - 2014. All rights reserved.

Tuscan villa vacation rentals

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

All content copyright © www.ammonet.com 2012. All rights reserved.

Tuscan villas to rent

Tuscan villas to rent - what are they? For architects, the villas of Tuscany are patrician residences set in a garden and integrated visually into the wider Tuscan landscape, dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, and derived during the Renaissance from a concept of country life in Augustan Rome. For many tourists visiting Tuscany, however, a Tuscan villa seems to equate with any free-standing house - hence the many advertisements for "Tuscan villa vacation rentals". Both usages are common practice and perfectly acceptable, but tourists should be sure not to narrow their search too much by over-reliance on the expression "Tuscan villa". Most houses and, indeed, most free-standing vacation rental accommodations in Tuscany are in fact farm houses - case coloniche - and not villas. For a small family, a farmhouse or a farm apartment (both are referred to as "agriturismi") provides more than enough space. Several families travelling together or a wedding party, for example, might reasonably seek a genuine Tuscan villa - not a Renaissance villa, but one of the many 19th century villas that dot the Tuscan landscape.

When is a Tuscan villa not a Tuscan villa?

What is the difference between a Tuscan villa and a Tuscan farmhouse?

Villa Podere Felceto is a typical and beautiful Tuscan villa available as a self-catering holiday home.

If you prefer a truly deluxe Tuscan villa, try Villa Vitigliano.

Corte di Valle, in contrast, is a Bed and Breakfast accommodation located in a magnificent villa in Chianti - an opportunity for a couple or a family to experience villa living.

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Infotech 2010 - 2014. All rights reserved.