Rent a Villa in Italy

After reading Elizabeth Edmonson's book ‘The Villa in Italy', there is a natural desire to get a ticket and go the next day for the perfect holidays in Italy.  Renting a villa gives you a feeling of exclusivity. Moreover, very often the villas come fully stuffed, which makes your travel worries-free. Rental villas in Italy can come in different types and price bands starting with EUR 100 per week and some are renting for more than EUR 10,000 per week in a high season. Needless to say, that the price would depend on the facilities and level of luxury of your villa. The average six- to ten-bedroom villa comes with a swimming pool and garden. For higher rent, the live-in driver, maid or chef can be a part of the service. The splendid selection of villas with different type of facilities can be found on ViaCasa.it, which is a fantastic property internet portal offering all kind of information about property in Italy.

The obvious question that arises is whether to go for public or private rentals of villas in Italy?  Public rentals, up to recently, were more accessible through real estate agencies. However, with the development of the internet technology it became much easier to rent through a private owner which could save you some cash on commission paid to agency. There is a splendid selection of the villa rentals on ViaCasa.it that are rented directly by the owner. On the other hand, the agency gives you a security and different alternatives should the rental go wrong. It depends what your priorities are. The best way to proceed with the agent is to ask to speak with the guests who have previously been at the villa you expect to rent or speak directly with the agent who has actually been there.

The benefit of villa rental is that you have a very specialised exclusive experience moving yourself away from the crowds of tourists, restaurant chains and generally low quality products that target tourists. At the same time, the important thing to keep in mind is that most of Italian villas are situated far away from any transportation lines, meaning that you need to take care of your own transportation, food and other shopping. Thus, prior to renting a villa, make sure that you are fully aware of all the terms and conditions.

Despite the attractiveness, rental of Italian villas still remain quite budget alternative for the mass public. Renting a villa is also a great option for those who would like to socialise with locals and get a taste of the local way of life. The splendid selection on ViaCasa.it shows that villas in Tuscany are usually priced higher comparing to the other regions of Italy. On the other hand, villas in Umbria are rented on average 10-20% cheaper than in Tuscany. Even though Umbria is just next door to Tuscany and has very similar stunning landscape, it is less marketed which allows you to enjoy similar experience without spending too much. If you are on a budget, try to find the locations that are less popular and still undiscovered by tourism. The areas such as the National Park of Abruzzo or Umbria can offer you a great experience for half of the price.