Q. – Question
A. - Answer

Q. What is the change-over day for Italy?

A. Saturday

Q. How do I get to Italy?

A. Most people fly but some drive as far as Tuscany.

Q. Can you help with booking Italy flights?

A. Not directly. The flights are either scheduled or Low Cost operators.
Tuscany airports
Pisa
www.ryanair.com

Lazio airports
Rome Fiumicino (just north of Rome) also known as Leonardo di Vinci
Rome Ciampino (just south of Rome)
www.ryanair.com

Umbria airports
Same as Tuscany and Lazio.

Le Marche airports
Ancona Forli Boulogna

Q. Can I place an option on the villa?

A. Yes we can hold an option for 24 hours except for last minute bookings.

Q. Can I book parking, car hire and insurance?

A. Yes just click on the link buttons at the side of each page, check availability and book online direct with the recommended supplier. We have negotiated favourable rates with all our listed suppliers for your convenience.

Q. What time can we arrive and when do we need to leave?

A. The villa is available to you from 17.00 and you need to leave by 10.00 (unless stated otherwise).

Q. What is the local language and do they speak English?

A. Italian. There is not much English spoken so it is worth practicing a few words before you go and take a phrase book. The Italians are generally very helpful and good at articulating with their hands!

Q. Do you know the villas and the country?

A. We are very familiar with the GU reference villas having visited many of them a number of times and having referred clients to many of them over the last eight years. So we know who likes what, the quirks and gems and many good places to visit. Please put us to the test, it may well make your holiday decision easier.

Q. What about security?

A. Italy is generally fine but you do need to be very careful in big towns, tourist attractions, train stations and airports and take sensible precautions at the villa. Refer to the foreign office web site for up to date advice. www.fco.gov.uk

Q. Is it possible to arrange extra services such as cleaning locally?

A. Sometimes, around 20% of our clients take up extra services in Italy. We can always enquire in advance for you, but it does depend on the owners. Charges are usually around 16€ per hour. Such services are not guaranteed as they depend on local people who are not in our employ. Payment for local services are always made locally in Italy.

Q. What is there to do?

A. On the whole Italy is all about culture, food and history, particularly Roman and Etruscan. Beaches and lakes do come into it. On each villa description there is a link to the area and the town where we provide comprehensive details (where possible) of what’s on offer.

Q. What is the food like?

A. In the shops and markets it tends to be fresh and very good. Restaurants are priced along similar lines to the UK but can be a bit pricey in the main tourist areas. Pasta and pizza are prevalent along with the numerous delicacies such as truffles which make Italian cuisine renowned throughout the world. In the Tuscany area the meat is particularly good, in Le Marche it’s the ham, Lazio the Mozzerela cheese and Umbria is a meat area like Tuscany. Seafood is good on the coast. The wine is excellent, red Chianti being the prevalent Tuscan flavour, white Frascati is popular in Lazio. Barrolo and Montepulciano are just two of the other big names.

Q. Are there any particularly good value times to go

A. Spring bank holiday is undoubtedly the best of the school holiday periods although you need to get flights early before they get too pricey. Lazio can be really worthwhile for October half term as long as you are not too bothered about using the pool. Out of school holidays June is best with long days as a bonus, September is also reasonable.

Q. What’s the Italy weather like throughout the year?

A. Very nice and warm, a dry heat, most of the year. It can get really hot in the height of summer but on saying that it’s a country which is well adapted to the heat.

Q. What is the local currency and guideline exchange rate?

A. Euros which usually exchange at around 1.4 per £

Q. What is the time difference?

A. 1 hour

Q. How does the local deposit system work?

A. In most cases a cash deposit of 470€ (600€ for some larger and more luxurious properties) is paid to the owner on arrival. This is returned when you depart. Cheques cannot be accepted as they are not reliable enough and individual owners do not have credit card facilities. So this is the only way we can do this, owners are used to it and are reliable.

Q. Are there any local charges and how do they work?

A. Not usually. Linen and towels are generally provided. See individual descriptions for details.

Q. What local assistance do you offer?

A. We have excellent bilingual representation in Italy. Our local agent resides permanently in the country and is very experienced in villa holiday requirements.