Holiday Villas >> Italy villas

Presenting the Villas Worldwide range of private villas with pools in Italy selected and visited for you by experts. Our Italian holiday homes are ideal for family holidays. Choose a self-catering property to rent for your summer holiday, we have charming cottages ideal for couples, houses in the countryside with big child-friendly gardens and luxury villas by the sea and the Italian lakes. Find a private villa for your vacation in picturesque Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria, Le Marche, Puglia and Sicily near the historic towns of Rome, Florence, Sienna and Pisa. Our very experienced staff can help you choose.

In Italy, there are some of the world's more fascinating cities, Rome, Venice, Florence, Sienna the list goes on and on. They are all worth visiting and they house some of the best art museums you could wish to see as well as numerous top class shops. If you tire of all that you can just sit back in a café and admire the people and their marvellous dress sense. It is probably the tranquil local village life, trying a bit of Italian, long meals in restaurants and time relaxing by the pool which best epitomises a good Italian villa holiday.

Attractions

Delight in uncovering all that Italy has to offer, a country of unparalleled beauty, majestic architecture and a wealth of history combined with musical delights and wonderful food. There are many excellent events in Italy to enjoy throughout the year as Italy has to be one of the most culturally rich countries in the world.

Travel

Travelling to Italy is relatively easy and economical. There are International airports in Pisa (PSA), Rome Ciampino (CIO), Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and Palermo (PMO) which are well serviced with direct flights nearly all year round through low-cost operators such as Ryanair and Easyjet. Don't forget to pre-book airport parking well in advance for the best savings. There are good motorways (tolls) which mean you can self-drive to most parts of mainland Italy although you will require stop-over hotels.

Flying times to villas in Tuscany

Flights from London to Pisa take around 2 and a half hours.

Flying times to villas in Lazio

Flights from London to Rome take around 2 and a half hours.

Flying times to villas in Sicily

Flight from London to Palermo take around 3 hours.

Weather

The climate in Italy is one of the big attractions as it is usually warm and sunny from May to September and further south in Sicily you can add April and October. Temperatures can get quite hot in the peak holiday periods of July and August.

Time

Italy is in the Central European Time Zone which falls under Central European Standard Time (CET) which runs an hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. Consequently, Italy is one hour in advance of the UK.

Food and drink

It is no great surprise that Italian food has become international, it's so good and family friendly. Go almost anywhere in the world and you can eat Italian. Pizzas are the obvious national dish but there is much more and great variation across the regions, specialities such as Parma ham and Balsamic vinegar in northern Italy, to buffalo mozzarella in Lazio and swordfish in Sicily. Wines in the north include Chianti and Barolo, in the south, you have Frascati to name just a few.

Eating out

Eating out in restaurants in Italy can be very good value and if your not careful you can run up a large bill as it's all so tempting. With lots of tasty starter dishes, gorgeous pasta in sources such as truffle then superb fish and meat dishes, not to mention the wines. It's hard to beat a meal out in Italy.

Holiday books to read

E.M. Forster - A room with a view is a great place to start another classic is Thomas Mann - Death in Venice. The quality of reading might be dubious but the interesting content of Dan Brown's book Angels and Demons is worth the effort. For background Luigi Barzini The Italians and Speak the culture: Italy. Tim Parks - Italian Neighbours, A Season in Verona and An Italian Education give insight into living the dream in Italy.

Films to see before a holiday in Italy

A lovely Italian classic is The postman or Il postino directed by Michael Radford. Cinema Paradiso based in Sicily won an Oscar. The Talented Mr Ripley starring Matt Damon showcases the Amalfi coast. Roman holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck is a gem. A room with a view adapted from the E M Forster novel is a wonderful period drama. Much ado about nothing is a superb Shakespeare adaptation set in Tuscany.

What to expect when you rent a villa in Italy

In Italy many of the villas are restored properties which reflect the local architecture, this is most evident in the stone houses of Tuscany. Nearly all of our villas in Italy have linen and towels included. They are all in good locations without any undue disturbance. Many are old stone farmhouses and manors which have been renovated. The quality tends to be higher than average for Europe. You will usually be required to leave a security deposit. Our Italian villas are within an easy striking distance of the principal sights amidst wonderful countryside. Coastal Tuscany offers a lovely combination of sea and scenery as do Sicily, the Lazio and Le Marche regions.

School holidays
The Italians take their main school holidays at different times of the year from Britain so it's worth bearing that in mind. July and August are definitely the busiest times. One of the nicest times to holiday in Italy is the Spring bank holiday. The south of Italy and Sicily are good options for October half term, though best if you have a country house or villa accommodation with a heated pool.