How to rent an Italian villa

Before you get carried away with the romance of your very own (leased) piece of Italy, scrutinise the small print on the contract.

Wildflowers bloom on the lawn of a Tuscan villa situated near the medieval town of Lucca.

"TO those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine. Small medieval Italian castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let furnished for the month of April. Necessary servants remain."

Were there ever such an economically written yet splendidly evocative advertisement for an Italian interlude than this opening gambit in Elizabeth von Arnim’s novel, The Enchanted April?

Long before Frances Mayes turned Tuscany into a pleasure ground for villa-restoring Americans, the British summered in Italy, renting charming casas and (circumstances depending) minor palazzi, taking walks in stout shoes with their parasols and Baedeker guidebooks. These days, the whole world is at it and a villa holiday in Italy is firmly on the checklist of most thinking travellers.

It’s simple to see the attraction of being based in picturesque countryside (cue olive groves, vine-grown tomatoes that taste of the sun and perfect rows of cypress trees) or by the seaside, temporarily blending into a small community and practising one’s fractured Italian at local markets and shops, all brimming with fabulous produce to turn into wondrous meals on the loggia. But to turn this gauzy fantasy into reality, one needs to do comprehensive research so as not to end up, as I once did, in a villa that I had imagined would be sole-use but in fact had been carved up into apartments with thin dividing walls. One doesn’t go to Italy to be woken by renditions of Take Me Home, Country Road - at 6am, in German.

I recommend using Australian agents and sites so you have good recourse if problems arise. There’s comfort in knowing you can pick up the phone and ask specific questions or request more detailed information. Some queries may seem basic but villa renting is not cheap (better value, of course, for a houseparty to share costs) and many boxes need to be ticked.

A few must-know facts include exact distance from transport and neighbouring villages or towns, whether the support staff (daily maid or maintenance people) speak English, what kitchen provisions are provided (some villa owners provide nothing, not even a teabag or pinch of salt), what appliances are on hand (from hairdryers to microwaves), is the heating going to be switched on (imperative to know if you are renting out of season) and what extras will be included with the quoted tariff (phone calls, local taxes, sometimes even a deposit for electricity and towels). Always inquire if the pool is shared with other villas if you are renting on an estate.

A friend of mine says it’s essential to read the small print of a villa-rental contract with a forensic eye, pack a small tool kit and a cache of batteries in various sizes (for TV remote controllers, torches and the like; never presume a villa’s inventory will be complete) and do not imagine credit cards can be brandished on the spot for extras; cash is king in regional Italy. If travelling in a group, appoint one member of the party as treasurer and do all the sums at the end; it could save friendships.

Also be flexible with dates. Midsummer is peak season but if you choose early spring or late autumn, you will get better rates, maybe even big discounts. And carry appropriate reading material, such as von Arnim’s novel, which she wrote in the 1920s after staying at Castle Brown in Portofino. The 1992 screen adaptation was filmed there, too, and while the castle is not available for rental, it’s open for tours and private parties, wisteria and sunshine available. I would also carry Summer’s Lease by John  (Rumpole of the Bailey) Mortimer, plus An Italian Education and Italian Neighbours, British expat Tim Parks’ two very funny accounts of “under-achieving in peace away from successful friends in London” in a four-flat condo in the Veneto with his Italian wife, Rita.

As well as Tuscany, also consider the Italian coast, the provinces of Umbria and Chianti, and the islands of Sardinia and Sicily. Tuscany, a victim of its popularity, can be expensive; its must-do sites often too crowded. Maybe settle for somewhere quieter, with a real sense of place and community. Emerging destinations for villa rentals include the southeast coastal region of Puglia where RentaVilla (rentavilla.com.au) has properties in converted trulli, (traditional conical stone houses) in postcard towns such as Alberobello. Italian Villa Vacations (italianvillavacations.com.au) has a wide portfolio, including on the shores of the lakes of Como (who could refuse an address like Villa Bellini?), Lake Garda and Orta. In George Clooney territory at Bellagio on Lake Como, but on a non-Hollywood budget, Villas Italy (villasitaly.com.au) has a very affordable villa divided into 11 apartments, variously accommodating two to four guests. It also has a big range of Tuscan options.

Australian designer and author Amanda Tabberer has lived for more than 20 years in Italy and her website (amandatabberer.com) lists her choice of rental villas and apartments on the Amalfi Coast – from one-bedroom boltholes in Positano to cliff-top mansions such as Villa Dicondra above Arienzo beach. All boast idyllic locations and fabulous decor.Tabberer also lists Casa della Vignetta, near Siena, a two-storey farmhouse that sleeps seven and comes with a pretty garden pool and maid service. Expat Australians Michael Howard and Luciana Masci run Absolutely Abruzzo (absolutelyabruzzo.com) and are experts on this central – and more affordable – region of Italy. One of their specialised tours, perhaps with a gourmet theme, is an excellent complement to a villa stay.

Cottages and Castles (cottagesandcastles.com.au), based in Melbourne, deals in self-catering accommodation in Europe. Its Italian line-up includes just about everything from beach cottages on the Cinque Terre to an impressive array of villas in Sicily, and there’s a good photo gallery of interiors and exteriors for each property. Luxe tour operator Abercrombie & Kent (abercrombiekent.com; akvillas.com) has a portfolio of dream villas in Tuscany, Umbria and the Amalfi Coast. It’s not a huge selection, and the smallest are three bedrooms, but quality is first-class and each comes with a thorough slide-show of rooms and angles. Some, such as Campo al Sole, within the so-called “golden triangle” of Siena, Florence and Pisa, form part of a larger estate but there’s the promise of absolute privacy and sleeping arrangements for a herd-sized 15. A&K Villas was voted among Europe’s top villa rental agencies (and “best for excursions, local staff and user-friendly website”) by US-based Travel + Leisure magazine in April this year.

If the lure of Frances Mayes’ Tuscany is still too much, stay at the three-bedroom Villa Grandi on a wine and olive oil-producing estate 10 minutes from Cortona, from where you can see the author’s home. This property is marketed by HomeAway (homeaway.com; hostedvillas.com), which is headquartered in the US and recommended by Conde Nast Traveler magazine; the website has an availability calendar, floorplans, maps, user reviews and loads of pictures and is one of the best organised, although you usually need to contact owners for rates. The company’s unique selling point in its Hosted Villas range is the presence of local staff; all stays include a meeting with an English-speaking resident of the parish who’ll act as de facto concierge, restaurant and activity organiser and problem-solver during your stay.

If real country living is more your style, with farm animals part of the picture and the chance to potter about with olives and grapes, consider the concept of agriturismo (agriturismo.it) or staying on an agricultural estate. Holiday farms are a very popular family choice in Sicily, routinely with organic orchards attached, and there are more than 70 options on the agriturismo website, which consolidates quality examples from across Italy. There are so many alternatives, and many individual websites are quite basic, so it’s worth choosing a region and then checking user reviews at social networking sites such as tripadvisor.com. In Tuscany’s San Gimignano, reviewers roundly recommend Poggiacolle Farmhouse (poggiacolle.com).

Glamorous villas aside, and a castle budget but a fairytale fantasy, I note HomeAway has a cute rooftop apartment with skyline views in the heart of Florence that sleeps four. No mention of flowering vines or “necessary servants” but, at the time of writing, it was available all of next (enchanted) April.