Archive for ‘Rental Homes’

March 9, 2011

Invitation to Tuscany: New Properties for 2011!

New Properties for 2011
We have been gathering some wonderful new properties for this year: large ex-farmhouses with never-ending views (Casa Michelangelo, Casa Cerfone), luxurious villas close to Florence (Villa da Vinci, Villa Lucia), Eco-friendly homes by to the sea (Casa dei Fichi, Bernardino) and many more – you can find them all listed under “New for 2011”. There is even a beautiful sailing boat, an elegant sloop moored in a Marina south of Livorno and available for sailing round the Mediterranean, visiting little coves and bays and seeing a very special side of Tuscany and Italy.

Goodbye Ortone
Many of you will have stayed at Ortone and met Elisabetta, the charming owner there. She has now decided to sell the house and move to France. We’re very sad to see Ortone and Elisabetta go – I think we’ve been renting it for around 25 years!

Visit Sicily
We now also have villas for rent in Sicily! Sicily is a wonderful region and is an excellent place to visit out of season; March, April and May are as warm and summery as one could wish for, and just the thing for blowing away those winter blues. See the whole (growing) selection here: Western Sicily.

Royal Offers
If you want to take advantage of the flurry of Bank holidays around Easter and the Royal wedding, take a look here: Special Offers. We have 10 days for the price of a week, or 2 weeks with a 20% discount in selected properties. Pipistrelli, a beautiful house for 14 close to Siena, has a 50% discount! Pipistrelli.

Contact me to see all your options.

Colleen Lamont
503.546.1058 – direct

866.297.1058 – toll free
Email: CLamont@peaktravel.com

Copyright (C) 2011 Invitation to Tuscany All rights reserved.

February 28, 2011

Featured Property: Matchless, Marina di Scarlino

An elegant and rare sailing sloop on the Mediterranean

Unusually for Invitation to Tuscany, a sailing boat. But this is no normal sailing boat; it is a Swan 57, considered by many to be the Rolls Royce of yachts. Large enough for comfort yet fast enough for Regattas, this is a beautifully crafted vessel, built in the Nautor ShipYard in 1978 from a Sparkman & Stephens blueprint. Owned by a very good friend of ours, these vessels are rarely up for charter and are a delight to spend time on. Leave from Marina di Scarlino, in southern Tuscany, and navigate round the Mediterranean Isles, Corsica, Sardinia and the smaller islands. With an expert skipper on board you can participate in the sailing or lay back and sip your Campari as the mood takes you.

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February 20, 2011

Chef Andrew Garrett Escorts a 10 Day Tuscan Holiday

I have been working with Chef Andrew Garrett to organize this amazing travel opportunity, so Iwanted to share it with you. He would like you to join him in Italy for a once-in-a-lifetime journey and culinary adventure.  See the details below and let us know if we can add you to this culinary journey…

“Our culinary adventure will begin in the city of Florence, the birth place of the Italian Renaissance, and then continue into the picturesque, cypress-clad Tuscan countryside. We will visit the surrounding sights and towns and enjoy the locally grown, lovingly prepared food and wine of the region.”
– Chef Garrett

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February 20, 2011

Featured Property: Villa delle Rose, Arezzo

Provided by Invitationtotuscany.com

A charming apartment and pool in the countryside near Arezzo Italy

The main entrance is through the wide brick arche to the side of the villa.In the countryside just outside Arezzo, Villa delle Rose offers in miniature the reasons visitors include this part of Tuscany in their wanderings. For like the medieval city a mere 3 km away, known for its antiquarian market, the famous frescoes of Piero della Francesca, and the wide piazzas and ancient archways that grace its historic centre, this charming villa combines the traditional look of a respectfully restored limonaia, or lemon house, with the contemporary design and furnishings perfectly in keeping with the Aretine love of artistry and decor.

The charm of the villa is seen even as you approach it – its golden stone facade is covered with the pink roses that give the villa its name and the furnished ivy covered pergola set on the wide terracotta terrace surrounding the house is the ideal place for gazing out to the green hills it overlooks. It is sufficiently set apart from the owner’s large villa whose flagstone piazza it shares that it enjoys a sense of protected peace.

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February 12, 2011

Spending Easter in Italy will more than fill your basket

Italian Easter…

April 24th 2011 – Chieti in the Abruzzo region is believed to have the oldest Good Friday (pre-Easter) Procession in Italy. A highlight being ‘Selecchi’s Miserer’ played by 100 violins!

The Easter Sunday tradition in Florence dates back to 1679. It is a pageant lead by an elaborate multi-storied wooden wagon drawn by a team of white oxen adorned by floral garlands. The procession ends in front of Bascilica di S. Maria del Fiore and after the mid-day mass, the Archbishop ritualistically lights a dove shaped rocket that ignites decorated wagon now in the center of the piazza, setting off spectacular fireworks and loud explosions, which ensure a good harvest!

Let me know what you’re looking for and I can make all your arrangements.  Let me set up a daily chef service in your villa and activities around the region like winery tours, concerts and much more.  Just contact me at 503.546.1058 – direct, 866.297.1058 – toll free or Email: CLamont@peaktravel.com to discuss your travel needs.

In my last post I offered a special deal for the Easter holiday, but there are many places in Italy to experience this spiritual holiday.  Here are a few of my top rated rental villas near Florence.  There are many other options too.

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February 9, 2011

Featured Property: Casa Letizia

Invitation to Tuscany

Featured Property: Casa Letizia
Book now for a royal Italian discount for travel this Easter!

Exclusive offer: Families planning to extend their Easter break over next April’s royal wedding bonus bank holiday can get a 20% saving on a 14-night stay in this property. Stay 14 nights at Casa Letizia beginning April 16 and the rental is reduced to £2,418 (saving £604).

This is a stunning village home in the old centre of Lerici, with a breath-taking terrace looking over the Mediterranean, and the islands of Palmaria and Tino, as well as the once pirate village of Porto Venere. Casa Letizia is an ideal place from which to explore the coast – walk along the myriads of paths along the coast, or take a boat to hidden coves along the Cinque Terre and towards Bocca di Magra. The large terrace becomes the focus of the house and is a great place to sit with an aperitif, enjoying the sound of the waves below.

Accommodation

In this charmingly furnished, architect designed house, you enter on the main floor and work your way up or down. On the main floor there is a fully equipped kitchen and a spacious living room, which extends into a breath-taking terrace overlooking amazing views of the bay and the sea. An elegant black slate circular staircase leads up to a bathroom and a double bedroom with a small terrace overlooking the sea

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