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Newsletter Archive
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| Why Rent?
Settle into the daily pattern of European country life. Stay in your own renovated 18th century farmhouse. Enjoy meals at home tasting local cheeses, salamis, fruit and wine. Relax on your own terrace with a view of the countryside. Meet your neighbors and shopkeepers and make new friends. Become less of a tourist and more of a welcome visitor. |
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 The Gregory party, Villa Clara, Lucca |
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| Ville et Village has been written up in Travel and Leisure, The New York Times, The LA Times, Food and Wine, Consumer Report Travel Letter, Fortune Magazine, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, American Express Departures, The New York Post and many regional papers. |
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Every year, we remind people that early booking is especially important for people who want the best choice for certain types of vacations. July/August vacations This is high season when all of Europe goes on vacation. Book now for rentals in those months, especially if you want to go between July 17 and August 14. Large parties If you’re a group of 8 or more, book early to get the best choice in a large house. There are simply fewer large houses, and so they tend to book up early. Stays of 4 weeks or more If you want to book a month at the same property, plan early. Once January comes and people start actively booking, it may be harder to find 4 weeks vacant in a row at some properties. Special needs Do you require…. a bathroom for every bedroom?.. a house that sleeps 10 with pool, where you can walk into the village?… a bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor for a person with difficulty climbing stairs?… a seaside house?…There aren’t that many European houses with such amenities, so book early to reserve your special house. |
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Renting an apartment in one of Italy's premiere cities – Roma, Firenze, and Venezia – allows for a more intimate experience than staying in a hotel. I've done so in all 3 cities, and I highly recommend our clients do the same. This option is particularly appealing if you are a seasoned traveler who enjoys the feeling of actually living in a foreign city, instead of just visiting it. If you are on a budget, it can be more economical than a hotel. And if luxury is a high priority, we also have a selection of elegant apartments to propose. Even without a lot of cooking, a basic kitchen corner can allow you to profit from the fabulous markets, like the famous fish market in Venice, or the many wonderful delis (enotecas, pasticerrias, bacaros, etc…) that offer fast, tasty and portable alternatives for lunch. Or if you are feeling creative, you can purchase an array of dried meats, cheeses, and condiments to make your own unique panini. And if you really like to cook, you have the wonderful advantage of the finest and freshest ingredients available right in your own neighborhood.  In
Venice, I stayed in a compact but elegant apartment called
San Moise just around the corner from Piazza San Marco, and
less than two blocks from the famous Harry's Bar, where you
too can sip Bellinis as Hemingway did. If you want to be in
the hustle and bustle of it all, this is the place to be. I
must say it was nice to see the jealous reactions from other
tourists when I put my key in the door.Carolyn had a different experience. She stayed in an apartment in one of the more residential areas of Venice, the Santa Croce area, in the Teatro apartment. Though further from the main tourist attractions it was closer to the famous Campo de la Pescheria, with the amazing open-air food and fish market. She particularly enjoyed being on a small canal, and watching the gondoliers in their trademark uniforms practicing turning the narrow corners. It gave her an insider's look at true Venetian life. In Florence, an ideal location would be between the train station, near the San Lorenzo market where leather products are sold, and the Piazza del Duomo. There are a number of pedestrian only streets that are nice for strolling and shopping. This also puts you in good proximity to the Accademia and the Uffizi museum. Or take a longer walk across the Arno and up the hill to enjoy a sunset from the Piazza Michelangelo where you can get a spectacular view of all of Florence. We are now representing five apartments in this vicinity. These are all in the same building and each unit sleeps anywhere from 3 to 8. They are newly renovated and very comfortable.
 Rome
has the most active nightlife of all 3 of these cities, a feature
I particularly enjoyed! Piazza Navona and the Campo dei Fiori
are consistently filled with all walks of people until the wee
hours of the morning, great spots to people watch! The crowds
are all enjoying Moretti beer, finger foods from the bustling
corner cafés, but mostly each other’s company. I
rented a great one bedroom flat, apartment Trevi, just a block
from the glorious Fontana Trevi, a Piazza always packed with
tourists and locals alike. There was an internet café
across the pedestrian only lane, and bars and pizzerias right
at my doorstep.We also have several Gambero apartments near the Piazza Di Spagna and the famous Spanish steps Do note that contrary to country rentals, city apartments remain in high demand year round, so book early to ensure the best selection. Rentals of less than a week can often be arranged in these city apartments. For those of you who prefer the intimacy of a smaller town setting, we have two apartments in Lucca, one in Siena, one in Cortona, and one in Montalcino. Email or call us for more information about these and other possibilities, as these are currently not on the website. [back to top] |
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The Ile de Re is a special French resort and one of my favorite places. Located in the Charente-Maritime, off the mid-Atlantic coast, it is famous among the French, but little known by Americans and other foreigners. When I spent my vacation there one August, we scarcely met another foreign tourist. What a wonderful treat! You do want to polish your French when you visit, but the locals are very friendly and patient with non-French speakers. This pretty island is just 30 kms long by 5 kms wide and has 9 villages on it. Blessed by a special micro-climat, the Ile de Ré has clear sunny warm weather for most of May through October. What is special, is what the island doesn’t have. It has no billboards, no highways, no chain restaurants and no tall hotels. You definitely feel like you’ve arrived in a simpler more authentic French environment. 
There’s lots to do on the island. The villages are very charming with white washed walls and narrow lanes dotted with pink hollyhocks. Most of the villages have outdoor food markets which are a special treat. There is an excellent selection of local restaurants and stores. The sea, of course, is a main attraction. The north side of the island has picturesque harbors with lighthouses to match. The east side has pine forests leading to broad sandy beaches.  The island is covered with miles of excellent paved bicycle paths that wind from village to village through fields fragrant with local herbs, vegetables and ripening grapes. You often see entire families biking together with grandma and grandpa in their blue striped t-shirts, little kids on bikes with training wheels and tiny terriers perched in the baskets of mom or dad’s bicycle.The villages are lively in season with people strolling along the harbor, watching the fishing fleet come in, and enjoying the many outdoor cafes and excellent restaurants. Seafood is the specialty here with platters heaped high with mounds of crevettes grises(tiny fried shrimp) or  huitres(oysters). Fresh fish is often prepared with local wild herbs. Perhaps one of the most special things is visiting the marshes where salt is still raked by hand into picturesque cones to dry in the hot sun. The island is famous for its delicate fleur de sel (fine white sea salt) as well as the gros sel (coarse grey salt) still moist from the sea and often mixed with herbs. Each year, I bring home a bag of each.Because the French come back year after year to spend their holidays, it can be hard to find houses to rent. But Ville et Village is fortunate to offer several houses all owned by the now-retired poisonnière (fishmonger) in La Flotte. La Flotte is my favorite village because of its fishing port, lighthouse, horseshoe-shaped beach, and daily open-air market whose stalls are hundreds of years old. We offer 5 charming houses ranging from a small apartment in the middle of the village to a larger house with spacious internal courtyard that sleeps 10. You must book early to get availability and in July/August 2-weeks stays tend to be preferred. Look at our website under Ile de Ré. [back to top] |
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If you were delighted by the book or movie Under the Tuscan Sun and now want to stay in the Cortona, Montelpulciano area on your next vacation, we have a great selection there. TA057 is a lovely two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment in Cortona where much of the story is set. TM059 is in Montalcino, a small hilltop town famous for its Brunello wine which people travel from all over to taste. It is a spacious, renovated 15th century house with one of the largest balconies in the town! TM020 is in the countryside outside Pienza(created by the Pope as the perfect city!) and offers a peaceful country location with lovely views. The owners often invite guests over for a wine tasting. And we have lots more. Call or e-mail us to discuss renting houses in this beautiful corner of Tuscany. [back to top] |
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We thought you’d enjoy reading comments we received this summer from clients who stayed in our houses in Provence and commented on the hospitality received: PR025 Caromb “The caretaker Antoine was a lovely person, helpful when needed, unobtrusive at all times. We invited him for drinks and dinner and had a lovely evening.” PR053 Malaucène “Gifts of strawberries from farm family were a delightful bonus.” PR076 Roussillon “The kindest of owners.” PR077 and PR078 Cabrière d’Avignon “Friendly generous owner—there were flowers and a bowl of fruit when we arrived, and he gave my nieces permission to swim at any time, not just 3-5 as listed in the brochure.” “Owner very nice despite our inability to verbally communicate.” “Flowers on the table, fresh fruit basket left for us.” PR081 Lacoste “I can hardly express our delight with the property. Hélène was a lovely hostess.” PR337 Paradou “The hosts were wonderful—they even stocked the refrigerator for us as we arrived later than expected.” PR360 Paradou "We had a wonderful time. The property was first class and the hosts were very friendly."  L to R: Ben, Adrienne, Neil, and Janis Raphel avec Madame et Toffee, le chien PR380 Chateauneuf “Madame was a very cordial host, checking frequently to see that our needs were met. Always available if we had a question. It far exceeded our expectations!” [back to top] |
