Tuscany and Provence by the Week
By Rick Garman
Here I was, standing at the window of my own stone farmhouse in Provence, taking in the gentle hills dappled with the sunflower yellows, lavender purple and wheat field golds that inspired van Gogh, and many others. The pale silhouette of the Luberon Mountains rose from the horizon. It was all ours, at least for a week.
But what a week it was — exploring the lively local market, riding horseback along nearby trails, meandering through neighboring hill towns, bringing home fresh food and produce to enjoy with a chilled bottle of white wine at our hilltop retreat.
Perhaps best of all was the opportunity to comfortably interact with Europeans. Memories linger of wonderful conversations with the young farmer who owned the villa we rented, other folks on holiday in our little farm hamlet, and the shopkeepers we met at the local stores. In effect, we experienced what Rick Steves terms being a "temporary European."
As a tour guide for ETBD, I have the opportunity to meet and talk with many Americans traveling in Europe. Inevitably, travel conversations settle on the topic of living in Europe, or at least getting away from the usual routine of rushing from one sight to the next. While there are many excellent ways to slow down and experience Europe, including leisurely stays at the small family-run hotels listed in Rick's guidebooks, one of the best methods is renting an apartment, farmhouse, or villa. And that is what my wife Mary and I have been doing the past few travel seasons with week-long stays at the house in Provence, an apartment in Florence, and a farmhouse in Tuscany.
So, how did we find the right spots? The same way you'd find a good rental here in the U.S. Ask friends for recommendations, look through guidebooks, check out newspaper and real estate listings, and get on the Web. Before you look, identify what you hope to experience and where you want to go. Are you looking for an exciting and lively week in an urban location? Then Florence or Paris is a better option than the rural countryside of Provence or Tuscany!
Fortunately for us, the British are one of the most avid seekers of weekly rental property on the Continent. That means most properties show up in English-language catalogues and Web listings. Unfortunately, Brits, and other Europeans, especially Germans and Scandinavians, have much more extensive experience with weekly rentals than most American travelers. Quite often they reserve their favorite place up to a year in advance. Still, Europe is chock-full of rental opportunities; with a little work you can find one that's right for you.
Web Searches
Listings on the Web typically fall into three categories: catalogue-type listings from established rental agencies, local or regional listings from cooperating property owners, or individual owners listing their single properties. Each source has merits. Established agencies often offer more choices, have independently checked out the properties and provide ratings and/or reviews, and quite often allow easier payment options such as credit cards. But if you deal more directly with the owners, you'll probably pay less.
Pick your favorite search engine (I like www.google.com), type in key words such as "tuscany+rental+villa," and start clicking. That's how I located the rural farmhouse with a private pool that we recently rented in an undiscovered "back door" agricultural region in Tuscany, the Niccone Valley. In that case, we rented from a British couple who own the one farmhouse and have developed a small website to list it and about 20 other local rental properties owned by friends (www.tuscanyumbria.com). We rented our apartment in Florence through an excellent, user-friendly website maintained by an established agency (www.rentvillas.com). The house in Provence, on the other hand, was the sole Web listing of Mr.Yves Barthalay, the owner of the equestrian farm hamlet Les Laurons (www.laurons.com).
Website listings usually include pictures and descriptions of the property, prices and payment options, availability (including acceptable check-in times and procedures), and any extra amenities, such as a pool or children's play area. Generally, the website does not fully disclose the exact location of the property; you'll get that after you pay.
Keep in mind that these websites are actually marketing vehicles for the listings. What looks secluded or grand in a website picture may actually be next to the local garage. If you have any doubts or questions, you can usually resolve them via email.
Ten Tips for Enjoying a Successful Rental
More than ever, when you're staying in a weekly rental property, you need to be flexible and independent. After all, once you've checked in, that may be the last you see of the owners. Of course emergency contacts are always available.
Here are some tips to make the best of your rental experience:
1. Avoid peaks to sleep cheap. Rental prices follow the old rule of supply and demand. You'll pay more to visit popular vacation regions when the Europeans take their holidays in July and August. Our Tuscan farmhouse rents for as much as $1,900 at peak times but as little as $600 a week in late September or October.
2. If you want/need amenities, be willing to pay for them. A private pool can add substantially to the cost of a rural rental, as can air-conditioning in an urban apartment. On the other hand…during one of Florence's hottest June weeks, the pool and AC were worth every euro!
3. For one or two people, rural apartments can be an excellent lower-cost option to an entire villa or farmhouse. Often the owners have renovated an original rambling farmhouse or medieval estate into a series of well-constructed apartments with private kitchens, bathrooms, living areas, and individual outdoor terraces. They usually share a common pool and other amenities.
4. Most properties rent on a traditional Saturday to Saturday time period. You will probably be unable to rent for a different or shorter time, especially during peak seasons.
5. You will need private transportation, such as a rental car, to fully enjoy — or even reach — a rural rental property.
6. The rental property usually comes with an "instruction manual" containing information on how to operate the appliances and suggestions for local restaurants, shops, and sightseeing. Go with the property owner's suggestions to discover authentic local restaurants and activities you might never stumble upon otherwise.
7. Frequent local mom-and-pop grocery stores, butcher shops, pastry shops and bakeries. Get to know your local green grocer and he'll treat you like a local — personally selecting the ripest fruit and the freshest salad fixings. Part of the fun is collecting all the goodies; the other part is creating meals with them in your fully-equipped kitchen.
8. Explore your neighborhood. An early morning walk as the sun rises will probably find you in the company of the local farmer as he trims his grape vines, or the neighboring Italian grandmother who is lovingly tending her small garden. Go ahead — interact, even if you don't speak the local language.
9. Start planning your next visit before you even return home. Explore rental properties you notice, visit real estate agencies, and ask local residents and ex-pats for recommendations.
10. Slow down and enjoy. Even take a day off — or as Rick says, take a vacation from your vacation. One of the joys of staying for at least a whole week in one location is that you can develop a true la dolce far niente attitude. So, if the rain is pattering outside, grab a book from the in-house library and curl up on the sofa.
Staying put in one spot gives you the chance to let the days unwind without a plan. Often the highlights of our journeys are the unexpected thrills, such as watching Florence's annual San Giovanni Day fireworks from our apartment balcony, or spending an hour rescuing a waterlogged hedgehog from our pool in Tuscany. These are the kind of experiences that I wouldn't have missed for the world, and that I probably wouldn't have had if I were hotel hopping.
Sources
Here is a listing of websites mentioned in this article, as well as other suggested sources:
www.rentvillas.com (1-800-726-6702)
www.francebyheart.com (415-388-3075)
www.francehomestyle.com (206-325-0132)
www.domani-usa.com (877-436-6264 or 425-836-1017)
www.villasintl.com (800-221-2260 or 415-499-9490)
www.great-travels.com (800-411-3728 or 202-237-5220)
www.italianvillas.com (800-700-9549 or 203-855-8161)
www.hideaways.com (800-843-4433 or 603-430-4433)
For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' Provence & the French Riviera and Florence & Tuscany guidebooks — or join us on one of our free-spirited tours!