With lush country landscapes and vineyards as far as the eye can see, Tuscany is an ideal vacation when you just need to get away from the stresses of everyday life. And although we love staying in Florence, the capital of Tuscany, sometimes you need to get out of the city to get a real feel for the region. There’s nothing like renting a car and touring the small towns and villages of Tuscany.

And while you might imagine sipping wine poolside, looking out onto the rolling hills and sleeping in a centuries-old hotel might cost you euros upon euros, Tuscany can be surprisingly affordable.

More travel tips for Tuscany:
• 10 Tips for saving on a vacation in Florence
• Easy day trips from Florence
• The best budget hotels in Florence

Our favorite cheap hotels in Tuscany

We’re sharing our favorite budget hotels in Tuscany (most under $100 per night) that are more than just a place to rest your head — these hotels deliver on cleanliness, coziness, and character. And much to our delight, many of them even have an outdoor pool!

Hotel San Luca

Rooms from $63 a night
Piazza Garibaldi 2, Cortona

Located in Cortona’s beautiful historic center, the Hotel San Luca offers sophisticated, budget-friendly rooms with free Wi-Fi, breakfast and air conditioning. The hotel’s shared terrace is a favorite hang out, as it offers picturesque views of the region. Book your stay here.

Enjoy spacious rooms with low rates at the Hotel Inn just outside of Florence.

Inn Hotel

Rooms from $90 a night
Via Edison 8, Barberino di Mugello

Located less than an hour north of Florence, the Inn Hotel offers low rates for simple but spacious rooms with free Wi-Fi and air conditioning. Rooms come with modern amenities, like mini-bars, flat-screen TVs, and a complimentary buffet breakfast. And of course, the views do not disappoint. Book your stay here.

The poolside lounge chairs are waiting for you at Hotel Residence Villa Rioddi.

Hotel Cappelli

Rooms from $92 a night
Viale Alessandro Bicchierai 139, Montecatini Terme

The elegant Hotel Cappelli offers cheap and charming accommodations near the train station in the city center, plus air-conditioned en suite rooms and an outdoor pool. If you’re looking to really unwind, the hotel also offers discounts to the nearby Terme di Montecatini Spa. Book your stay here.

Step into a room at Hotel Residence Villa Rioddi for a memorable Italian retreat.

Hotel Residence Villa Rioddi

Rooms from $97 a night
Strada Provinciale Monte Volterrano 71, Volterra

Set in a 15th-century building, the Hotel Residence Villa Rioddi provides guests with old-world charm and stunning views of Tuscany. The hotel offers everything from a pool to free bike rentals to a delicious breakfast buffet (included in the low price!). Book your stay here.

Welcome to paradise for only $100 per night at Hotel Belvedere Di San Leonino.

Hotel Belvedere Di San Leonino

Rooms from $100 a night
Loc. San Leonino, Castellina in Chianti

From the inviting guestrooms to the outdoor pool, every area of the Hotel Belvedere Di San Leonino offers unbeatable vineyard views. Each room is a charmer, complete with exposed oak ceiling beams and antique furnishings. The lovely location puts you only 20 minutes from Siena. Book your stay here.

Related: A quick guide to the wines of Tuscany

It’s easy to relax in the Tuscan countryside at Borgo San Luigi.

Borgo San Luigi

Rooms from $112 a night
Strada delle Cerreta 7, Monteriggioni

Get away from it all at the Borgo San Luigi, a sleepy hotel located on 20 acres of idyllic Tuscan countryside. Spend your afternoons lounging by the pool or riding horses on the land. To top it off, most rooms even come with gardens or balconies. Book your stay here.

Cheapo Splurge

We adore the old-world Tuscan style at Fattoria Abbazia Monte Oliveto.

Fattoria Abbazia Monte Oliveto

Rooms from $178 a night
Località Monte Oliveto 15, San Gimignano

While it is a bit of a cheapo splurge, the Fattoria Abbazia Monte Oliveto doesn’t offer hotel rooms — it offers apartments. With this in mind, the spacious lodgings are quite a good deal, especially with extra amenities like a swimming pool, a vibrant garden and wine and olive oil tastings. It’s located just outside of the gorgeous hill town of San Gimignano. Book your stay here.

More affordable accommodations in Tuscany

Looking for more hotels in Tuscany? Search more than 27,000 hotels and accommodations.

The post Italian Getaways: Our favorite affordable hotels in Tuscany appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Simply show up with empty bottles or boxes and fill them up with the wine of your choice. It’s typically cheaper than buying a bottle in the supermarket and, most importantly, the wines are of high quality and integrity.

Here are five places I recommend for filling up with wine on tap in Florence:

Enoteca Alla Sosta dei Papi
Via Borgo La Croce, 81r
Neighborhood: Sant’Ambrogio

Located right down the road from Sant’Ambrogio market, this enoteca is a perfect place to fill up on wine after you get your groceries from the market. They offer six or seven wines on tap, almost all from local family-owned wineries. Their most inexpensive red wine is a Montepulciano, at €2.60/liter, while their most popular is the Montalcino for €3.30/liter.

If you are looking for a basic red wine, I would recommend one of their “table” wines: the Rosso Toscano Chianti and the Nero d’Avola (Sicilian), both for €2.80/liter. My personal favorite so far is their Chardonnay for €2.70/liter.

One of the special aspects of this enoteca is that you can organize little (or big) “Apericena” events here. For about €15 a person, you can choose a wine and eat from a buffet of local Tuscan specialties, like local meats and cheeses, bruschetta and other goodies.

Fattoria San Michele a Torri
Via dell’Agnolo, 101
Neighborhood: Santa Croce

Fattoria San Michele a Torri offers a smaller selection of wine on tap, but the wines are all from grapes that are biologiche (organic). I am obsessed with their Merlot (€3.50/liter), but their red and white table wines are also amazing (€2.40/liter).

I would also recommend buying your bread here. Although it is a bit more expensive than what you will find at the supermarket, it is well worth the extra euro. Baked in a wood fired oven, the loaves taste great with local cheeses (which you can also buy here).

San Michele is where all my friends from this neighborhood go to get wine—it’s always packed with locals, a great sign.

I Vinaio
Via delle Carra, 16
Neighborhood: Piazza S. Jacopino

I Vinaio an itsy bitsy little wine and beer shop on Via delle Carre, near Piazza San Jacopino. The wines on tap cost around €2- €5 a bottle and all come from Tuscany or Sicily. I bought a red “Morello” that was amazing for only €3 here.

Unlike most wine stores in Florence, this store also carries a wide selection of artisan beer. Though there is no beer on tap, their prices for bottled specialty beer are not extraordinarily high, so it’s easy enough to come and try a couple from their selection to find one you really like. The owners are very knowledgeable, so if you are unsure of what to try, just ask them and they will help you select the perfect wine or beer to fit your tastes. If you are in the mood for something bubbly, they also have prosecco on tap, how amazing is that?!

Vigna Vittoria
Via Fabroni Giovanni, 14R
Neighborhood: Piazza S. Jacopino

The superstore!  Vigna Vittoria has a huge selection of wine on tap. What makes this place great is their extensive selection of wines from all around Italy, not just Tuscany. White wines from Venice, Liguria, red wines from Piedmont, Puglia, Sardinia etc. and prices that are very affordable. (Basic red/white table wines start at €1.20/liter.)

Plan on coming here when you have lots of time—preferably in the morning or late evenings when it is least busy—so that you will have a chance to talk with a staff member about their selection.

BVeg
Via degli Orti Oricellari, 6
Neighborhood: Santa Maria Novella Station

Not only does Bveg offer some of the best vegetarian food in Florence, but this little bistro has a great selection of beer, hence the name B(eer)Veg(etarian). They have about six beers on tap, all of which are exclusively from Italian breweries.

I recommend the Brewfist Jale, but if you are unsure of what you want, sit at the bar and—if it isn’t too busy—the bartender will let you sample a couple of beers. An average-sized beer costs around €5 and if you come after 7 p.m. they offer a small aperitivo: a selection of delicious little finger foods (some of which are made using the beer!).

This is a place to come and enjoy a glass of beer or wine with friends in a tranquil atmosphere—with great music and free Wi-Fi too!

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It has, in truth, been incredibly relaxing and perhaps there’s a lesson or two in here for Cheapos planning summer trips. We’ve not used a single plane on our spring tour of western and central Europe, sticking instead mainly to trains, with just the occasional journey by bus or boat thrown in for good measure.

Wander around Santa Margherita Ligure's harbor. Photo © hidden europe

Seduced by sunshine

But the secret of not merely surviving but actually enjoying such long trips has a lot to do with making the most of each overnight stay. Cast back to Palm Sunday early this month, and we experienced one of those glorious days that are just too good to be spent entirely on the move.

We left Florence shortly after midday, taking slow trains via Lucca through blossoming western Tuscany. We then tracked north up the coast, but by 3 p.m. realized that this sparkling spring Sunday was one made for lingering by the sea, so we alighted at Santa Margherita Ligure.

Santa Margherita Ligure

This is a gem of a small town, tucked into the coast of the Riviera di Levante. The previous stop on the train line up the Ligurian coast is Rapallo, which has been celebrated as the perfect Ligurian resort. Some might argue that Portofino, so very much smaller but often dreadfully overcrowded, has the edge.

A walk through town. Photo © hidden europe

While devotees of this stretch of coastline tussle over the competing merits of Rapallo and Portofino, we think the best option is Santa Margherita Ligure, which lies halfway between the two.

Exploring the area

Within 20 minutes of having alighted from the train, we had checked into the Hotel Laurin and were soaking up the Ligurian sunshine on a splendid private terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. “Life,” we thought, “doesn’t get much better than this.”

That Santa Margherita stopover was utterly memorable. We wandered around the yacht harbor, went over to Portofino by boat and returned on the local bus. We explored cliffs and coves, enjoyed a splendid dinner of local fish at Trattoria dei Pescatori and were quite sad when, just after lunch the following day, it was time to leave Santa Margherita Ligure and head north towards the Alps.

Twenty-two hours in Santa Margherita were enough to make us realize that we had stumbled upon somewhere special. We shall most certainly return.

Connections

Santa Margherita Ligure is served by direct Trenitalia InterCity trains from Genoa (35 mins), Milan (2hrs 15mins) and Pisa (2hrs). There are regular boat services linking Santa Margherita with both Rapallo and Portofino, both hops taking about 15 minutes.

Santa Margherita is also a good base for exploring the Cinque Terre coast. Local trains from Santa Margherita to the Cinque Terre villages take an hour. During the summer season there are also direct boat services from Santa Margherita Ligure to the Cinque Terre villages.

The hotel we chose at Santa Margherita, the Laurin, is a very comfortable family-run hotel on the waterfront an easy 15-minute walk from the railway station. Rooms are from €70. The Ciana family who run the Hotel Laurin are a long-established family of hoteliers. In 1897, Gaudenzio Ciana who ran a hotel in Novara moved to Santa Margherita Ligure and opened a hotel there. 115 years later, the Ciana family are still in this idyllic spot on the Ligurian coast and, as well as the Hotel Laurin, they also have a handful of other properties in and around Santa Margherita Ligure. The Hotel Laurin is marketed under the Best Western brand.

The post Ligurian Diversions: Santa Margherita Ligure appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Not too long ago, Umbria–with its rolling hills covered in vineyards and olive groves and topped by tiny medieval stone villages–was touted as the cheaper alternative to Tuscany (her neighbor to the north). This is not so true anymore, as this region in central Italy has begun to show up on more travelers’ radars and prices have risen according to demand.

That said, Umbria doesn’t necessarily have to take a Tuscany-sized bite out of your wallet. Be it shoe-string or tight, here are four tips to help you stick to your trip budget in Umbria.

Time it right

The chances of scoring deals on flights, accommodations and car rentals rise exponentially by choosing a “shoulder” season (those buffer months between high and low seasons). This doesn’t mean you are stuck with the dog-days of January; shoulder season for Umbria generally includes the months of March (and some of April) and November (and some of October).

The weather can be spottier than it would be at the height of summer–with cool, crisp days interspersed with some showers—so bring clothes you can layer, and make sure you have both indoor and outdoor sights on your itinerary so you can work around anything the weather might toss at you.

Stay in an agriturismo

You can hardly spit in rural Umbria without hitting an agriturismo, or “farm holiday,” which are scattered throughout the region. These working farms offer accommodation (and sometimes small restaurants) and are a great choice for travelers counting their pennies.

Rates tend to be lower than hotels, many offer self-catering apartments so you can do some of your own cooking, and if you’re lucky and time it right you often have access to a vegetable garden, farm-fresh eggs, homemade wine, and olive oil. You also have the chance to savor authentic country life with an Italian family… an experience no money can buy.

Bring home the bacon (or prosciutto)

While we’re on the subject of the advantages of an agriturismo, let’s talk food. With access to a kitchen, you can dramatically cut down your restaurant expenditures by cooking at home and preparing picnics to take along on day trips. If you’re worried about missing out on Umbria’s fabulous regional cuisine, don’t fret; this simple fare is founded more on fresh, local ingredients than fancy preparation techniques.

Take the time to wander through the region’s farmers’ markets, local butchers, specialty cheese, pasta, and bread shops and pick up a little culture along with your dinner ingredients.

Sometimes the best things in life are free

Umbria is particularly budget travel friendly because so many of its sights are free. Almost all major artworks and architectural treasures are in churches open to the public. Much of the region’s charm is in taking scenic drives through the rolling landscape, walks in one of the region’s parks, or simply wandering the streets of its numerous picturesque hilltowns.

Umbria also has a plethora of music festivals from spring through late summer, and many hold free concerts during their program. A stroll through sleepy Spello, a drive along the Nera river, gazing upon the iconic frescoes in the Basilica of Saint Francis, watching the sun set over Lake Trasimeno, dropping in on an open-air jam session in Perugia, a picnic on Mount Subasio: all unforgettable moments in Umbria that won’t cost you a cent.

About the author: Rebecca Winke moved to Italy from Chicago in 1993 and shortly thereafter opened an agriturismo in her husband’s renovated family farmhouse at the foot of Mount Subasio near Assisi, Umbria. She spends her time taking care of guests at Brigolante, blogging about the lovely region she now calls home at Rebecca’s Ruminations, and wondering about what strange winds blew an urban vegetarian to a farm in Umbria.

The post Umbria, Italy: Tips for budget travelers appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Here are a few tips for navigating the dangerous (and delicious) waters of buying Tuscan wine.

Tuscan wines

First of all, how do you know if a wine is from Tuscany? In most cases it will be written on the bottle, often in the Italian form “Toscana.”

If not, there are many wines from specific areas of Tuscany that are well known and proudly display the name of their provenance. So, while scanning the hundreds of bottles in front of you, keep an eye out for these names:

Brunello di Montalcino: One of the most famous and prized Tuscan wines, Brunello di Montalcino takes five years to produce, from the picking of the grape to the sale of the bottle. This dry and robust red wine is produced in Montalcino in the southeast area of Tuscany.

Carmignano: This red wine comes from a picturesque hill town about 30 minutes outside of Florence and was a favorite of the Medici family, as two of their villas were located in the area.

Chianti: The most famous of Italian red wines, Chianti is an area not far from Florence. Due to its fame you will find a seemingly infinite number of “Chianti” wines, so keep an eye out for the “Chianti Classico,” which has its own DOCG. Also check out the Chiantis produced in other nearby areas such as Colli Senesi and Montalbano.

Morellino di Scansano: A strong, dry red wine from the Grosseto area, in the south of Tuscany.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano: One of the area’s few white wines, Vernaccia is typically from the medieval hill town of San Gimignano.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano: Another famous historic red wine with a dry taste and floral scent from the southeast of Tuscany.

Vin Santo: This is a typical Tuscan dessert wine, made from dried grapes and generally golden in color. There is no specific town or area that produces Vin Santo, but I recommend the slightly expensive version from Carmignano. It is traditionally enjoyed with cantuccini, an almond cookie from Prato, that are similar to what we would call “biscotti.”

Clues to picking a good wine

A good starting point is to look for the acronyms, “DOC” (“Denominazione di origine controllata”) and “DOCG” (“Denominazione d’origine controllata e garantita”). These two classifiers are given to wine that comes from a protected area, and have a reputation for high quality and other particular characteristics.

“DOCG” is given to wines of even greater importance and quality. You’ll usually find “DOCG” written on the front of a bottle directly under the name, as it is almost as important as the name itself.

For a more in-depth explanation of these classifications, check out our previous article on Roman wine. Otherwise, just trust me and look out for affordable DOCG wines so you can spend less time reading labels and more time drinking!

How much should you spend?

Wine is like water here in Tuscany and seems to be produced everywhere you look. Rightfully then, it’s much cheaper to buy than in other parts of the world.

Even in the shops of the main tourist areas (for example in the center of Florence), you should only have to spend €5-10 for a good bottle. Wine can easily cost less than €5 (Tavernello, a watery boxed table wine may actually cost less than milk!), but the quality generally increases along with the price.

Obviously, it’s impossible to try every type of Tuscan wine and nearly as impossible to find a favorite. But you can try! Go ahead and start testing…

Your favorite Tuscan wine?

Do you have a favorite Tuscan wine? Share your wine recommendations with us in the comments section.

The post Tuscan Wines: A quick buyer’s guide appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

For all other readers, here are a few activities in Florence that will keep you on the cooler side of the sun without spending a ton.

Swimming in Florence

The biggest and most frequented pool complex in town is la Piscina Comunale Costoli near the Campo di Marte Stadium. The complex contains three pools and during the summer  is open to the public for €6.50. There is also a baby pool and water slides. To get there, take ATAF buses 10, 17 or 20 or walk five minutes north of the Campo di Marte Train Station.

Another option is the Parco Piscina Le Pavoniere, an outdoor pool set in a green space along the Arno River. Entry costs €7 on weekdays and €8 on the weekends. The pool is within walking distance from the center. It can also be accessed by ATAF bus 17C.

Beaches near Florence

Public beaches are quite scarce in Italy, so a trip to the sea could mean dishing out some cash for a spot in the sand. Typical expenses on these private beaches include fees for chairs, parasols or an entrance fee to the beach.

The closest option from Florence is Viareggio, which can be accessed by train in an hour and a half.  (It makes a good day trip.) A round-trip ticket costs around €12, but the rest of your excursion could run a bit higher depending on which part of the beach you settle on. Being the closest beach to Florence, Viareggio can also get quite packed, and the prices in the city tend to be on the spicy side.

If you have access to a car, why not take a little adventure up the coast? Everyone raves about Cinque Terre, but Tuscany’s Riviera Apuana is much less crowded and closer to Florence. Plus,  it has its own share of Mediterranean charisma.

Parks in Florence

While in Florence, shade is your friend. And trees give lots of shade so you will definitely want to be friends with them. The problem is that there is not much green in downtown Florence—unless you visit the little parks peppered between the streets.

A perfect example is the small yet beautiful Giardino del Palazzo Vivarelli Colonna near the Santa Croce Basilica.  It’s open Tuesday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It offers lots of trees and lots of shade, and it’s entirely free.

A second option is Le Cascine, the largest public park in Florence. Situated along the Arno River, it’s a great place to picnic, read and relax. On Tuesdays, it turns into a huge market from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. However, like all big city public parks, it’s best to avoid it once the sun sets.

And as a last option to beat the heat: There is, of course, air-conditioning.

The post Florence Pools, Parks, and Beaches: Cheap ways to keep cool under the Tuscan sun appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Poggio a Caiano, a small town about 30-40 minutes northwest of Florence, is a great example of amazing Tuscan history integrated into a modern Italian town. The highlight of the town is the country villa of the Medici family, which you can visit for free!

The villa’s history

The Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano was first built in the 15th century for Lorenzo the Magnificent, Grand Duke of Florence. It remained the summer residence of the Medici family for hundreds of years. The villa was where the Medicis’ foreign brides were received before being welcomed to Florence.

Outside the Medici Villa

Francesco I and his famous mistress Bianca Cappello were found mysteriously dead here in 1589, most likely poisoned by the grand duke’s power-hungry brother. (The livers of both were discovered hidden in the church you can see upon the hill in the distance.)

During the first years of the unified Italian Monarchy in the 19th century, the villa was used as the royal residence. Later on, during the Second World War, residents of the town took shelter in the villa’s basement as protection from the bombing.

How to get there

Start by catching one of the large blue buses that stop at the end of Via Nazionale near the train station. You can buy tickets in the small ticket office on Largo Alinari. It is best to buy two one-way tickets (€2 each) so as to be prepared for the return journey. Buses leave every 15 to 30 minutes.

You can take a bus leaving for either Poggio a Caiano, Pistoia or Quarrata, all of which will stop in front of the Villa (however, ask the driver just to be sure). You will most likely need to request your stop. Although the Villa is a popular stop, make sure to press the “stop” button on the wall when you see that you are entering Poggio a Caiano and you can see the villa walls right next to the road. Don’t worry, they’re hard to miss!

A view from the entrance

Get off of the bus right in front of the villa gates. The public entrance is slightly to the left through a small gate. Entrance to both the garden and villa are free. You can enter the villa with the assistance of an employee, who opens the doors to visitors every half hour. However, the employees are not tour guides, so if you’re very interested in learning about the history, it is best to do some research before you visit.

What to look for

Highlights of the villa include the full-sized theater on the ground floor, the 19th-century décor left over from its days as a royal residence, the elegant ceramic motif and the sweeping iron-railed staircase.

A ceramic border on the villa

Before or after you visit the interior, make sure to take a walk through the gardens. To the right of the villa you will find a pleasant “Italian-style” garden alongside the Limonaia (a greenhouse for lemon trees). Feel free to explore the gardens in the back as well. Though they have grown unkempt over the past years, it is fun to wander through and find the statues, small buildings and winding passageways from the villa’s heyday.

After winding away the afternoon in this pleasant spot, walk down the hill to the left. Here you’ll find a café which serves the ultimate Tuscan treat: the bombolone. At around 4 p.m. each day, this café bakes up fresh this Italian take on the doughnut, filled with rich cream and coated in sugar. Finish up with a hot espresso and get ready to head back into the Florence!

The Medici Villa
Piazza de Medici 14, 59016 Poggio a Caiano
Web site
+39 0552388796
Opening hours: 8:15 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (closing time varies depending on the season)
Admission: free

The post Florence Day Trip: The Medici Villa in Poggio a Caiano appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Defy the travel canon

If we had a month to spare in Paris, we would surely hit the Louvre, but it is not compulsory for a first-time visit. We must confess to having skipped the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, the Kremlin in Moscow and the Tower in London.

Of course, it does take a bit of courage to miss those big sights, the multi-starred attractions that have acquired legendary status as keystones in the travel canon. The art of being away from home does not come easily, but after years of practice, we think we have it sussed. It is, essentially, to live as the locals do. Parisians do not spend their weekends in long lines waiting to see the Mona Lisa, and nor should you.

Opt for an alternative

This strategy takes a bit of nerve to begin with. We returned home and confessed to elderly relatives that we went to the Vatican, but skipped the Raphaels and Michelangelos, preferring instead to go and see the Vatican railway station (yes, there is one!).

But slowly we grew into the role, realizing that it was possible to travel through Bavaria without including Neuschwanstein Castle in our itinerary. We became ever bolder with every journey. We missed the Edinburgh Festival, slept by accident through Tuscany, and said “No, thanks” when offered free tickets to the Alhambra.

“What barbarians,” we hear you say. “How can they visit Athens and skip the Acropolis?” Our retort will always be, “Because there are too many more interesting things to do instead.” In Paris, there are cafés to linger in, parks to savor, backstreets to explore. And, in truth, once you have traveled through Europe as much as we have, one Renaissance crucifixion begins to look much like another.

Tell us what you think

Do you agree that your travel experience can be enriched by skipping the big-name draws? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

The post Travel Confessions: Paris without the Louvre appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Now, before you ask “what were you thinking?” or say “that doesn’t sound particularly Cheapo, Pete,” let me explain further.

Yes, the villa we rented was admittedly off-the-charts decadent. It had seven large bedrooms, five bathrooms, a kitchen nearly as large as my current apartment, a billiard room, a dining room, a massive living room area, an in-ground pool whose gorgeousness was eclipsed only by its vineyard view, and—somewhat inexplicably—a separate, small chapel on the grounds. And just to round it off, there were also large stone lion statues adjacent to the front doors, greeting us upon our return from schlepping around the countryside.

But did we mention the entire week-long stay cost each person roughly $70 per night? Sure, you can beat the pants off that price at a number of our Editor’s Picks in Florence (while actually being in Florence rather than a 45-minute drive outside) but for everything that the villa had to offer, we felt the price was reasonable. And for the sheer experience of the endeavor we were willing to shell out a few extra euros.

Related: Our favorite affordable hotels in Tuscany

But looking back on our trip, there are a number of tips and recommendations that would have been helpful to know when we were planning our stay. Here are some things to consider when renting a villa in Tuscany:

1. Prepare to “hub” it.

If you’re planning to explore a particular region – rather than just one specific city – renting a villa makes sense. Our villa was located near the village of Traversa, making it easy to “hub it” and visit Florence, Pisa, Siena, Cinque Terre, Bologna, and even Venice during our trip. Which brings us to our next tip…

2. Get ready to drive.

Rent a car and plan on driving it a lot. This might seem obvious to most, but prior to our trip we didn’t really consider how frequently we’d be driving around the region. Fortunately we had several eager drivers among us who were particularly adept with manual transmissions. Otherwise, we likely wouldn’t have strayed too far from our residence. Which, again, brings us to our next tip…

3. Get cooking.

While most villa rental agencies offer decadent, home-cooked meals on the premises at an extra cost, part of what made our experience so special was handling all meals ourselves (plus it saved a whole lot of money). There was never any shortage of ingredients at local markets for our nightly dinners and we found that a large part of our daily routine revolved around dinner planning. And we loved it.

4. Get ready for some family time.

For our group, part of what made renting a villa so special was traveling as a big family. Sure, we experienced our fair share of “I think it’s your turn to do the dishes” moments, but we still frequently reflect and laugh about our hysterical experience of sleeping in the Tuscan castle.

When renting a villa in Tuscany might not make sense

1. You don’t like your in-laws. Just kidding. Promise.

2. You don’t like driving through twisty, turny, slightly nerve-wracking roads. If this is the case, you might be better off staying in a city rather than in the winding hills.

3. When the math doesn’t work out. Budget wisely and consider all the incidental expenses of renting a villa. While the per person price of accommodation itself can be similar to that of  2 and 3-star hotels, you’ll also pay for food, car rentals, gas, electricity, a cleaning fee, and any other incidentals that spring up.

Websites that specialize in renting villas in Tuscany and elsewhere

There are many helpful websites that provide reservation services for villa rental throughout Europe. Most offer large format, high quality photos that should stir up your excitement. Here are a few that we recommend checking out:

Parker Villas – Specializes in villas through Italy. Parker Villas was one of the first villa rental agencies we discovered when we started our search.

Tuscany Now – Large listing of villas for rent in Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Sicily, and other regions in Italy.

VRBO – While not technically a villa reservation agency, VRBO does feature many properties in Tuscany and beyond, plus the rates tend to be a bit more reasonable.

Cuendet – Offers villas in Croatia, Italy, France, and Spain (and was the website we used when booking ours).

Tell us: Have you ever rented a villa in Italy or elsewhere? Share your experience with other Cheapos by leaving a comment below.

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Choosing the farm experience over a backpacking trip in Europe

I knew that my own personal budget for a European trip could likely only cover airfare and a few extras (a one-night hotel splurge somewhere, a few good meals, some museums) and originally wanted to find an artist residency program overseas. I had read about several merit-based programs and wanted to try my hand at one. But many have hefty applications and I wanted to get moving quickly. I then remembered that I had a friend who worked as a farm hand in a farm residency program in Tuscany. All the stars aligned. I contacted my friend, got the info on the program, communicated with the farm owner (that was a funny first email exhange!), and started packing.

How a farm residency is different from agriturisimo

Some farms, especially in Italy, focus on agriturismo.  For a fee, tourists can rent out apartments or rooms and live on the farm, enjoying the landscape and people. You won’t necessarily have to work if you go this route, but you will pay more for room, food, housekeeping, and possibly car rental depending on how far the farm is from town. The farm residency experience is intense, hard, and a world-altering. But, all room and board is paid for in exchange for your physical labor.

Green acres

I was excited for my trip. I knew it would be a crash course in how an entirely different set of people lived: I come from huge, flat, urban sprawl (how do you say strip mall in Italian?) and going to live on a farm with dense forests, mountains, swamps, and nearin fact I still sport dozens of scars on my forearms from clearing away thorn bushes from hiking trails. But most of all, I got to know the people on the farm, folks who did not have to pretend to like me to make a sale. There was no tourism involved. I was there to work, and they treated me with the respect of both a guest and a fellow member of the farm staff. When I ate with them, it felt like I was part of the family.

Although I spoke very little Italian, we tried to converse. I heard about the environmental crisis hitting Tuscany this year—the monsoon-like rains that threatened to prevent crop planting. I learned about the school lives of the children that reside on the farm. And I tried my best to share my own life with them.

Unlike when merely visiting a place—or simply consuming mainstream tourism, here I felt like I was leaving a very tangible piece of myself. My own hard work, my personal experience could remain, in some facet, at the farm. I plan to go back there again someday.

Farm tales

Tiziano, the farm manager, and Andrea, his one-man farm crew, handled the bulk of the work. I was introduced to Tiziano just as he was finishing the slaughtering of a pig. He smiled, wiped his bloody hands on his pants, and shook my hand. Then he waltzed over to a cooler, took out a chain of linked sausage, and after wiping a bloody butcher knife on his pants, he began cutting up pieces for me to eat. He then smiled again and offered me the salsicha (pork sausage). I felt that right at that moment, I had entered the world of the farm. Farmers of this region had been doing it this way for hundreds of years. I felt safer in Tiziano’s huge, sure hands than with the USDA anyway.

Tricks of the trade

The other figure that made quite an impression was Andrea. What Andrea lacked in physical stature; he made up for in attitude. He did much of the farm work on the farm by himself. When it was raining, and we couldn’t trail blaze, we were given over to Andrea for sanding duty. Many of the doors and window frames were old and needed to be refinished. So as Andrea explained to us what refinishing the doors entailed, we discovered two things: none of us had any real experience with sanding before, and Andrea was not really equipped to explain to us how to go about doing the sanding, as he knew just a few words in English. Andrea is as Tuscan as Tuscan can be, so he’d speak in a very specific Italian countryside dialect and end with “capiche?” Then he’d wait a second, say “non capiche,” smile, and walk away. We were left to the sanding.

After working with him a little bit, we found that if we just started doing stuff, and if we did it wrong, he’d come over and demonstrate how to do it right.

Cheapo farmer, and how you can be one too

The Cheapo benefits of working on a farm? I got great workouts (hello biceps!), ate amazing home cooking, and gained an eye-opening look at how another culture lives. And all I had to pay for was my plane ticket.  Hey, I got dirty.  I had to spend time with smelly animals and there were lots of physically straining activities. All of my cool city slicker clothes pretty much got destroyed (note to self: Next time, bring overalls.)

To find out more about programs like this one, you can visit http://wwoof.org. If it’s open to you, you can always go the artist residency route. The possibilities here are varied and have specific payoffs. Some programs house you in castles, some on farms, some in tree houses and the like.

Hoe-down!

For more about Reinhardt’s travels, visit his blog: The Pork Chop Express. And be sure to check out his post, “Five Tips for Stretching Your Budget Abroad” here.

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