Most villages have a good assortment of shops for all your grocery needs – small grocery store with

Northern Italy: These regions make up the northern area of Italy, bordering on France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Regions – Valle d'Aosta, Lombardy, Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna
Tuscany (Toscana): Tuscany is a large region in central Italy with famous art cities (Lucca, Pisa, Florence, Siena), dramatic hilltowns (San Gimignano, Montalcino, Montepulciano) and beautiful countryside (the famous Chianti wine-producing area, the Crete).
travel packages to italy Umbria: Called the "green heart" of Italy, Umbria is in the center travel packages to italy of the country, east of Tuscany. See where St Francis of Assisi lived and preached in Assisi, visit the beautiful hill towns of Spello, Spoleto and Todi.
The Italian word Agriturismo (Agritourism in English) refers to rentals in the countryside (it is an official government program to promote vacation rentals on farms). American and English terms are also used – villa rentals, vacation rentals, holiday cottages, self catering.
Tuscany : Tuscany is a large and varied travel packages to italy region. Chianti, a wine-producing travel packages to italy area, is between Florence and Siena. Many regions travel packages to italy are declared to be the "new Tuscany" but the original Tuscany remains the premier destination for many reasons – beautiful hill towns, countryside that ranges from mountains to gentle hills covered with vines, olive trees or forests to the wide open fields of the Crete south of Siena and beautiful coastal areas on the Mediterranean.
Liguria : The Italian Riviera is another good summer destination. Walk the trails between the Cinque Terre villages or stay in seaside resorts like Lérici, Portovénere, Levanto, Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, San Remo.
There are many apartments to rent in the larger cities. It is not as easy to find apartment in the smaller hill towns, but there are some. There are many countryside houses (villas) or apartments/houses on farms and estates.
The government sponsored Agriturismo program encourage farmers to rent out houses and apartments on working farms and estates. This has produced a lot of very good vacation rentals, especially in Tuscany and Umbria, where you rent a place on a farm. Stay on a farm in the famous Chianti wine-producing area, or on a farm with acres of beautiful olive trees.
There are many very good local agencies with websites, English-speaking staff and a great selection of rentals in their area. You will also find many listings for Italy on Rent-from-Owner Directory sites. There are many US and Canadian vacation rentals agencies that specialize in Italy. Do not bother going to the Tourist Offices for vacation rental information. This is a good option in many European countries, but not in Italy.
Payment : Credit cards are not as popular in Italy as in other European countries. Some agencies may use them, but you may be expected to do a wire transfer for the deposit and balance, or even a cash payment for the balance.
Yes, you read correctly, you have to arrive with the payment in Euro. The downside is getting the Euros (order from your bank before you leave or pump the ATMs when you arrive), but the upside is that you can delay handing over the payment until you have seen the vacation rental and made sure it is what you expected.
The quality of vacation rentals travel packages to italy in Italy varies. In our years of renting in Italy, travel packages to italy we had "bad" rentals several times. Some houses/apartments on farms were set up as rentals over 30 years ago and seem like they have never been updated. But things are improving now and most vacation rentals in Italy have been modernized and are in good shape. Towels and bedding travel packages to italy are provided. Kitchens are fully equipped with all the pots and pans, dishes, cutlery, etc. that you need for cooking meals.
Many vacation rentals are in historic buildings or barns that have been renovated, so the layouts may be odd. We have stayed in places where you walk through one bedroom to get to the other one – not the best arrangement for two couples traveling together but fine for a family. Many of these older buildings travel packages to italy have a lot of stairs so if you have mobility problems ask about this. Houses/apartments in coastal areas may have many steps just to get to the entrance.
You won't find air conditioning but the thick stone walls and the window shutters help keep a place cool. If traveling in the height of summer, you may want a place with a pool so you can cool off in the hot afternoons.
Some places have "mini kitchens" or a kitchen corner with a small stovetop (sometimes 2 burners) and small work area. These are usually fine since you probably do not plan to cook all your meals there.
Italian kitchens are made for Italian cooking. You will not find a tea kettle but there will be a stovetop coffee maker (read more about the Moka Pot on Wikipedia ). There will be a large pot and a strainer for making pasta. You won't find a small pot with a tight fitting lid for making Chinese-style rice and the stovetop burners do not turn down as low as needed for simmering rice. (For rice dishes, Italians make risotto , which is cooked at a higher heat.)
We like to eat brown rice so I travel with a small stainless steel pot, a tight fitting lid and a flame tamer. I also bring a good vegetable knife since the ones provided may not be as good as I like.
Beds : Most vacation rentals in Italy have "double" or "single" beds. An Italian double bed is a bit larger than ours (in the US/Canada), but our twin is 3 inches wider than a Italian single. Their King is the same size as our Queen. See About Vacation Rentals – European Houses for more information about bed sizes.
Windows travel packages to italy : Even though there are lots of bugs in Italy, you rarely find screen windows. Close those window shutters before turning on the lights at night in the summer travel packages to italy to keep the bugs out. Most Italians do not sleep with windows open to the night air but instead close all the window shutters.
Internet Access : Not many vacation rentals in Italy offer Internet access. You are most likely to find it in rentals in a larger city or possibly on a farm with a group of rentals. If there is no internet access, you can get a slow connect via your cell phone (if you have a data plan and can use it as a modem).
Most villages have a good assortment of shops for all your grocery needs – small grocery store with a deli ( alimentari ), fruit and vegetable shop ( frutta e verdure ), butcher ( macelleria travel packages to italy ), bakery ( forno , pasticceria ). There are large, travel packages to italy American-style, travel packages to italy supermarkets in some areas. These are usually open during the afternoon siesta and even on Sunday.
Afternoon travel packages to italy Siesta : In the countryside, shops close for a long afternoon siesta, usually from noon or 1pm to 5pm. The larger supermarkets on the outskirts of towns may be open, but the village shops, and the village itself, will be locked up tight. travel packages to italy When the shops reopen at 5pm, the village springs back to life. Shops typically close at 7:30pm or 8pm.
Closed on Sunday : Most countryside rentals travel packages to italy in Italy are from Saturday to Saturday, with arrival between 4pm and 7pm. In most towns, shops are closed on Sunday, so this means you arrive, check in, see if the vacation rental owner provides any staples (most do not), then head out to the local shop to get some groceries. The good news is that most shops are open until 7:30pm or 8pm on