Under The Tuscan Sun, Frances Mayes' 1996 best-seller about restoring an Italian villa, created a parade of popular books about living in Italy. In retrospect, the subject seems a natural for a best-seller. Who wouldn't want to read about having a home where you can watch the morning breeze turn your olive grove into waves of rippling silver? Or sip your chianti as sunset splashes scarlet, gold, and purple across the Italian hillside?

Read? Who wouldn't want to do it? Well, you can, and unlike Mayes, you don't have to spend a lot of money and worry about maintenance year-round. By renting a villa, you can have an authentic, living-in-Italy experience for one, two, three weeks, or more.

For rental purposes, "villa" is a catchall term. You can experience virtually any type of property that your imagination can conjure up. Here are a few actual possibilities, with all prices representing a weekly tariff during high season. A cozy apartment near Rome's Piazza Navona, sleeps four, $852. A restored farmhouse on a hill near Pisa with a view from the countryside out to the sea, sleeps seven to eight, $1,904. A stone house built partly into a cliff along the Amalfi coast, with sweeping views of the sea hundreds of feet below, sleeps nine, $4,550.

The advantages of renting versus staying in a hotel are many. Great locations and ambience at per-person prices hotels can't match. The opportunity to experience Italy like an Italian, shopping for and cooking your own food. And an optimal way to visit Italy as a family or group of friends.

"Villas provide an easy, spontaneous way to be together," says Mario Scalzi of The Parker Company, a villa-rental firm in Lynn, Mass. "In a hotel, you have to keep planning where to meet, where to eat, and when."

On the other hand, rentals lack hotel services. There's usually no staff to clean your room or make your bed daily. No front desk, concierge, or room service.

"If you're the kind of person who needs five-star standards and pampering, you probably shouldn't rent," says Suzanne Pidduck of Ventura, California's Rentvillas.com. There are big differences between Italian and American homes. Such features as air conditioning, window screens, and clothes dryers are often absent--Italians like the open air for breathing and laundering. Plumbing can be balky; appliances may work differently from their US counterparts. "The happiest renters have a spirit of adventure that dealing with these things is part of the experience," Pidduck notes.

If demand is any indicator, the pluses beat the minuses handily.

"You should reserve as far in advance as possible," says Martin Wenick of Italian Vacation Villas, located in Washington, DC. He noted in July that his staff was working on reservations for summer 2002. Expect a lead time of at least nine months to a year for properties sleeping eight or more people.

Summer is high season because it's the easiest time for groups of adults and children to coordinate vacations. Fall and spring are optimal in terms of cost, weather, and avoiding crowds of tourists. Winter offers the lowest prices, but many properties are closed, and those that aren't require you to pay for heat, which can be expensive. Hint: Make like the Italians and wear a sweater indoors or look for properties in milder southern Italy.

Villas are available through brokers, who represent a variety of properties, or directly through individual owners. Renting from owners can often mean saving money because you avoid commissions. Brokers, however, offer a bigger safety net if problems develop during your stay. They usually have representatives in Italy who can make quick repairs or move you to another property if necessary--something an owner of just one house can't do.

Ads for villa rentals can be found in newspaper travel sections, travel magazines, upscale consumer magazines, college alumni publications, and professional journals and on the Internet. A list of brokers is available free from the Chicago office of the Italian Government Tourist Board (312-644-0996). Travel agencies can be useful in selecting brokers if you have an agent who knows your travel preferences well.

"The biggest problem people have is going to too many brokers and being overwhelmed," says Wenick, who recommends getting information from two or three at most. Look through their catalogues to make sure they offer the type of property you're considering--many list only a sample of their properties on their web sites. Ask to what extent they have visited and inspected their properties, as well as for names of previous renters as references. Also try to gauge brokers' knowledge of Italy and their experience in the industry.

Spend time imagining your ideal villa: Where in Italy is it? What kind of views does it offer? What are the architecture and landscaping like? How much privacy do you want? Is there a pool? (A pool is definitely something to consider in the heat of the Italian summer, especially if you have children.) Use brochures, catalogues, or a coffee-table book on Italy to help you visualize. The better you can "see" the kind of experience you want to have, the likelier it will become reality.

Brokers will analyze your requirements, then either present you with a list of possibilities or let you make selections according to their suggestions. Be extra detail-oriented in reviewing potential rental properties. In either case, you should have three to 10 "finalists." Then ask your broker to compare and contrast the properties until you've settled on a winner. Most brokers will not relocate you if you're simply unhappy with your rental after you arrive.

"A good broker should explain any deficiencies," says Scalzi. "We spend as much time going over the drawbacks of each property as we do the benefits. That way, when you arrive, the only surprises you'll have will be good ones." Gary Topping, owner and founder of Tuscan House rentals, recommends reviewing as many interior shots as possible and asking for a detailed map to see what's in the surrounding area.

Read the rental agreement carefully to make sure you understand what's provided as well as all conditions, costs, and penalties. Usually included with your rental are full furnishings, a kitchen with cookware and appliances for cooking and refrigeration, towels and bed linens, water, electricity, and cleaning before arrival and after departure. Food, cleaning detergents, and heat are not included, nor is electricity if there is air conditioning.

A deposit of between 30 and 75 percent of the rental fee is required to reserve your villa; the balance is normally due 60 days before arrival. These payments are often fully forfeited if you then cancel. Trip insurance is highly recommended and may be available through your broker. The cost is about six to seven percent of the total rental charge, and you'll be covered for cancellation due to injury, illness, and other unforeseen events. (It does not cover simply changing your mind.)

Additional fees involved in renting your villa normally include a security deposit to cover damage and charges for utilities not included in the basic rental cost. Both of these are normally payable when you are in Italy; the security deposit is given back when you return the key or within a month of your return. Some brokers also charge a booking fee of $50 or so. Unfortunately, Frances Mayes' place isn't on the rental market.

LA VILLA VITA

- Italian Vacation Villas: 202-333-6247, www.villasitalia.com.
- The Parker Company: 800-280-2811, www.theparkercompany.com.
- Rentvillas.com/: 800-726-6702.
- Tuscan House: 800-844-6939, e-mail, zak@tuscanhouse.com, www.tuscanhouse.com.

THE KEYS TO RENTING SMART

- Inspect the premises when you arrive. This will make it easier for needed repairs to be done quickly or for you to be moved to another property if necessary. Many companies will not offer any refund if you live with a problem and then report it after your stay.

- Expect to rent a car. Villas not right in town are located up in the hills or along country roads. You'll have to drive to shop for food or to sightsee. Your broker should be able to make arrangements or recommend agencies to contact. Weekly costs range from about $200 for a compact to $800 for a minivan.

- Many properties either lack telephones or charge you an additional, metered fee for calls. You can rent a cell phone that works in Italy before you leave the US, often through your broker, or you may rent one when you land at most major airports. Even if the villa has a phone, it's probably cheaper to use a cell or to place calls with your own calling card.

- Make the effort to stock up on food and toiletries as soon as you arrive. The typical rental week runs from Saturday to Saturday, with check-in required between 4 and 7 p.m. And many stores in Italy are closed on Sundays, although this is changing during the summer.

September 2001