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Testimonials
Villa Virginia – Lake Como
Earlier this year, together with family and friends, we shared an amazing two weeks at Villa Virginia on Lake Como. The occasion was for my husband’s 60th birthday, and it is with sincere gratitude that I thank Jane Black for ensuring that it was so memorable.
Jane came as way of recommendation and so I explained the type of villa we required and the location preference. Having already spent time in two previous villas at Lake Como, I was indeed specific as to our needs. I must say that we were more than satisfied with all aspects of this beautifully restored villa that was both functional and unique, and fell in love with everything it had to offer.
Our hosts Stefano and his wife Stefania and family were warm and welcoming, in the true Italian style , meeting all our request with the utmost efficiency and promptness. They will remain forever endeared to us. Whether you are wanting total relaxation and privacy to sit and take in the spectacular Lake views, a stroll into the local village for its restaurants and cafes or a ferry ride to any of the towns along the Lake, or even a shopping trip to nearby Como itself ,Villa Virginia is positioned perfectly for all of these choices.
Villa Virginia is our Jewel at Lake Como and we will certainly be returning again. Thank you again to Jane for taking all the hard work out of finding the perfect villa for what was our favourite Italian vacation.
Sincerely yours,
Bronwyn Tory, NSW
La Novellina
Jane,
We had an absolutely wonderful week at La Novellina. The villa was absolutely gorgeous and exactly what we were after. The setting was just amazing! Everyone was just lovely!
Thanks again,
Melissa Smith, WA
Asolina
Our week at Asolina was fabulous. The house was everything we expected and more. We were welcomed by the owner and our talented housekeeper/cook. The welcome dinner was delicious and plentiful. Asolina is well situated to explore this unique area or just relax by the pool and enjoy the breathtaking views.
Anne, Leon and family, South Australia
Casa Matteini
A majestic property in a most picturesque position in Chianti. The house and garden were beautifully presented and a tasty pasta dish was cooked, by a local chef, on arrival.
Anne, Leon and family, South Australia
Podere San Gio
The villa is a typical Tuscan farmhouse with lots of character and charm. The Villa is bigger than I expected with large bedrooms and plenty of space for a group such as yours.(we had 3 couples)
The Italian Villa Vacations web site describes the Villa well and its location to the various places is accurate. The location is very private and peaceful which was great after a day out visiting. The views from the garden and pool area are great, 180 degrees of countryside that are a joy to look at over a glass of Chianti. The owner and caretaker were very welcoming and helpful on arrival and during the stay.
We stayed for 7 nights and had the cook service for 3 nights. This was a highlight and I strongly recommend you have the service even just for the occasional meal.
The lady was called Bruna and produced some amazing home made pasta and typical Tuscan food that was superb. More like a cooking demonstration and excellent value.
Kevin Stanley, WA
Hi Jane,
Just to let you know that the villa (Casa Nova) was perfect. We had a great time – I could have stayed another week to really enjoy the villa as every day we were out & about.
Once again many thanks and the dinner night was fine. One of our couples ended up picking grapes as they were picking the grapes when we were there so really enjoyed that.
Kind regards,
Jan Gearing, NSW
Hi Jane
Well, what a wonderful stay in Italy!
Casa Giovanni - Varenna - everything about this was excellent. The bed linen, towels, table linen etc were excellent as was the kitchen and equipment therein.
Thank you,
Judith David, WA
Villa Lavina
The villa lavinia on lake maggore is truly wonderful!
Thankyou Jane!
M. Kirwan
La Novellina
Everything was fabulous! Hopefully I'll get to return some day. It is a beautiful home and you were wonderful to work with!
Thanks,
Julie Tidwell, Texas
Palazzo Su Garda
We loved the Palazzo Sul Garda. It was fabulous to be greeted by a very patient Anne Marie who was an expat Aussie and gave us very helpful advice on the villa and also the local area. The Palazzo was as stunning as the photos and the experience of staying there even better. It was breathtaking to stay in a very historic building and the frescos and old furniture added to this pleasure. It was a very convenient base for just relaxing on the edge of stunning Lake Garda and also exploring the lakeside and surrounding mountains. Shops were walking distance away. There are some fabulous restaurants in the area, and the fresh produce nearby allowed us to cook in the large kitchen. We appreciated the efforts daily of Anna who cleaned and tidied, and made sure we were well looked after. Jane who took our booking was extraordinarily helpful and responded promptly to any enquiries and we would have no hesitation of booking through Italian Villa Vacations again.
Love
Alison, Sydney
Le Beaumarias - Paris
Le Beaumarias is very nice and for 2 people very spacious by Paris standards. It is equipped with everything you need and the location is brilliant – we love the Marais district and could spend all day wandering round the streets which are full of art galleries, clothes designers and beautiful food and wine stores as well as masses of restaurants and cafes. It has a cooker, fridge, small dishwasher and a washing machine as well as all necessary cutlery and dishes. If there were more than 2 people it might seem a bit cramped after a few days. The apartment is south facing and faces inwards to an enclosed courtyard space (I think it is partly the roof of a restaurant). It gets masses of natural light and when the weather is mild it is delightful to open the windows and let the air and light stream in. There is excellent security. There is a small general store/fruiterer about 100 metres away which is open on Sunday and late every night.
All in all, we liked it very much and it is well priced. It is ideally located and we will go back there again.
Gordon, Melbourne
La Torre B&B – Emiglia Romagna
What a sensational place. The setting in the hills, the little old village street, the Torre itself, it was what we might have hoped for. We used it as the base for day trips, to Florence-using the train- Bologna, Rimini, San Marino etc..
Beatrice visited, and showed us the Palazzo. She is a charming and gracious lady, and booked us into the top restaurant for a degustation meal, which was one of the outstanding meals we have ever had. The rest of the time it was pizzas, scallopini or pasta at Henry’s or La Luna, well priced and very palatable. We enjoyed our stay in lovely Tredozio.
Thank you for your suggestion and your efficiency,
Best wishes, Nick Ledingham
La Novellina/Toscanini
Dear Jane,
La Novellina was wonderful, as beautiful as the pictures and we have some lovely memories from our stay there, thank you. What we really appreciated too was the houses’ proximity to so many places of interest and that were within easy driving distance! Elena and her colleague who cleaned for us couldn’t have been more welcoming and helpful, which was lovely. I am also under instruction from Elena to send you a VERY BIG hug from her, she was very sweet.
Toscanini was fantastic too; absolutely wonderful location and again the hosts were very welcoming and helpful. I will send you some photos when once I have them sorted out.
Hope all is well at your end.
T. Ridolfi, Glen Iris
Tre Archi
We found the Tre Archi apartment to our liking. Firstly it is close to the station if you have a big bag, only about 8 steps on either side of one bridge. We only had small bags so it wasn’t a problem for us. The apartment was fantastic, very comfortable and clean and all the linen and kitchen "stuff" we needed, even a small amount of tins and bottles from previous visitors and we left more. We were always amazed, even after 7 days that we returned to our little home via a private garden, just fantastic.
The area is very quiet but interesting, we are keen walkers so combed the street, day and night to see locals in action as well as sitting out by the canal for a beer or even preparing vegies for dinner. The cooking facilities were great.
Van Herks, Melbourne
Santa Croce
Hi Jane,
We very much enjoyed our stay at St Croce. The apartment had great character, and was very comfortable. The location, just around the corner from the square and church, was convenient but not too frenetic, and we felt we had the experience of being part of the city. The owner was very charming and made us feel welcome . Otherwise in all respects it more than fulfilled our expectations and created the environment for a memorable holiday in Florence.
I hope we have the opportunity of sampling some more of your enticing looking properties one day.
Regards,
Robyn, Camberwell
Dear Jane,
We really enjoyed our trip to Europe and our Accommodation that we booked through you. Our Rome apartment with the small patio was great and so was Le Bijou in Paris. We enjoyed out stay and were pleased at how central they were.
Cheers, M and C Cole, SA
Casa Monica /Violetta – Tuscany
Jane,
We had a fantastic time at Casa Monica. Our 2 weeks there were magical. The views of Florence were breathtaking, and the easy access to other Tuscan cities suited us.
The facilities were good and we enjoyed cooking for ourselves, as well as eating out at the little trattoria down the road. I look forward to returning one day.
Thank you, E. Coates, Melbourne
