You’ve probably daydreamed at some point about staying in a villa in the bucolic countryside or on the shores of a grand lake — after all, who hasn’t? If it seems like a fantasy, it may be more achievable than you think.
The Encyclopedia Treccani defines a villa as a “residence, usually elegant and with a park or garden, situated either in the countryside (often within a rustic plot belonging to the same owner) or in areas laudable for their landscape, ambiance and climate, used above all during the summer months or, in general, during vacations.” The concept dates back to ancient Rome, when emperors like Hadrian and Tiberius retreated to sprawling estates in Tivoli and Capri, respectively. The villa had a rebirth during the Renaissance, when noble families built estates like the Villa Farnesina in Rome and Andrea Palladio designed a series of villas in the Veneto. Terms like villetta or villino are diminutive forms of the word villa and denote a smaller, more modest version of such an estate. (Casa, according to Treccani, is just “a building created essentially for housing or residential use.”)
While you can visit some historic villas — and perhaps even stay in them — most villas that are available to rent these days aren’t necessarily the massive estates they once were. Many were built for other uses and were later converted into vacation homes. They may or may not have amenities like pools and come fully or partially staffed. If you’re thinking of renting a villa as part of your 2025 travel plans, here are some things to consider.
Why rent a villa?
While price tags for luxury villas can be quite steep, there are more modest options in the mix than you might expect. Plus, dividing the cost of a villa — even one on the higher end of the market — among a group can be more affordable than staying in a hotel, particularly in major destinations. It’s no wonder villa stays are popular with large families and friend groups.
“If you’re traveling with a bigger family, it becomes very expensive when you’ve got hotel rooms in Capri, but a villa can be a more affordable option that still has beauty and value,” notes Holly Star, who offers cooking classes and other food experiences at Giardino di Capri and manages a six-bedroom villa on the island.
But the main advantage of renting a villa isn’t the price, but the privacy, according to Stephen Lewis, co-owner of Villa Ardore in the Tuscan countryside, which he and his husband, Christian Scali, renovated and now rent out on a weekly basis. “If somebody wakes up in one of our bedrooms at 6am and they decide that they want some coffee and toast, they can just walk down in their slippers to the kitchen and have some. In a hotel, you’re not going to leave your room in your slippers and pajamas.”
In other words, it’s easy to feel at home when you’re staying in a house rather than a hotel.
What to expect, from pitfalls to fabulous perks
After staying in a villa with a group of family and friends last summer, I polled them on what they wished they had known before they arrived. Most everyone said they wished they’d known that the only way to reach the villa was by driving on a long stretch of unpaved dirt road.
Whether or not dirt roads are involved, most villas are located in the countryside or on the coast, so if you’re considering renting one, keep in mind that you’ll almost certainly need a car to get around. “We’re not remote, but you still should have transportation, unless you’re going to have a van taking you out to excursions and stuff. I mean, you could walk to the nearest restaurant, but it’d be like a 30-minute walk,” says Christian Scali of Villa Ardore.
Scali and Lewis note that when looking at villas to rent, especially on the lower end of the market, there are some things you might expect to find that actually aren’t standard in Italian homes, such as dryers (most Italians hang their laundry outside to dry), air conditioning, and window screens or mosquito nets. “Check out the beds because most villas in Tuscany have really crappy beds,” Scali warns, adding to watch out for wrought-iron headboards, which might seem quaint, but often signal that the bed is old and uncomfortable.
On the high end of the villa-rental market, you can find villas with all kinds of incredible amenities. “Many properties have an original pizza oven where the local pizzaiolo can come to make pizza for the client,” note Huw and Rossella Beaugié, founders of The Thinking Traveller, which rents villas in Italy, Greece and France. All of their villas are luxurious, but the “Think Exquisite” collection is the crème de la crème, with amenities like heated pools, saunas, tennis courts, home cinemas, direct beach access, and interiors that look ripped from the pages of Architectural Digest. They even offer unique villas like trulli in Puglia.
Services vary depending on the villa rental company, but often include housekeeping, breakfast prepared by a chef, and access to a concierge or local manager who can help you plan excursions. “We find out what people’s interests are, what they want to do, and we sort of curate a stay around their interests and desires so that we’re when they’re here, they have an itinerary that they’ve planned, that they participated in, if, in fact, they want to do anything at all,” says Lewis. Guests can, for example, organize a tasting at a biodynamic winery, an appointment with a dressmaker, or a tour of a local cheese farm.
One thing to think about is whether you and your group plan to eat at the villa or go out. If the former, who’s going to do the cooking? Is there a supermarket nearby? Or are you willing to pay a premium to have a private chef cook for you? If the latter, consider the villa’s location. Are there enough restaurants nearby? Are you willing to drive to get to them?
Ultimately, the experience is what you make of it. “If you’re going to go through that process of renting a villa, then really try to make it feel like home,” says Lewis. “Live like a local as best you can, allow yourself to be a part of the community, do local things, and just relax and enjoy yourself.”
