Italian Country Hideaways: Vacationing in Tuscany and Umbria's Most Unforgettable Private Villas, Castles, and Estates (Hardcover)

~ Kelley Hurst (Author), Stefano Hunyady (Photographer)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Taking you off the beaten path of tourist Italy, "Italian Country Hideaways" invites you to the most unforgettable private villas, castles, fortresses, and farmhouses-places in which you can actually stay. An introduction to each region's local food and wine, sites, festivals, and other points of interest is followed by a selection of unique estates memorable for their meals, dcor, architecture, grounds, and history. Opening up their ancestral homes, the owners of these preserved and fully functional estates now offer you a key to the hidden splendors of the Italian countryside.

A detailed appendix provides all the practical information you'll need for planning your visits, including complete contact information, prices, amenities, and dates of availability, plus helpful facts and advice on transportation, seasonal considerations, and making reservations.

About the Author

Kelley F. Hurst, a community arts and cultural planner, has written for a variety of nonprofit organizations.

Stefano Hunyady's work has appeared in Italian and American magazines including Chi, Storie, Contatto Discographia, American Health, and Avenue. A graduate of Connecticut College and Parsons School of Design, he has also studied at the Sorbonne and the Institute d'Art in Paris.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Universe (July 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789302608
• ISBN-13: 978-0789302601
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #497,520 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #24 in	Books > Travel > Europe > San Marino & Umbria
  #24 in	Books > Travel > Europe > Italy > Umbria
  #49 in	Books > Travel > Europe > Italy > Tuscany

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich resource to discover hidden Italian inn splendors, June 18, 2000

By	Anthony Pace (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This is a wonderful Italian guide book that provides the reader a selection of off-the-beaten- track inns in the very scenic and culturally rich regions of Tuscany and Umbria. We used Ms Hurst's "Italian Country Hideaways" to book a glorious stay at a 19th century, castle-estate in Umbria. Her description of the Titignano estate accurately captured its atmosphere, our stay there was the highlight of our Italian vacation.

The audience for this book is anyone who has an appreciation for Italy and is looking for information to go beyond the typical tourist staples of Italy, i.e. Rome, Venice and Florence. Ms Hurst impeccable research provides the reader a rich resource to discover the hidden splendors that a non-native Italian tourist would not find. The books starts with a short introduction in which Ms Hurst describes her criteria for featuring the 30 unique inns. The text is well written by someone who knows her subject and obviously enjoyed doing her research. "Italian Country Hideaways" is filled with splendid photos that aptly portrays the scenic and immensely civilized Tuscany and Umbria regions and its featured inns. In essence its a tourist guide and coffee table book in one. Included is all the prerequisite information on how to contact (phone, fax and email addresses) the inns. The only quip I have is the lack of an updated map, it would have been helpful to provide an idea where these inns are relative to the say Florence and Rome. Otherwise, this is a great travel resource for anyone contemplating a trip to the Tuscany region and who wants to interact with the local culture.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plan your trip around this book, December 21, 2000

By	"vaamonde" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This is not only a beautiful book, with gorgeous pictures of Tuscany's castles and countryside, but also provides an excellent service by relaying contact information for all of the castles profiled in the book. My husband and I stayed at Castello di Ripa D'orcia this past fall and it was the highlight of our Italy vacation. We chose the castle as our base since the pictures were so magnificent--and we were not disappointed. It was well off the beaten path and it was the only time during our vacation that we were exposed to a real slice of Italy without the onslaught of tour buses that seemed to invade many of the other small villages in the area. If you are planning a trip to Italy, I highly recommend that you comb through this book and choose one of the country estates to stay in. It will make your trip much more memorable and enjoyable.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Personal Refferal to Tuscany, February 10, 2000

By	jerryraggett (Overland Park, Kansas) - See all my reviews

Italian Country Hideaways helped my wife and I find inexpensive and unique accomodations in Maiano near Florence. Staying at the Fattoria di Maiano reviewed in the book gave us a very memorable villa at very affordable prices within walking distance to Florence. Read Italian Country Hideaways to plan your next trip to Tuscany or Umbria.