Villa Holidays in Europe

Why try villa holidays?

I have had a number of villa holidays over the years with friends from the UK & Australia. They have been in various locations and each time was incredibly fun, relaxing & heartwarming. I look back at each experience with very fond memories.

The main image used by Holidays Beckon on the internet, both on the website and on Facebook, was taken besides a swimming pool at a villa on the outskirts of Todi in Umbria. I wish I could remember the name of the villa! This photo always reminds me of a wonderfully relaxing time spent with great friends in an amazing location!

Poolside in Todi © Holidays Beckon

The photo was used as the inspiration for the Holidays Beckon logo.

What do you think?

© Holidays Beckon logo

Time spent with others

When you stay in a hotel you will typically be in separate rooms over separate floors. Whereas in a villa you share the same space. This allows you to spend more time with each other, whether one-on-one or in smaller groups.

Intimacy

There is also a shared intimacy in shopping for, preparing & cooking food, or enjoying evening nibbles & drinks by the pool before dinner, or sitting on the patio in silence whilst overlooking the countryside and watching the dusk gradually fade to darkness.

Laughter

There will also be lots of laughs as you recall things you did during the day, such as the way you pronounced certain terms or words & the look that the locals gave you, or the places & food that you ate, the gelato that you tasted, or the cheap bottle of wine you bought at the grocery store that you should have left behind!

Memories

The time, intimacy & laughter that comes from being in such an amazing location with friends all serve as the great memories you can make during villa holidays and the reason you really need to experience one!

Where to enjoy villa holidays?

There are many places you can choose to enjoy villa holidays in Europe. Some enjoy the Italian countryside, such as Tuscany or Basilicata, others prefer France, such as Provence or the Occitanie area, and yet others look to Spain & beyond.

Below are some of the locations & villa holidays I've had.

Todi, Umbria

My first villa adventure started with a train ride from Ancona to Terni. I had just arrived from Croatia on an overnight ferry. The journey was fun although perhaps a little nerve-wracking until I was collected from the station by my friends!

This was the villa that greeted me when we arrived in Todi.

Todi © Holidays Beckon

Todi © Holidays Beckon

Castellina in Chianti

The following year I was to meet the same group of friends for an extended trip in Italy. We had decided that we would stay at different villas over two weeks, one in central Italy and the other in the south.

The first villa was in the middle of the Chianti region.

We somehow managed to coordinate our flights, mine from Australia & my friends from the UK, to meet in Frankfurt before flying on to  Florence. Their flight was delayed and for a moment it looked like I was to be stuck in Florence on my own! Thankfully they held the flight (with everyone on board) until my friends arrived. The rest of the journey was uneventful & we picked up 2 rental cars for the journey to the villa.

Casa al Bosco © Holidays Beckon

Casa al Bosco © Holidays Beckon

Following our stay in Chianti we caught the train from Florence to Naples. We caught taxis to Naples airport where we picked up rental cars for the drive south to Maratea.

Maratea, Basilicata

Villa Andrea © Holidays Beckon

Villa Andrea © Holidays Beckon

Mirepoix, Occitanie

A couple of years later we were to find ourselves in France! We flew into Toulouse where we had arranged to rent a car & drive.

Mirepoix © Holidays Beckon

Montaione, Tuscany

My last villa stay involved flying into Florence and driving to Montaione.

Montaione © Holidays Beckon

Montaione © Holidays Beckon

From each of the villas we would travel to neighbouring villages and towns, seeing much of what each region had to offer. In central Italy we saw Florence, Pisa, Lake Trasimino, Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, San Gimignano, Siena, & Certaldo and in the south Pompeii, Salerno, and Paestum. In France we saw Foix & Carcasonne. 

There are still so many places to see. It must be time for yet more villa holidays!  

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