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.

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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 found the following review helpful:

Plan your trip around this bookDec 22, 2000

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.

18 of 20 found the following review helpful:

Personal Refferal to TuscanyFeb 10, 2000
By jerryraggett
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.

13 of 14 found the following review helpful:

Seeing the romantic heart of this beautiful country.Jul 24, 2001
By FinancialNeedsdotcom
An excellent guide that takes you off the beaten tourist trap path. This warm and wonderful book invites you to the most unforgettable private villas, castles, fortresses, and farmhouses-places most of which you can actually stay. This book also is a good introduction to each region's local food and wine, sites, festivals, and other points of interest. The book continues to a selection of unique estates memorable that are known for their meals, architecture, grounds, and history. Opening this book is like the owners of these preserved and fully functional estates opening up their ancestral homes many of whom actually do and this book shows you how. The book further lays a full featured and detailed appendix providing 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. Ever think of traveling to Italy and seeing the romantic heart of this beautiful country. This is the book you will need. ...

9 of 11 found the following review helpful:

A unique and lovingly researched collection.Dec 06, 1999
By Lauren Daem
Truly a most interesting and spectacular "insiders" collection of the finest and most beautiful estates of the Tuscany and Umbria regions of Italy. With an obvious love and understanding of the area, the writer and photographer have created a breathtaking and useful tool for anyone traveling to the area or simply wishing they were.

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