Welcome to Italian Villa Holidays - itvillas.com and italy.co.nz, specialising in beautiful self-catering Italian Villas, cottages and apartments for 2-20+ persons. We are Australian and New Zealand representatives for the Cottages to Castles range of villas, established for 25 years. Based in Wellington New Zealand we book villas for clients from around the Pacific Rim daily. Property locations include The Lakes, Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria, Le Marche, Abruzzo, Amalfi Coast, Puglia, Sicily. Sardinia and Basilicata To provide you with the highest service quality we have travelled extensively from the Lakes and Istria in the north through to Sicily, personally visiting nearly all of these wonderful properties and surrounding historic towns and villages - with their bars, cafes, restaurants, shops, markets, museums, piazzas, churches, superb scenery and stunning architecture. We keep up to date to provide you with the latest property and travel advice - for example our most recent visit was August 2009. See the Images section for some of our snapshots (non-professional). All properties are hand picked after inspection by our principals to provide above average quality and value - we are not simply a listing agency! It is a long way to travel to Italy from Australia and NZ - our expertise reduces the risk of clients ending up in a mis-matched villa. We don't have hidden extras - even final cleaning charges are included. You are welcome to discuss your requirements and plans directly with the people who have actually been to the properties, which makes it easier to find the right one and achieve a more enjoyable holiday. Just email or phone - communicate one on one with the company director, not a call centre or person lacking the essential specialised knowledge. If it's your first time in Italy or your first time staying in a villa we can help you find the right choices to enable the key historic destinations to be explored and enjoyed - Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Cortona, the Chianti wine region Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast etc. etc. Additionally we can help with choices of airports, advice on trains, ferries, busses, rental and lease cars, distances between cities, countries etc etc. Villas enable the real Italian way of life to be enjoyed and mass tourism avoided, In Tuscany for example there are many unspoilt towns and villages which don't participate in coach tours or similar - our clients freely discover and explore them by car getting the best of the summer sun and immersing in the authentic Italian lifestyle. Many of our properties are open in Winter (central heating is a prerequisite, at extra cost), yes it's cold outdoors but wrap up in warm clothes and have some of the best towns, villages, piazzas, churches and historic sites to yourself. January is Saldi month - sale time in the shops which can also be ample justification for a winter trip! If this is your second, third or 4th+ (or first!) visit have a close look at Le Marche, Abruzzo, Basilicata, Puglia and the more remote villages of Tuscany and Umbria. Sicily becomes a 'must see' - is easy to explore from a villa base and is delightful in all seasons. We know the 'lesser known' regions well and are passionate about introducing them to clients who may not have otherwise considered them. Our office operates weekdays Commencing 8.30 NZT until 17.00 NZT, and Saturday mornings until 12.00 NZT. Messages are cleared promptly, and we can easily return calls after hours. Early risers in Australia can also phone us before and during work. Cottages to Castles has permanent offices in Italy and UK and all clients receive an English speaking help line for assistance if anything unforseen happens during their stay - it's prudent to have a backup!