Dollar-Priced Villas in Italy, New Inventory Ready for 2008

NEWPORT, RI, January 2008 - Views of Stromboli (think Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman circa 1950), a palazzo in the Baroque style on the Amalfi Coast, and what must be the near-perfect country villa on 40 acres of olives and vines in Tuscany ... just a few of the many new treasures Wimco Villas (www.wimco.com) offers for 2008 in Italy. These treasures also come with the bonus of fixed weekly rates priced in dollars that don't fluctuate with the Euro.

"This is all good news for our clients who are looking for a quick late winter getaway or who are planning a longer summer or fall holiday," notes Stiles Bennet, Wimco Villas' director of marketing. "We're finding that folks are looking for their Italy fix more than just once a year. They're beginning to experience the true stagione (seasons) of this wonderful country, including around our Thanksgiving when they can play padrone in the olive orchards helping with the harvest for a few days."

Bennet also reports that villa rental bookings for travel to Italy in 2008 are up 17 percent so far vs 2007.

"We're approaching the "early bird" syndrome in Italy, just like the winter season on St. Barts," he says. "Approximately 22 percent of our clients to Italy are repeat guests. They know to re-book early. Later in the year, our destination specialists are challenged to find available villas in hot spots like Lucca and Orvieto during peak times like early August, so its best to make reservations now while there is still availability."

"The good news is that we've added a number of new villas with appealing pricing to our portfolio for the upcoming season," he says.
 
For example, from now into spring, weekly rates on the new villa rental inventory in Tuscany start at $3,490 for the four bedroom, 17th century Villa Vittoria (BRV VIT) and $6,388 for the 18th century stone farmhouse on a working wine estate, four-bedroom Villa Le Vigne (BRV VIG).

There are three new stars in Sicily at $9,810 for the five bedroom Villino (BRV VIO), a 19th century aristocrat's castle ideal for family reunions and large gatherings; $9,374 for the recently restored eight bedroom Le Agavi (BRV AGA); and $9,810 for the three bedroom Marea (BRV MRE), a rustic, Aeolian-style dwelling with breathtaking, rooftop views of Stromboli.

Two other villas that Bennet describes as "knockouts" are San Martino (BRV SAN) near Lucca, with five bedrooms and four fireplaces in an 18th century farmhouse restored and designed to capture the quintessential spirit of stylish-but-rustic that is at the core of what makes the Italian countryside so appealing. The weekly rate is $18,771 and includes a daily housekeeper and optional chef services for lunch and dinner.  The 60-foot mosaic pool can be heated early season upon request for an extra charge. Orchards, olives, vineyards and garden walls echo the exposed beams and stable doors of the villa itself.

The second is Dorata (BRV DOR) perched 94 steps above the Mediterranean in Positano on the Amalfi Coast. The weekly rate is $27,114 for four bedrooms where guests live like royalty with the tasseled draperies, priceless art, ornate chandeliers, frescoed ceilings and vaulted alcoves of this aristocratic home.

Wimco Villas is an award-winning luxury villa rental company providing access to some of the world's most beautiful and exceptional villas in the Caribbean and Europe. Their villas are located in some of the most desirable vacation spots on Earth including St. Barts, the Virgin Islands, Anguilla, the Turks & Caicos islands, Barbados, Mustique, and Nevis in the Caribbean; the Cote D'Azur, St Tropez and Provence in France, Tuscany and Umbria in Italy, and Mykonos and Santorini in Greece.

Voted 'Best Quality of Villas' by the readers of Condé Nast Traveller and noted as best of breed by the NY Times, Fortune and Forbes magazines, Wimco's process of visiting and evaluating each villa gives them deep product and destination knowledge, insuring that their clients are placed in the villa best suited to their vacation needs.  In addition to providing destination specific expertise, Wimco's concierge department can customize each vacation to suit each client's needs, whether it be arranging private chefs, yoga instructors, yacht charters or simply making a restaurant reservation.