# Italy Timeshares



## coachb

Can anyone share their wisdom on preferred timeshares in Italy? We're looking to split our time in Rome and then in the Calabria region near Locri sometime next Summer.


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## gresmi

coachb said:


> Can anyone share their wisdom on preferred timeshares in Italy? We're looking to split our time in Rome and then in the Calabria region near Locri sometime next Summer.


coach,
Can't help you with timeshares, since I've not used them in Italy. But, if you can't find any, shoot me a hi there and I'll try to help with alternative accommodations.

Haven't posted here on tug in years, so if my technique is a little rusty, I'll apologize beforehand.

Italy is a feast. Suck it all in!


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## zora

We just returned from Italy/cruise:  We stayed at the HGVC in Tuscany, a night in Bologna, and 2 nights in Venice.  We then went on a 7 night Celebrity cruise from/to Venice.  Took the train to Rome and spent the last 4 nights in a vrbo near Piazza Navona.  Had a great time.  
If you're travelling in the summer I suggest you take small ice cube trays and make your own ice cubes.  Also take your own water bottle (that keeps water cold) and fill it every morning with ice cubes and cold water.  One of the Italians that I spoke to couldn't understand why americans like ice.  He said that it hurts the teeth.  
Let me know if you have any questions.  I got wonderful advice from fellow TUGGERS and would like to pay it back.  Suzanne.


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## SciTchr

We stayed at a wonderful timeshare in Tuscany called Il Poggio. Can't recommend it high enough. They have horses, a vineyard, a farm and they raise boars, too. It is near a small rustic village. There is a little inn within walking distance, too. We bought a bottle of wine there and they would fill it up for us when we walked over. We stayed in Rome for four nights and then took the train north and got our rental car. I used Rick Steve's books and we had wonderful daily tours of Tuscany. Then we took the train up to Venice and had another timeshare within the city. I think it was called Smerelda (Emerald). We were tucked back in a little neighborhood. Could not have asked for better accommodations on the trip. We love touring on our own.


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## channimal

Wife and I stayed at La Casella in Ficulle (Umbria).  Exchange via RCI.  Great place off the beaten path but central enough to everything.  
HGVC's newly-opened Tuscan location has good reviews and as well Il Poggio mentioned above.

Shoulder season is awesome and tends to have more availability.  We went mid-October of 2012 for 2 weeks and the avg temp for the 2 weeks was 72+.


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## aroundtheworld76

Spent a week last year at Villaggio L'olivara  through resortcerts (Pretty sure it's in RCI/II).  On a hill above Tropea, Calabria.  Rustic but beautiful, with amazing views of town and sea.  So much good food and wine......ahhhhhhhhh   Italy!


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## PStreet1

We stayed at Carpe Dia Roma on the outskirts of Rome--about a 15 min. drive to the end of the line subway stop to go to Rome.  We liked it, but determined that "next time" we would stay in Rome itself.  We did; we rented an apartment on VRBO and were delighted with the experience.  It was, in our opinion, much better than staying on the outskirts.  We're going back in the spring and have, once again, chosen to stay in the center of Rome.


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## RichardL

*Italy*

Like so much of Europe, Italy has limited timeshares that are located outside of town.  Just came back and did very well using Hilton, Westin, and Marriott points.  Managed several point/cash saving advantages that got me a beautifully upgrade room and a reasonable price.  In Florence I stayed in the newer section, and on my next trip I will opt to be in the old town, since the cab ride or even the free shuttle was a limitation.  Perfect example on my 2 visit to the Marriott Disney property, it was a huge mistake to make frequent train trips into Paris.  Just stay in Paris and use hotel points.


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## jehb2

In Tuscany we stayed in the Hilton Borgo alle Vigne timeshare.  That was awesome. In Rome we rented a very lovely apartment via Homeaway.com but I first heard about it on the Rick Steves travel forum. It's in the Trastevere neighborhood. Very well located and really good price.

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p300175


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## LandLovers

Wow! I wished I knew about this site before booking through RCI for next year.  I did look at reviews on Trip Advisor but it would have been helpful to know about this site.  
Has anyone stayed at La Ferriera outside of Florence in Loro Ciuffenna? Any information you can give is appreciated. We will be next October 2016.
TIA,
Kim


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## GrayFal

SciTchr said:


> We stayed at a wonderful timeshare in Tuscany called Il Poggio. Can't recommend it high enough. They have horses, a vineyard, a farm and they raise boars, too. It is near a small rustic village. There is a little inn within walking distance, too. We bought a bottle of wine there and they would fill it up for us when we walked over. We stayed in Rome for four nights and then took the train north and got our rental car. I used Rick Steve's books and we had wonderful daily tours of Tuscany. Then we took the train up to Venice and had another timeshare within the city. I think it was called Smerelda (Emerald). We were tucked back in a little neighborhood. Could not have asked for better accommodations on the trip. We love touring on our own.



I have an exchange here in 2017, can't wait!


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## Laurie

LandLovers said:


> Wow! I wished I knew about this site before booking through RCI for next year.  I did look at reviews on Trip Advisor but it would have been helpful to know about this site.
> Has anyone stayed at La Ferriera outside of Florence in Loro Ciuffenna? Any information you can give is appreciated. We will be next October 2016.
> TIA,
> Kim


Yes, have exchanged in. Do the straightforward exchange without the halfboard if possible. Loved the setting of the resort, postcard-pretty, absolutely gorgeous little town, location was great if you have a car. Didn't try their restaurant except to buy a glass of wine to drink on our patio. We drove to a train station and took the train into Florence a few times, it's convenient for that too (once we figured out driving directions to the station, the staff member we asked wasn't super-helpful for whatever reason).

Our problem was that it was really cold and damp in our ground floor 1-BR unit, and it was June! They told us they had already shut off the heating so the radiators wouldn't work. Well, they finally came on, but didn't do much good, and we couldn't find a space heater to purchase, so we were uncomfortable at night. Hand-washed laundry took 3+ days to dry, draped over these little radiators. This exchange was sandwiched in-between TS exchanges to the Italian Alps and Denmark, and we were coldest at La Ferriera!  Upper floors may not have that problem, you may be more warm-blooded, and October may be warmer. But next time I'd personally bring an electric blanket wired for Italian circuitry!

Our unit was spartan, there wasn't a sofa or a comfortable chair to sit in, which doesn't matter if you are always on the go, which we were.

Also I'll mention this which probably won't affect you: we had a confirmed exchange into the place, around which we built an entire longer trip. Then we were notified by RCI that it had been cancelled because "the resort changed its calendar."  It took an insane amount of time and effort with RCI to get another confirmation. But I wondered about the resort's internal process (and RCI's).


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## rpennisi

In 2006 through RCI, we stayed for a week at Cala Corvino, a two bedroom, 2 bath condo with a limited kitchen and 2 patios (front and back) in Monopoli, Puglia. It was quiet, in October, past the busy season, no activities.   It was a great base for visiting many wonderful old cities in the region (Bisceglie, Polignano a Mare, Alberbello Trulli, Ostuni, Lecce, Brindisi, Taranto, Matera, etc).  Beautiful area, great food, very little English spoken, and wild drivers.

Calabria would be a relatively easy drive from there.


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## SciTchr

*Il Poggio*

Congratulations on your exchange, Pat. You will love it. Walk around the area. There are horses, a vineyard and a pen with boars. We were walking around and got caught in a rainstorm. We ducked into a little inn with flags flying. It is really the only one nearby. We bought two glasses of wine for about $2.00 US. When we were leaving, they brought the rest of the bottle to us. Turns out the whole bottle was $2.00. We could bring it back and they would refill it from their barrel. Very quaint! There is also a small village very close that we explored. We drove all around the hill towns using Rick Steve's as our guide. His favorite hill town in Civita de Bannoreggio. It was our favorite too. Have fun!


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## Larry

PStreet1 said:


> We stayed at Carpe Dia Roma on the outskirts of Rome--about a 15 min. drive to the end of the line subway stop to go to Rome.  We liked it, but determined that "next time" we would stay in Rome itself.  We did; we rented an apartment on VRBO and were delighted with the experience.  It was, in our opinion, much better than staying on the outskirts.  We're going back in the spring and have, once again, chosen to stay in the center of Rome.



We also stayed at the same timeshare carpedium golf resort outside of
Rome and it was great for exploring the areas near Rome such as Naples
Pompeii and coastal towns. We also spent several days taking train into Rome
And thought it was great for our first trip to Italy which included additional travel
In hotels for 3 nights in Florence and ending in Venice for an additional
3 nights.

Having said all that for our next trip to Italy like you, I would stay in the center of Rome.


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## Rene McDaniel

LandLovers said:


> Wow! I wished I knew about this site before booking through RCI for next year.  I did look at reviews on Trip Advisor but it would have been helpful to know about this site.
> *Has anyone stayed at La Ferriera outside of Florence in Loro Ciuffenna? Any information you can give is appreciated.* We will be next October 2016.    TIA, Kim



Hi Kim,
We did an exchange week to La Ferriera several years ago for Easter Week.  We had received a 1-bedroom exchange from RCI, then noticed on the resort website that they had a larger 2 bedroom unit available.  I emailed the resort, and for about 100 euro more, they booked us into the larger unit which was great since we were traveling with our 2 daughters. At that time you did not have to book meals, so we always cooked in our unit.  We never had trouble with heating or the unit, but possibly because it was April and the heat was on. 

I just looked at the website, and we were in unit #12, which was a good unit for a family.  You can see each of their units, and check what unit number you were assigned on your RCI confirmation. 
http://www.residencelaferriera.com/index.php?lang=en

We had a rental car and used Loro Ciuffenna only as a place to eat & sleep since it is a very small village nestled in the hillside.  There is a small grocery store where you can get everything you need, but you would need a car to drive there.  There is a nice gelato shop within walking distance, which our girls enjoyed.  We drove into Florence quite a bit.  You have to search for metered parking on the outskirts of Florence and walk into the center which can take 20 or 30 minutes.  We also used the car to make day trips through several Tuscan hill towns. One day we drove to Lucca and rode bikes around their famous wall and on a different day we drove up to Venice.  You can park in the giant multi-storied car park and the boat will take you right to St. Mark's Cathedral. Spectacular!

We had lots of fun adventures and family memories made on the trip, but it helps to be young and adventurous for a place like La Ferriera.  I would recommend Laurie's idea of driving down the hill from Loro Cuiffenna to the train station, parking there, and taking the train into Florence.  The traffic into Florence is horrendous, and trying to find parking was always extremely difficult.  Plus, the Italians are such crazy drivers. Yikes!

Our trip was a 2 week trip, with the first week at Carpedium Roma, way out on the outskirts of Rome. Followed by the week at La Ferreria.  Our girls really enjoyed seeing the great sights of Italy over the 2 weeks, but it was a LOT of stressful driving for my husband and I.  Glad we did that trip when we were a little younger. 

Hopefully, your trip next October will have better traffic conditions since Fall might be an off-season.  We have done 2 Italy road trips, one in summer (bad traffic & crowds), and one during Easter (worse traffic & crowds). 

-- Rene McDaniel


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## regatta333

LandLovers said:


> Wow! I wished I knew about this site before booking through RCI for next year.  I did look at reviews on Trip Advisor but it would have been helpful to know about this site.
> Has anyone stayed at La Ferriera outside of Florence in Loro Ciuffenna? Any information you can give is appreciated. We will be next October 2016.
> TIA,
> Kim



Kim,
We stayed at both La Ferriera and Villagio L'Olivara (Tropea, Calabria) in May of this past year.  Both were RCI exchanges.  You can read both my reviews which are posted in the reviews section.  La Ferriera is in Tuscany though, which is would probably not work for you given your location preferences of Rome and Calabria.

Like La Ferriera, Villagio L'Olivara has a half-board option.  Fortunately, we were able to get both resorts without this option, as it would be very limiting and there were plenty of great places to eat in Tropea.  

We also stayed at Mayfair Residence in Rome back in May, 2012 (also reviewed here).  This was obtained as a rental from a TUG owner far enough in advance that she was able to get the exact dates that we wanted with her Royal Holiday Club ownership.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.


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## Laurie

Rene McDaniel said:


> I would recommend Laurie's idea of driving down the hill from Loro Cuiffenna to the train station, parking there, and taking the train into Florence.



Another parking possibility: we had a very early departure out of Florence airport, so decided to make a test drive there earlier in the week to make sure we could easily find it, as we'd have no time to get lost. (Smart idea for us, as we did miss an exit our first try.)  Once there we decided to park our car and take the airport shuttle bus into Florence for the rest of the day - they are frequent and easy.

Our prior trip to Florence we did drive into the center of the historic area, as our b&b a block or 2 from the duomo had a little parking lot. Driving there was insane, we managed to avoid being arrested by the traffic police and miraculously kept our side mirrors intact while entering and exiting the parking lot whose doorway was .. well, the width of a door to a house! - we swore never again.


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## taterhed

We stayed in the heart of Rome on our last visit...  Booked an apartment thru VRBO.  It was a great experience and MUCH better than staying in another tiny euro-hotel.  That being said, it's usually a good idea to take your Marriott/Hilton expectations down a notch or two and enjoy the charm and ambience of local accommodations vice world-class resorts and hotels. (If you haven't already experienced this!)
 Let us know how it works for you.   I'm very excited to try for the some of the great places mentioned in this thread after reading.


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## Here There

*Suggestions for a 1st time visitor*

I have 6 days free en route from Istanbul to London next March and plan to spend them in Italy.  Would it be better to spend 3 days in Rome + 3 days in Florence, or could I substite a day in Florence with 1 day in Venice?


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## Laurie

here there said:


> i have 6 days free en route from istanbul to london next march and plan to spend them in italy.  Would it be better to spend 3 days in rome + 3 days in florence, or could i substite a day in florence with 1 day in venice?


2 + 2 + 2!


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## RichardL

Hotel points whether from timeshares or hotel credit cards like Marriott,
Westin, Hilton get you into the heart of every city, whereas there are very few timeshares which are usually in the countryside.  I prefer a few nights in Rome, Florence, or Venice to a week at the Hilton Tuscany where we stayed last year.  Plus timeshares reservations are very scarce so vacation planning is just that
much harder.  It is impossible to link 2-3 weeks of reservations, whereas with
hotels reservations are usually available if you plan ahead.  Timeshares in major cities are few and in between and to stay for example at Marriott outside of Paris and train in each day and back out at night gets old very quickly compared with
a Paris hotel.


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## SmithOp

RichardL said:


> I prefer a few nights in Rome, Florence, or Venice to a week at the Hilton Tuscany where we stayed last year.





Other than not being in the city, how did you like Tuscany?  I am considering a stay there but would probably only book 5 nights then stay at hotel in Rome and Venice.


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## debvout

*Assisi, Italy Timeshare*

[Advertising is not permitted in the discussion forums.  Our classifieds are in the MARKETPLACE linked in the red bar at the top of the page.]


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## Talent312

SmithOp said:


> Other than not being in the city, how did you like Tuscany?



Tuscany, to me, is heaven on Earth. It's where I'd like to go when I die.
We spent a few nights in a converted farmhouse outside San Gimignano,
visiting Siena, Volterra, and a wine tour.  This was our view...


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## silentg

Have the OP s already gone to Rome, I noticed the date of question . PM me if you need suggestions or if you took your trip let us know how it went or if it is still upcoming let us know what you decided to do. I love to hear follow ups!


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