Poggio Nuovo

All this week we've been asking our staff members to pick and share some of their favourite spots all around Italy because who better to make great travel suggestions than locals, Italophiles and Italian travel professionals and experts?

If you have been thinking of planning a trip to Italy but haven't quite settled on a location, read on and consider the most beautiful places we've ever seen. Who knows, you just might find the perfect holiday destination of your dreams?

4. The Tuscan Archipelago

Few people outside of Italy ever consider the coast when they think of Tuscany. Instead, they focus on the cities and the cultural gems. However, as one of our staff-members notes, there is one part of the coast that is a serious beauty this part is “the Tuscan archipelago with [its] beautiful islands like Pianosa, Capraia, Montecristo, all inside the natural park.”

Another highlight is Giannutri, a small island south of Grosseto, where you will find the ruins of the lovely Roman Villa Domizia and incredible views over the sea.

If you have been thinking of visiting Tuscany and considering various locations, why not browse our incredible listings and find a vacation rental on the Tuscan Coast? Then you can spend lazy days exploring the many beautiful sights that it boasts for yourself.

With endless, impossibly green rolling hills, fields of flowers, more pleasantly cool weather, smaller tourist crowds, and lower prices, Spring is an excellent time to visit Italy. Hit up any of the cities and you'll find things a little slower and calmer than in Summer or head to the most popular destinations and you'll find it easier to book your rental and activities. All of which is a real bonus and takes a lot of the stress out of travel.

However, instead of simply choosing a destination that is a little bit more accessible and easy during the Spring months than the Summer, why not head to a destination that is actually also at its best during Spring?

These are the places in Italy that are at their loveliest and most charming over the next few months...

Pienza is a small village in the Val d'Orcia in southern Tuscany. Set high atop a hill, overlooking the Orcia Valley, it has extraordinary views. The village is often known as the "ideal Renaissance city” and is the creation of the great humanist Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who later became Pope Pius II. Piccolomini used his money and influence to transform his birthplace of Corsignano, into his idea of a Utopian city. This is what eventually would come to be known as Pienza. Based on classical ideas of geometry and elegance, it is comprised of beautiful buildings and harmonious street plans.

One of the things that draws people to us and our villas and vacation rentals are the wide range of properties that have stunning private pools.

What more could you want on a holiday than your own pool to lounge around at ease and enjoy the beautiful Italian weather?

We've rounded up just ten of our top picks among the best pools we have on offer to give you a taste of what you can expect.