European apartments usually have several important differences compared with apartments in the United States:

  • Europeans, as a rule, don’t use window screens. This is something you should keep in mind, as our Umbrian apartments are in the country, often on farms. Unless otherwise indicated, while your apartment may have every convenience, it will NOT have window screens.
  • Towels and linens are provided. A clean set is provided to you for each week you are in your apartment. Maid service is not available in Untour apartments. Some of our accommodations have laundry facilities in the apartment (usually a washing machine and a clothesline for drying), but there are also self-serve laundromats within a short drive of most of our accommodations.
  • Reading lamps leave a lot to be desired all over Europe. We’re not quite sure why, but rather than try to reform the whole continent on behalf of our customers, we simply tell our customers: if you like to read in bed, you may want to bring a small battery-powered reading lamp like those sold in bookstores everywhere in the States.
  • Furnishings vary widely and according to the custom of each country. Many of our apartments are furnished with family possessions, antiques, etc. This gives a very different feeling than a typical "vacation rental" property in the States; it’s often warmer and more homey, with all the pros and cons that "warm and homey" imply.
  • Our apartments in Umbria are rural, often on farms or family estates in the countryside. This means you should expect dirt and gravel access roads from the main drive. You hometown may be a 15-minute drive away. And in some cases, you should expect that there will be some farm activity going on around you. It is another part of the charm and beauty of staying in the countryside!
  • Some of the Umbria apartments do not have phones; however, there are pay phones in nearly every village. In the case of an emergency, our staff has direct contact with your landlords via phone and will relay any messages to you immediately.
  • Most of our apartments in Umbria are owned by families who do not live on site. We mention when there is an active host family on site. But if we don’t mention them, they live in another town, probably nearby. Many have local helpers, though, and our on-site staff person is always just a phone call away.