An old Italian proverb says that you can spend "Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi" (Christmas with your family and Easter where and with whom you choose). But why should you choose between your relatives and your friends? The dilemma becomes much more impelling as New Year`s Eve approaches.

If you want to spend your holidays with all your nearest and dearest without excluding anyone, the solution is renting a villa in Tuscany.

You can spend your Tuscan holidays in Siena and stroll along its characteristic medieval lanes following the sweet smell of just-prepared "panforte", "ricciarelli" and "cavallucci" (at Christmas) or in Florence and observe in Piazza del Duomo under Giotto`s bell tower or next to the Baptistery the Scoppio del carro with the dove-shaped rocket called "colombina" setting off the cart in a series of explosions (at Easter). Pistoia is the right destination, if you prefer spending some weeks close to the most famous ski resorts of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines (from December to April).

• to spend joyful and unforgettable moments with your relatives and friends. Many villas in Tuscany accommodate large groups (including pets);

• to spend one or more week in the utmost relax and privacy, which is not possible in a hotel or in an aparthotel;

• to visit the most important Tuscan cities of art in days full of extraordinary cultural and fashionable events.