12 Incredible Italian Villas You Can Rent

Perched on terraces high above the Amalfi Coast and the glittering Mediterranean, Villa San Giacomo boasts one of the region's few private pools. Sea breezes along the cliffs are especially sweet here, given the upper terrace's citrus trees, jasmine and bougainvillea. Party planners at San Giacomo can ask the kitchen staff to whip up a poolside brunch featuring fresh-squeezed juice and marmalade from the villa's own lemons and mandarin oranges.

On the western shore of Italy, Villa Licosa claims a portion of what connoisseurs call "one of the last stretches of unspoiled coast." The pool deck's jaw-dropping centerpiece? The ruins of a Roman fort.

A path through the trees leads guests to the spectacular pool and a panoramic southwestern sea view at Villa Il Campo, where the olive grove shades sunbathers. Though guests can drive straight to the villa itself (a rare luxury on the steep Amalfi Coast), gatherings there feel lifetimes away from the constraints of modern life.

In the Conca d'Oro near Panzano, Ca di Pesa and its award-winning vineyards are ready to indulge guests' fantasies of running off to Tuscany and opening a winery. Swimmers can dine on wood-fired pizza from the property's forno and sip house-made Chianti Classico as the sun sets over the rolling hills.