Country House Holidays Across Europe

Have you ever dreamed about living in a castle? Have you imagined waking up in the morning and feeling like royalty?



Have you ever dreamed about living in a castle? Have you imagined waking up in the morning



and feeling like royalty? Well, consider making that dream a reality! Hire a Castle for your



next holiday !



Sometimes it is good to experience something a bit different, an unusual holiday home, an



unusual activity, an experience that will fire your imagination, something that will make you



say "I'm glad I did that - it makes me feel like a king or a princess".





Renting a chateau in France is not the same thing as renting a castle in Scotland or renting



a castello in Italy. And the difference is not only geographical. Although, along with



castillo in Spain, the words are usually used as translations for each other, and are derived



from the same Latin root, they refer to different types of property altogether





Whereas an English castle is a very specific type of building, originally a fortified



residence for a feudal lord, usually substantial in size and instantly recognisable by its



(usually) crenellated towers, a French chateau is not simply a castle in France. Although



French chateau is the literal translation for English castle, the term is in fact applied far



more widely, and can in practice mean any old or grand country house. In French, the specific



term chateau fort is used for a castle of the medieval, fortified kind. What distinguishes a



French chateau is that it is a grand residence in the countryside as opposed to a town, the



word palais standing for its urban equivalent. Again, this differs from English in that a



palace in England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland is just as likely to be found in the



countryside.



In Italy, the situation is different again. As in English Castles, a castello (castle) is a



medieval or renaissance military stronghold. The equivalent of renting a country house here



is hiring a villa. The urban equivalent of the country house (more similar to France in this



respect) is the palazzo, although that term also includes the fortified residences of the



merchant princes of the renaissance Italian city states. Unlike in France, though, it is



possible to find villa rentals in Italy almost everywhere in the peninsula – it is not so



much a question, as in England, of the weight of local interests prevailing over the gravity



of central authority, but rather that there was no central authority at all, Italy being



until the mid-nineteenth century a patchwork of a dozen or more independent states. As a



consequence, you can find a castello or Italian villa to rent anywhere from Sicily to Tuscany



to the Veneto.





Since medieval castles were originally the stronghold of the local lord, their size would



reflect his power and the extent of his authority, from small buildings that amount to little



more than fortified farmsteads, to great fortress bastions that dominate the country for



miles around. Just as these lords were evenly distributed all over the British Isles and



France, so too were the seats and symbols of their power. Yet very few of these genuinely



medieval buildings survive, and the vast majority of castles, chateaux and country houses for



renting date from the 17th and 18th centuries, and occasionally even later..



Here are some tips before selecting a castle holiday accommodation:



Check Capacity of Castle: Depending upon the size of your group, you should the select the



castle or house which can accommodate you all comfortably that too cost effectively. If you



hire a castle with where 50 people can sleep but you are only 30 in group, you will end up



paying extra. So choose wisely.



Check the Facilities: Decide whether you are cooking yourself or you need a cook and let the



trip advisor know this in advance, so that he can make sufficient arrangements in time.

Accessibility from Airport: Before Hiring a Castle or a country house for holiday check how



far is it from airport and what transport means are available in case of emergency.



After getting answer to these questions , you can book a castle as per your requirements.

No matter which castle experience you choose, every one of them gives visitors the



opportunity to feast their eyes and senses on the lovely scenery.



For More information

Mannor House To Rent


and Holidays at


English Castles by Holiday Castle Rentals