British Prime Minister David Cameron has chosen a luxury villa in Tuscany as his summer holiday destination.

The Prime Minister will spend a fortnight in an 18th century villa, complete with swimming pool and tennis court, near the town of Mercatale Valdarno in the Chianti region. Mr Cameron, his wife Samantha and their three young children will share their holiday with two other families, the Daily Telegraph reported.

It is understood that the Camerons are paying £5,800 (€6,600) as their share of the 11,000 euro-a-week villa, and they are expected to travel to Italy on a budget airline in the coming days.

They will be staying on the ‘Petrolo estate’, which is situated among “green olive groves, active vineyards and beautiful oak woods”, according to its website.

Mr Cameron will follow in the footsteps of former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, who regularly spent family holidays in Tuscany as a guest of Prince Girolamo Strozzi.

The trip will be the first proper foreign holiday for the Camerons since the UK general election last year.

Last summer the family stayed in Cornwall, where Mrs Cameron gave birth early to baby Florence. The baby was given the middle name Endellion after the village of St Endellion where they were staying.