La Camelia - Stylish Tuscan Villa with Cascading Pool Near Lucca

Tucked away on a sunny hillside, ‘La Camelia’ is an old Tuscan villa-farmhouse of great charm & character. It has been refurbished to the standards & comforts of modern living, yet retains its original flavour with terracotta floors, chestnut beamed ceilings, & hand-painted majolica tiling. This is a relaxed & comfortable property in harmony with its natural surroundings & suitable for children.

NB. The reviews have a note claiming they relate to a "prior host" but in fact they all apply to the current owner and management team who have been operating on VRBO for over 10 years. The owner simply switched VRBO account type & ported his reviews to the new account.

The ground floor of "La Camelia" has a spacious, open-plan layout of kitchen, sitting and dining areas, with double doors to a conservatory & then a wisteria-covered outdoor eating area. The house has recently been extended into the barn to create 2 additional reception rooms. Upstairs the house sleeps 10 in 5 bedrooms in total: 3 double bedrooms, 1 twin bedroom and a bedroom with 2 single beds.

The house is set in an attractive, enclosed garden with views over unspoilt hills. A notable feature is the cascading, split-level saltwater swimming pool, 16x5m, with travertine surround, set in green lawns, the higher level being a separate shallow pool for children. There’s a patio around the higher level of the pool with ample good quality pool furniture for sunbathing. By the pool there is an outdoor dining area covered by a pretty portico. The garden also includes a more formal outdoor dining area beneath wisteria, a brick barbecue, and a working pizza oven - which, while for professional use only - the house manager can happily book a pizza chef to make them for you. The pool is open May-September. It is not heated but its is warm in the summer months.

'La Camelia' is 15 mins from the centre of Lucca, within easy reach of Pisa, Florence, Siena & the sea. The picturesque town of San Martino in Freddana is a 5 minutes drive & offers local food shops, a supermarket, post office, pharmacy, bank, bars & restaurants.

Lucca is a beautiful historic city surrounded by intact 15 century walls, around which you can walk or cycle. Famous for its medieval towers, churches, & 'Piazza Anfiteatro'; its winding paved streets offer an array of smart boutiques, gourmet shops, excellent restaurants & traditional markets. Puccini was born there & daily recitals of his music take place in the 12 c Basilica of San Giovanni. There's also an annual open air festival of his operas during July & August at Torre Del Lago, 30 mins away.

Pisa is around 35 mins drive from the house, Florence is 60 mins. The nearby towns of Montecarlo & Vinci (home of Leonardo) are lovely places for lunch, the latter with some very good restaurants & a Leonardo museum.

The elegant seaside resorts of Versilia - Viareggio, Pietrasanta, Lido di Camaiore & Forte Dei Marmi are around 40 mins drive.

Not far from the house there are a number of wonderful villas & gardens built in the 16th & 17th centuries, the most famous being Villa Garzoni at Collodi, home of the creator of Pinocchio. Around Florence there are also several grand Medici villas worth seeing. The old spa towns of Montecatini & Bagni di Lucca are of interest; as are the picturesque ancient towns of the Garfagnana region such as Barga & Castelnuovo.

Further afield - day trips to Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, Cinque Terre, Arezzo & the mountains of Carrara are well within reach.

Tennis, riding, bicycle hire & golf are all available in the area.

There are 5 challenging & beautiful golf courses around an hour's drive.