What is unique about this area:
Art, leisure and health are the hallmarks of this area -- in addition to the great physical beauty of the region. If you want to take in the art, you have Florence less than 1 hour away, Lucca just 10 mins. away, Pistoia just 15 minutes away, and Pisa about 30 minutes away. In just these 4 towns there is so much art and architecture to see you could not do it all in a month. Plus the historic vacation villas that overlook this beautiful Lucchese plain contain spectacular collections of art, not to mention the stunning architecture. As you drive around the area, you are driving among one of the most prized areas in Italy for olive oil and wine production. You can't drive 5 km in any direction and not come across wineries or olive oil fattoria's. Taking a leisurely stroll, after lunch in one of Lucca's many great restaurants, on top of the medieval city walls, which has now been made into a wonderful park, offers one the opportunity to take in the magnificence of this great town.
More on what make this area unique:
If you enjoy more physical activity, taking a hike in the Apuan Alps is stunning. From here you can see magnificent views of these mountains, where Michaelangelo personally came to select his marble -- known for it's purity and luminescent white. In the summer, when there is no snow and the weather is hot, you are amazed at the whiteness of the exposed cliffs where they still quarry marble today. But hiking in this mountains is spectacular. Or head to the beaches, just a short drive away, where normal families as well as the jet-set has been vacationing for years. Or head to Cinque Terre -- just a short drive away and do the walk across the 5 villages -- a spectacular footpath going from village to village, clinging to the cliffside filled with olive trees and vineyards still tended by the villagers, all of this along the waters edge. It is surely one of the most beautiful walks in the world and stop along the way in one of the villages for a great Tuscan lunch.
And there is more and more and more....:
Just to mention a few more unique things to do in the area. There are two spa towns within 15 mins. of the farm. One specializes in thermal springs, the other in drinking waters. Both offer a variety of spa services that can be booked (recommended to book a couple of days in advance). If you are interested in boats, visiting the town of Viareggio where some of the grandest boats of Italian shipyards are built, is a real treat. They make huge, elegant sailing and motor yachts in this town -- a must for yachting enthusiasts. Not far from the walk in Cinque Terre is also the famous village of Portofino -- which is so picture postcard beautiful that it's hard to believe it isn't a movie set. You can drive or take a boat from Cinque Terre or La Spezia. And just walking distance from the farm is one of the famous villas of the area, still inhabited by the same family all these centuries -- Villa Torrigiani.
marks the location of the property in Piana di Lucca
