Lucca holiday villa: Carignano

Our very mixed group (at least in age - a 3 year old, 7 year old, two parents in their 30s and two grannies) had a fabulous stay at the Bell' Estate in August '09.

The house has an air of slightly faded grandeur about it, which makes it feel special without being in any way intimidating or starchy. Ultimately you are holidaying here and you don't want to feel as though you can't sit on the sofa! Happily the house is very welcoming and you soon feel right at home. There is so much character and interest too that you can easily spend a week exploring the contents, frescoes and artworks.

The kids loved the grounds, picking ripe tomatoes and plums, and generally charging about as though they owned the place, while the foot thick walls keep the temperature just right inside for the adults.

The swimming pool is absolutely wonderful. Not just hugely long, but deep and crystal clear too - dive down when the sun is shining brightly and and it is like being in an underwater cathedral! Our only one disappoinment was that we could not get the pool lights working for evening swimming, which would have been magical.

The house is a 10 minute drive from the centre of Lucca - a town we had never visited despite coming to Tuscany many times, but now firmly one of our favourites. Not too touristy, great little restaurants and cafes, beautiful buildings and cycling on top of the city walls is a joy, shaded throughout the day and certainly the coolest way to spend a couple of mid-August afternoons.

Our thanks to Alessandra, who went out of her way to ensure we had a comfortable stay - even helping direct us to the only bar/supermarket in Tuscany open on the public holiday we arrived on - and especially for packaging and sending on all the clothes we left behind!

If you are after a bright, modern archetypal holiday villa then this probably isn't for you. But if you 're looking for a house with character, history and charm then I can't recommend Bell' Estate highly enough.

This villa is happily situated in the hills north of Lucca; there are spectacular views to the south of the city, from every vantage, and the house is oriented in such a way to inspire true enjoyment of classic, Tuscan landscape. The very private house and grounds are beautifully preserved and maintained. The interior of the villa is filled with beautiful books, furniture, and objects of curiosity and historical interest. Because the ceilings are high, and the walls very thick, the villa stays cool even in intense summer heat if one follows the detailed and knowledgeable instructions provided by the owners. The kitchen is a marvel, and is ideal for anyone who might enjoy finding the readily available and exceptional local produce, and creating meals which may be taken al fresco. Everything was beautifully arranged in expectation of our arrival: there was mosquito netting for each of the beds in each of the bedrooms, there were fresh towels, and additional towels for use at the pool; the beds were extremely comfortable. There were two, well-appointed showers, as well as a large, separate bath. The housekeepers were very helpful in showing us around the house, and were very accommodating, although it helps to have some Italian in order to ask questions, should you have any. This is a villa that clearly belongs to a family who take great care in preparations for guests, and rightly expect that the guests will treat their environment similarly.
The gardens are filled with lemon, and other fruit trees, and the huge and magnificent pool is suitable for real lap-swimming. The pool also enjoys beautiful views of the hills south of Lucca. There are hoopoes, and even a songbird that sings the first few bars of the Eroica at sunset. There are bats considerate enough to deplete the mosquito population at dusk over the pool—definitely a spectator sport. The guest book is filled with useful suggestions from restaurants, to wine tasting, to shopping. We adhered to these suggestions, and this greatly added to our enjoyment of Lucca and the surrounding area. In addition, it was most helpful to be given informed advice about supermarkets, one of which in particular, had spectacular local produce. Guests will find that it helps to follow the advice about restaurants as well—you cannot go wrong, or be disappointed! We have rented villas elsewhere, and found Bell'Estate to be an absolute paradise—really second to none. We hope to return next year!

We had a wonderful time here. It was really an experience. We enjoyed the house very much and the wonderful views from the bedrooms. It is a very personal house as it has been in the same lovely family for a long time.
Lucca is a great location and there is plenty to do. We particularly enjoyed hiring bikes and riding around the town. We were looked after very well when we arrived. The kitchen has everything and the local supermarkets and food shops are great to visit and make cooking a pleasure.
It would suit a large family. The gardens and the pool area are lovely. I think that this house offers a vey special Italian experience