Camaiore holiday house: Casoli

We visited Rombolo to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary and it did not disappoint. Firstly the house was absolutely lovely with stunning views of the mountains, cloaked in olive, pine, cyprus and chestnut trees, right down to the sea and the calm waters of the lake in the distance. At night the lights from Pisa flickered on the horizon and we were able to watch a dsiplay of shooting stars one night in the clear dark sky. Magic!

We enjoyed a romantic break in our enormous light and airy room with a view, where we breakfasted on our private balcony, whilst the two teenage boys we had in tow had fun in a separate part of the house until the early hours away from close adult supervision.

We enjoyed a really varied holiday, and we have to thank Jill for her many suggestions that made the holiday really special.
We swam in the local river with its deep, cool pools; went to a lovely beach near Livorno that Jill recommended, with rocks from which to dive ; a great restaurant in the mountains with amazing views over the coast and to the marble caves at Carrara, which were pronouced 'cool' (Daniel Craig was pictured filming the next Bond movie there). We also visited lovely mellow Pietresanta; Lucca, where the boys loved cycling round the old walls; Pisa and Florence . Paul and I went to the Puccini opera festival by the lake night, a lovely setting, whilst the boys had fun in Viareggio.

All in all it was a lovely holiday and Casoli is a very pleasant, genuine, small Italian village with a great little bar. We took to visiting the bar for gelati and drinks before the walk back through the olive trees which was a great way to start and end the day and improve fitness.

Rombolo is a beautiful old house with bags of character, a well equipped kitchen and is a lovely cool retreat away from the heat of the valley below. It was so relaxing to come back to the house after a hot day sightseeing or swimming (especially towards the end of our holiday when we had a mini heatwave), when lovely breezes washed over you ensuring a perfect night's sleep.

Jill is very helpful (also very amusing), but not at all intrusive. We would highly recommend a holiday if you love nature and great views and want to enjoy all the delights Tuscany has to offer - though you can just equally well just chill in the house, have a barbeque and relax under the wisteria covered terrace and enjoy the wonderful view.

I stayed with 5 friends at Rombolo in September 2008. This place is simply gorgeous!! It is located in the hilltops near a tiny and traditional village with a sensational view down the valley and all the way to the lake on a clear day. You have to park your car on the other side of the village and walk through the village and up a dirt track through olive groves for 10 mins to reach Rombolo, which only made it seem all the more remote and exciting! Despite the seemingly remote location, we did easy day trips to Cinque Terra, Florence, Pisa & Lucca. There are also loads of hikes or rock climbing that can be done in the local area. Jill was great at providing information and giving directions to all the places of interest.

Rombolo itself is much larger than it appears on the website. There is a massive double bedroom upstairs with a balcony looking over valley, which is perfect for breakfast in the sun or a champagne at sunset. There is also a large BBQ area with overhanging vines which is perfect for relaxing on a hot summers day. The house is a huge old stone building that Jill has renovated without losing any of its original charm. The bedrooms are all quite separate, and private, so even if you have a large group you still have your privacy. The kitchen is fully equiped with mod cons & dishwasher, although Jill will also cook you a tasy meal if you ask! Everything was exceptionally clean and tidy when we arrived. All in all, we had a fantastic stay at Rombolo and have highly recommended it to our friends. Jill - thankyou for such a memorable stay!!

We will always have the most incredible memories of our time spent at Rombolo.
The location and panoramic view is just sublime.
We felt extremely at home , enjoyed the tasty delights of local cooks and cuisine.
Jill makes the stay warm and hospitable, and her cooking was so welcome and delicious.
We highly reccomend Rombolo and the fabulous surrounds.