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This place is out of control - the whole year books up, it is so popular. This large farmhouse, owned and renovated by a young (and rather attractive) woman with an eye for aesthetic harmony beyond her years, is one of our Top Ten. Walking through the many rooms among its two floors we were smitten with love and envy for something done with such vision.
There are two floors intended as two separate rentals, but would do perfectly as one entire rental, although there is no interior connection between the two. Both have independent outside entrance: The bottom floor is accessed via the front and the first floor is accessed via an outdoor stair in the rear of the farmhouse. Great place. Get in there before others do.
This
Perfect for: Couples or small family.
The Details:
Ground Floor: Two bedrooms, one full bath with shower and a living room/dining room / kitchen. An enormous vaulted living room/dining room and kitchen with ceilings that arch some 5 meters above the tallest Italian head. A number of tall shuttered windows let in copious morning light, comfortable sofas and chairs arranged around a fireplace and a fabulous kitchen on one end of the room provide counter space and Italian ceramics. The rooms are painted in two subtle tones. Antiques, original modern art and contemporary furnishings put this house in order. A long hallway leads to two twin bedrooms and one full bathroom with shower. Very cool bathroom. Bedroom furniture includes a simple pine armoire, marble top antique dressers and comfortable antique framed beds. They are twins and are easily converted to a double for those inseparable couples.
Services, Features, Amenities:
Central Heating,
Refridgerator,
Ice box/Freezer,
Oven,
Fireplace,
Dishwasher,
Shared Pool,
Satellite TV,
Washing Machine,
Chef Can Be Arranged,
Local TV,
Outdoor Furniture,
Private Parking,
Chef Can Be Arranged
Weekly Rate Per Seasons*
Low Season (October through April): 1475€ / WEEK
Mid Season (May through June, September): 1790€ / WEEK
High Season (July through August): 1990€ / WEEK
Rates include our Lucca Concierge.
Additional costs payable on the spot:
Security deposit: 700€, Final Cleaning: Included, Heat: metered and payable upon use, Gas: included, Electricity: included, Telephone: additional, Maid: 12€ per hour. The owner is a very good chef- ( a former restaurant owner ) and , upon request, he can prepare very good dinners , welcome dinners on Saturday arrival night- and on any other day with typical Tuscan recipes (with the organic olive oil and wine produced in the estate) price 30 € per person a minimum 4 people. The dinner is prepared in advance, to be warmed up.
*Reservations are always Saturday to Saturday, except for the lowest season when it is flexible. Rates are current and based on when the majority of the week is within the price range stated above. All of our rentals include linens and towels. One set per reservation unless otherwise stated. Request for change/cleaning may incur a charge.
What Guests Have To Say
The view of the valley is spectacular.
Giovanna was a very gracioius hostess and provided two meals for us that were completely over the top.
A visit to the ownersÕ restaurant is a must - a funky favorite with local clientele and a delightful wait staff.
-- Rene, IL, 2000
Wonderful villa filled with thoughtful touches. Even the kitchen sinks will charm you. The pool now has a shower and cabana.
Perfect spot outside Lucca. 3km to a very good supermarket. 10 minute drive to public parking outside Porto San Donato.
The views across the vineyards and olive trees will transport you to another time and place. The entire city of Lucca glows in the distance. The silence at night is profound. Peaceful and other-worldly.
Giovanna and Giuseppe are thougthful and classy. Terrific meal awaits you on arrival. They provide their own wine and olive oil. Ask to see the winemaking room and buy some of Giovanna's homemade hand cream. Our little boy developed an ear infection; Giovanna arranged for a doctor to make a house call and was there to help translate. The perfect hosts. They even stocked the house with the groceries and diapers we requested!
We hope to stay here again in 2006, this time for two weeks. San Martino is ideally located for touring in Tuscany and eastern Liguria.
Local Resuarants:
Buca di San Antonio in Lucca. Il Vipore, just 2 km from the Villa.
-- Jim, MA, 2004
What can you say about a place where even the kitchen sink is charming?
"Wonderful" doesn't begin to do justice to San Martino Vignale, in the hills west of Lucca.
Giovanna Tronci has taken a building on her estate and created a near-perfect villa to enjoy all that Lucca and the surrounding area have to offer.
The villa is divided into two apartments. My family, eleven people in all, rented both for a week in June, 2004.
My wife and I stayed with our twins in the two-bedroom, one-bath ground floor apartment. My brother, his girlfriend, my sister, her husband, their girls, and my mom shared the four-bedroom, three-bath first-floor unit.
We loved the high ceiling in our unit, which featured a combination kitchen/dining room/living room. Along one wall there is an ancient wood-fired grill on which we cooked several nights. Oh, the aforementioned kitchen sink: it's an ancient slab of stone, four feet wide and four inches deep!
Everything in the villa was perfectly comfortable and in working order. Bed linens and towels were luxury-hotel quality. The kitchen was stocked with enough pots, pans, plates and utensils to prepare and serve a meal for twenty people.
-- Rob, NY, 2005
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Just east and north of Pisa through the mountain is the intriguing walled city of Lucca. The walls are the most substantial of all of Italy. Where most walled cities erected high and thin walls some 1 - 2 meters thick, Lucca created a massive moat and walls of some 20 meters thick. Large enough that it now serves as a wonderful promenade for the village people. This is a must - be in Lucca at the time of the "passeggiata" 5:00 - 7:00pm. The town strolls leisurely around the city on top of the wall and along the historic street that encircles the oval piazza anfiteatro, once the location of an oval Roman amphitheater. Julius Ceaser is said to have walked this passeggiata in 85 BC. "Passeggiate" is a delightful Italian custom. All towns and villages have one and allow the informed traveler, to rub elbows with the locals.
Touring Ideas:
Lucca 5 km
Florence 90 km
Viareggio 40 km
Carrara 75 km
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