Lovely accommodation near Lucca

Warm atmosphere, old time charm and all kinds of modern comforts characterize this Villa near Lucca, restored with personal touch. For sure one of the best places to spend few days if you wish to visit Lucca and the north of Tuscany. The foundations of this ancient Villa date back to the 18th century
The Villa belonged to Mr. Bonuccelli that bought it from Washington since his family had emigrated to America, and the villa would allow his family left back in Italy, to live in it. In fact they lived in it, as it was, until 1945. Thankfully the bombings of WWII did not destroy this villa.

The Villa is located near Camaiore that is a town which extends from the fascinating summits of the Apuanian Alps to the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the heart of Versilia.

We really enjoyed our stay at the villa. A relaxing and refreshing experience in a lovely restructured and authentic Tuscan villa near Lucca.

Castagneto Carducci and Bolgheri

The Castle of Bolgheri has been known of since the 8th century, and it too belonged to the family of the Counts della Gherardesca. The original structure had a different location: the castle we can admire today is the result of a reconstruction after the arrival in Bolgheri of the army of Emperor Maximilian in 1496. In the beginning of the 20th century, the castle of Bolgheri was the center of the properties of the noble Gherardesca family ; the countess Franca Spalletti Trivelli (a Gherardesca), wife of the earl Clemente Zileri (who owned the Fattoria Poggio a Poppiano near Florence) inherited this estate of 130 ha (among which 50 ha of vineyards) from her mother.




If you are looking to take a quick trip here from the north, then head south direction south Grosseto, exit La California and continue towards south for 5 Km. Here begin on your left the cypress road. If you are heading over from Siena follow the road that leads to Massa Marittima (another goregous little stop) and then proceed towards Castegneto Carducci.


Perhaps one of the most distinctive aspects of this town is the 4.3 km of road wich stretch between the castel itself and the old roman road of Aurelian is the long and pictureqsue viale of cypress trees (more than 2000 trees), well known through the Tuscany region and often associated with the Tuscan landscape.

Between 1838 and 1848, in the famous Italian Poet named Carducci, lived in Bolgheri and with his poem Davanti San Guido, he immortalised the "Viale" that led to the small village from the antique Roman thoroughfare to the chapel of St Vitus, built in 1703.




"Cipressi che a Bolgheri alti e schietti / van da San Guido in duplice filar, / quasi in corsa giganti giovinetti / mi balzarono incontro e mi guardar"

(The cypresses trees that go from Bolgheri, high and sincere in a double line, almost as young giants run towards me and looked at me).



Comfortably small and very walkable, this quaint little village is the perfect place to stop off and have a bite to eat - or get that after lunch cafe while admiring the Italian architecture in the many times restructured castle.

Discover Pitigliano in Tuscany

Pitigliano lies in the green Etruscan hills of the Maremma, the most southern part of Tuscany. The historic center stands on a protruding tuff rock and still demostrates remains of an aquaduct. The history of the town stretches back to the Etruscans in pre-Roman times and even today Etruscan graves and pathways carved into the tuff beneath the town point to these ancient peoples.


The of Pitigilano, in southern Tuscany, town is situated on a steep tuff rock (a hardened type of volcanic magma), 313 metres above sea-level. Not far from Pitigliano and its vacation rentals is Lake Bolsena, a huge water-filled crater and the largest Italian lake.


Southern Tuscany, a beautiful place to look for a vacation rental villa, was once one of the most important centres of the Etruscans. There are numerous cave-tombs of that period around Pitigliano, caves cut deep into the tuff, that are today used as cellars and sheds. Of further interest is the Jewish history of Pitigliano.


In the 30`s the situation of the Jews deteriorated. By luck and good fortune as well as the assistance of some Italians, who risked their lives, apparently all the Jews of Pitigliano survived. Today there is no Jewish community any more, but the cultural heritage is maintained. You can visit a small museum in the old ghetto area of the town. Not only does it offer a glimsp of the Jewish livestyle, but also a great opportunity to see the catinas carved in Tuff.



The mostly volcanic mountainous area is called "Alta Maremma" (Upper Maremma). Most of this area is covered by tuff (in italian: tufo), a volcanic material, that was discharged from volcanoes in prehistoric times. Tuff can be worked quite easily as long as it has had no contact with air that hardens it. Tuff has been used by people living in the area from early times. Today most of the old buildings are gone, and most of the remains are made from hollowed out tuff.
As a well known archaeologist once said: There is nothing that lasts longer than a hole in the ground.

Archeological digs in Fiesole

Not far from Florence the historical digs of Fiesole can be found. There are two excellent musems and the ruins themselves which can be visited. In the winter the hours are from 9,30 in the morning to 5 in the evening and in the summer to 7 in the evening - continuous hours with no lunch break! This is a perfect place to come and see some of the ruins left by past cultures in a relaxing and comfortable setting. You will find parking for the cars - or if you want you can catch an orange ATAF bus from Florence, look for line number 7 to Fiesole.



The so-called �Fiesole stelae� date back as far as the late 6th century B.C. However finds from the Villanovan culture of the early iron age and the age of copper and of bronze have also been unearthed. The Etruscan settlement of Fiesole was probably the center of a zone where settlements were scattered over the hillsides which overlook the Florentine basin.



The entire floor rested on piers of bricks which drew hot air from an adjacent furnace (see photo). The walls also were interfaced with hollow terra cotta tiles on all sides to draw the heat through. Frequently the bath had a plug so the water could be emptied, maybe twice, maybe once, or not at all during the day. The pipes might either be lead or, more typically, tiles buried in the ground. Usually planted a foot or more under a very solid concrete floor, they were built to last.


A bathroom of the wealthy literally was a room with a pool of water filling up the entire floor, in essence a small swimming pool in present-day terms. The walls were lined with marble and complemented the three or four marble steps leading down to the submerged concrete floor.

Town of Seggiano in Valdorcia

Seggiano, located just south of Bagno Vignoe and San Quirico d'Orcia

is a quaint little town set in the the rural setting of Monte Amiata with many little towns with medieval characteristics.
Stone walls, gently sloping hillsides, olive groves and huge forests of beech and chestnut rich with a wild life that can be tasty on the table such as wild boar and deer.




You won't find much written about it in the tour guide books but it makes up a line of pleasant little stops along the way to visit the summit of Monte Amiata where you can picnic or simply enjoy hiking in one of the highest points of southern Tuscany. This imposing mount can be seen from distances as far away as Montepulciano.



This is a lazy little setting, and you will enjoy walking the streets and admiring the views. They are not geared up for tourism at all, so you won't find a lot of quaint little boutiques or fancy enoteca's with the latest in wine and cheese just simple good food in a typical Tuscan environment.



Though picturesque, they could have better planned the parking lot around the Renaissance church of Madonna della Carit�, which literally creates an asphalt garden in the middle of the olive groves.

Poppi near Arezzo

Poppi rises on a hill dominating the Arno river in the Casentino Valley. The seat of the Count Guidi family who ruled the valley from the early 1000s until 1289 when they finally became part of the Florentine Republic. From the late 1200s to 1448 the Guidi family presided in the Palazzo dei Guidi and controlled the land from Poppi to the mountain pass of the Consuma. Approaching the Campaldino plain, the tall and imposing thirteenth-century castle of the Guidi Counts on the hilltop of Poppi dominates the surrounding countryside. The Castle is characterised by a facade with double-arched windows and the tall tower rising from the centre




Inside the Castel of Poppi is the famous "Biblioteca Rilliana", with a wealth of important volumes, and the Chapel frescoed by Taddeo Gaddi, Giotto``s favourite pupil. On the outskirts of the residential centre of Ponte a Poppi stands the Convent of Certomondo, with a church dedicated to SS. Annunziata e Giovan Battista, which was built for the Guidi Counts in 1260. In the 1440 s, in an unsuccessful attempt to capture full control of their lands the Guidi family fell out of grace and where permanently exiled from their territory.



The late-thirteenth-century Badia di S. Fedele in the old town centre of Poppi houses many precious paintings, while to the north of the town lies the 10th-century Abbey of Strumi.

Gulf of Baratti

Gulf of Barati

Here you find not only wonderful water that is calm even when the sea is rough but also Etruscan ruins nearby, and a medieval fortress up above.

Not only great for the quite soft beaches, but is nestled under Populonia, a spectacular promontory about 70 km south of Livorno; it`s shielded from the sea and calm. With calm seas, on the other hand, Populonia has dozens of tiny inlets that can only be reached by boat. It`s a sun-worshiper`s paradise, and also a diver`s -- you may even find something Etruscan under the waves, because Baratti is where the Etruscans smelted the iron ore they mined on Elba, and their transport ships did occasionally sink.




The tombs of the necropolis of Populonia are located close to the gulf of Baratti, and the powerful cities of Roselle and Vetulonia once overlooked Lake Prile. The ancient Etruscan cities, and the finds and remains scattered around the region are now being safeguarded bu such schemes as the Prco Archeologico-Naturalistico Baratti-Populonia and, in the province of Grosseto, the Parco della Civilt� Etrusca, comprising five separate archaeological areas.




Many of the seaside resorts, from Castiglioncello to the border with Lazio - including San Vincenzo, Follonica, and Gulf of Baratti - are shaded by large umbrella pines. These pinewoods, often planted to replace the original coastal forests of holm oaks and other trees, are part of a landscape that was formed at least two centuries ago by human intervention.




They are now a familiar feature of the Tuscan coast and constitute a natural environment worthy of special protection, not only because they are the habitat of a wide variety of flora and fauna, including the dense Mediterranean undergrowth, but also because they are notable tourist attraction, offering opportunities for delightful walks and cycle rides, or simply shade for bathers on hot sunny days.




In past centuries the economic and cultural life of Tuscany was concentrated in the towns and villages built for safety on the heights, and still surrounded by walls today, while the magnificent facades of their battlemented civic buildings are decorated with the coasts of arms of the "podest�" who ruled them. The wach-towers, the well-defended gates, the fortresses also served to control mineral deposits, outlets to the sea and important trade routes.