VILLA SANTA MARIA Near Lucca, Tuscany Ten minutes to the lively town of Lucca. Excellent accommodations for up to seven couples. Villa Santa Maria is essentially a new house, built to replace the 17th century original that previously stood on this gracious hillside. Lovely large gathering rooms, equally appointed spacious bedrooms and baths, air conditioning, professional kitchen for instruction in Tuscan cuisine side by side with a stocked cantina. Gym, tennis court and pool with solar panels for heat and a cover for efficiency and safety.
OVERVIEW Villa Santa Maria is a house you can have absolute confidence in. Everything is in good taste and selected for both its form and its ability to function well for the owners as well as for their guests on vacation. Villa Santa Maria is essentially a new house, built to replace the 17th century original that previously stood on this gracious hillside. Given this extremely unusual chance to build from scratch and provide a modern accommodation, the owners managed an aesthetically old world Tuscan charm that is well-tuned to the desires of today's villa vacationers. The Florentine owners of Villa Santa Maria have a sincere love for their cultural traditions so they preserved the overall form and style of a proper aristocratic Lucchesian villa on the outside, but enabled a completely different experience for guests on the inside. Air conditioning and WiFi for starters. Lovely large gathering rooms, equally appointed spacious bedrooms and baths, professional kitchen for instruction in Tuscan cuisine side by side with a stocked cantina. Gym, tennis court and pool with solar panels for heat and a cover for efficiency and safety. Villa Santa Maria is a house that works well for many group configurations. There are few homes in Tuscany that can truly accommodate seven couples in equal comfort. Villa Santa Maria is now at the top of our list. The formal living room and dining room are designed for this number, everyone gets a comfortable chair, there is room for more than one wine glass and there is plenty of room left over for guests and the staff to circulate. As the seven bedrooms can also be made up as two single beds per room, singles and children are easily accommodated as well. The point is that Villa Santa Maria is a house that works and works well for all 14 who might be sleeping here. Throughout this home, the spaces are large, gracious and flexible, designed by an owner with a happy and rambunctious family. This is a place they can gather on weekends and holidays, away from their Florentine home to spread out, breathe the fresh air and gather as an extended family. The setting of Villa Santa Maria is characteristic, off one of the important local roads on the lower slope of the hills, which begin here and climb all the way, in successive waves, to the Apennine Alps to the north. You can access Villa Santa Maria by an easy drive on a paved road; no twisting and turning dirt roads are necessary. In fact, you drive right by the incomparable Villa Reale on your way to Villa Santa Maria's private drive. The location of the Villa 10 minutes from Lucca means that you have ready access, like a local, to one of Tuscany s true gems. Lucca is principally an Italian town, like Arezzo in our experience. While there are certainly tourists here, the heart and soul of Lucca is Tuscan. And so visitors enter their world and have a chance to get to know local village life during their stay at Villa Santa Maria. We encourage repeated visits to Lucca so you can do as the locals do, figure out your favorite pasticceria or gelateria, your favorite salumeria or bar. Take a bike ride around the walls often enough that you can name the palazzi and the church spires and keep track of which of the five porta bring you to which convenient parking place or preferred piazza. This is a town with plenty of restaurant options. The lovely thing is that you can get there for dinner, have a lovely after-dinner stroll with the throngs of locals, and know the drive home is conveniently short and free of narrow, winding dirt roads. Days further afield are just as easily accomplished, as the fast moving autostrada that connects Lucca with Florence, Pisa and Livorno is a mere 12 minutes by car. This means you have the beguiling beach towns of Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio within half an hour. Portofino and Cinque Terre are easy day trips by car or train (or a combination of both as we recommend). Florence is just 50 minutes, Chianti a bit more. Siena is two hours, but if you can alternate with a long day by the pool and meandering local markets, you can still leave rested and relaxed.
GROUNDS 620 SQ METERS INDOORS 4 HECTARES OUTDOORS ENTRANCE LEVEL FIRST FLOOR Private gated entrance past sloping lawn and fish pond to uncovered parking area for 6 cars. Still-young landscaping with trees, shrubs and planting beds suitable to classic Lucchese villa. Formal Renaissance graveled courtyard in front of villa with open seating for 18. Pool (13 x 7 meters, 1.5 meters depth, with corner stairs and diving board) lit for enjoyment at night. Fitness Room adjacent to pool; professional gym (treadmill, bike, free-weights, universal), sauna, kitchenette (2 electric burners, sink, fridge/freezer; coolers for beverages); sitting area for 6 and 2 changing areas and bathrooms. Tennis Court (artificial grass). Jasmine covered Gazebo for alfresco dining, accommodates 18. Evening terrace along the cool north-face of the villa with comfortable seating for 12. Formal entrance into vestibule. Oversized living room with five double doors leading to surrounding gardens; seats 16 comfortably. Den with seating for 6, TV with satellite and Sky service, DVD. Studio with desk, DSL line and fax. Modern, well equipped 'Red' kitchen for everyday use by guests, double doors open to garden. Guest bathrooms. Peperoncino: Double bedroom (king/twins) with three windows onto east and south gardens. TV with satellite. Dressing room with desk. Ensue bath (shower stall and tub with hand held shower) with double sinks. Timo: Double bedroom (king) with two windows facing woods to the north. Ensuite bath (shower stall). Menta: Double (king) with windows facing north. TV with satellite. Ensuite bath (shower stall); communicates with Lavanda for the comfort and convenience of a family. Lavanda: Double bedroom (king) with windows facing north. Ensuite bath (shower stall). Salvia: Double bedroom (king/twins) with windows on the front garden. Dressing room with desk. Ensuite bath (tub with wall-mounted shower and partition).
620 SQ METERS INDOORS 4 HECTARES OUTDOORS SECOND FLOOR LOWER LEVEL Zafferano: Double bedroom (king) with sitting area. Ensuite bath (shower stall and tub with hand held shower. Low clearance along one side). Maggiorana: Double bedroom (king) with sitting area. Ensuite bath (shower stall and tub with hand held shower). Expansive formal dining room for 14; double doors open to evening terrace. Top-of-the-line modern cook's kitchen designed for in-villa cooking classes and professional chef. Cantina. Guest Bath. Laundry room (washing machine and dryer). Staff Quarters.
WHAT'S NEARBY Marlia, Cappannori (historic villas and gardens, basic shopping) 10 minutes on foot, 5 minutes in car Lucca (historic center, park and rental bikes, all shopping, train) 7 minutes Forte dei Marmi (beach, designer shopping), Viareggio (beach) 20-30 minutes Montecatini Terme (spas) 25 minutes Pisa (airport), Florence, Cinque Terre, Portofino 50 minutes San Gimignano 1.5 hours Siena 2 hours ITINERARY RECOMMENDATIONS Flat and bike-friendly, Lucca is ideal for riding along the Renaissance town wall and on to the Roman aqueduct at Nottollino. Discover the allure of nearby villages that have maintained their ancient characteristics and amiable charm for generations, including Bagni di Lucca, Barga, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana and Collodi. Take the children to Vinci, hometown of Leonardo da Vinci with a museum containing life-size replicas of his inventions. Pisa is famous for the tower -- scheduled tickets to make the climb can be done directly on line. Lucca has its own 'wine road' dominated by the vintners Tenuta di Valgiano, Buonamico and Terre del Sillabo. Vineyard and wine-tasting tours can be arranged accompanied or self-guided. Enjoy the Tuscan Coast from a private boat out of Forte di Marmi, hike the scenic trails of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Mugello and Lucca, or ride a horse in Migliarino. You are sure to fall in love with the rugged beauty and charm of this corner of Tuscany. If you're a shopper at heart, you can find hidden treasures with a personal shopper in the famous boutiques and outlets tucked into nearby coastal towns. A tour of the hard-to-find designer outlets in and around Florence is a must for serious bargain-hunters.
WHAT TO KNOW The Villa has central AC. Complimentary WiFi provided. Please note there is not consistent coverage throughout the property. WiFi covers ground floor only. Please discuss your particular connectivity needs before booking. Each bedroom is equipped with a TV with decoder, as well as an ipod dock and small safe. Villa has handicap accessible bathroom and elevator to enable full use of the villa, please inquire for special needs. Pool is heated with solar panels, has a cover for heat conservation and safety. The pool is accessed with stairs. Bocce is available for use on the lawns. Basic tennis racquets also available for guests' use. Children are very welcome. Reduced rate available for up to 10 guests. Please inquire. Saturday - Saturday rentals only. Arrival time is 4 pm- 5 pm; departure time is 10 am. TRAVELING WITH HOMEBASE ABROAD Homebase Abroad rates include our professional guidance and comprehensive travel planning - including preparation of your itinerary - for your time at your chosen villa. All arrangements are customized to the specific interests, needs and preferences of you and your guests. We draw from our extensive network of direct contacts as well as our personal travel experiences in Italy. Upon arrival, you will be met by a Homebase Abroad Concierge who is available to you throughout your villa stay, and will be your first point of contact for any questions and additional requests regarding both your villa and itinerary. We are delighted to assist with travel planning for pre- or postvilla stays in Italy for you and your guests. Please contact us directly to discuss the applicable fees.
INCLUDED: HEAT 6 hours per day is included GAS ELECTRICITY up to 300 kwh per week WATER AIR CONDITIONING central; 6 hours per day is included INTERNET WiFi CLEANING 6 hours per day, 6 days per week. LINEN CHANGE weekly WELCOME DINNER compliments of the owner, with their own wine BREAKFAST service only from 8 am - 10:30 am, for Continental style buffet TOUR Tenuta del Buonamico Winery Tour. Timing to be arranged at owner's convenience during your stay. AVAILABLE: HEAT Over 6 hours per day is at extra cost ELECTRICITY Overage based on usage at cost AIR CONDITIONING Over 6 hours per day is extra; charged based on usage at cost. LINEN CHANGE Extra changes on request at additional cost PERSONAL LAUNDRY 12 per hour LUNCH Lunches and Dinners: available on request; at additional charge 15 per hour plus receipts for food DINNER Lunches and Dinners: available on request; at additional charge 15 per hour plus receipts for food CHEF/COOK Chef @ 200 per meal, paid in cash to chef plus cost of food PROVISIONS food and beverages at cost SHOPPING SERVICE 70 + receipts SAUNA Sauna in the pool house 40 per half hour of use PRINTED: 12/14/2017