La Piccola Torre

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House |2 bedrooms |Sleeps 7

Bagni di Lucca in Tuscany

From £325 per week

4 nights minimum stay

Changeover flexible

3.5 out of 5

2 reviews | Write a review

Key info  Car advised, may take pets - please enquire

About the home

La Piccola Torre (the small tower) is a stone built detached tower style house in the beautiful mountain village of Benabbio in the North Tuscan hills. The house has been recently renovated by a highly regarded Italian architect using local materials and tradesmen. Furnished in a modern rustic style by an interior designer, this beautiful and unusual house provides the perfect opportunity to enjoy traditional Italian living in this welcoming Italian community.

The house is full of original features such as Cotto floors, chunky beams, wooden shutters and doors. Furnishings are designed to be both comfortable and pleasing to the eye.

The house is set on three floors, plus a very large and inviting roof terrace. Entering through the wooden front doors, downstairs to the right there is a large rustic kitchen with fridge, electric oven, gas hob and automated central heating system. There is a dining area in the kitchen which will seat 6/7 adults. Also downstairs there is a washing room with WC, sink, drying rack, washing machine and electric water boiler.

Straight ahead from the front door, up a few traditional stone stairs, is the cool and spacious lounge area with relaxed and comfortable seating, including a double sofa bed, a large day bed which converts to a large single bed, a working log fireplace and CD player and DVD player. This room provides the perfect place to sit and chill out away from the stresses of modern life.

Up the stairs on the first floor are the properties two bedrooms and the stylish modern bathroom with Rain Shower. The master bedroom has dual aspects and a King size bed. The second bedroom contains a double bed and views through to the valley.

The unusual and striking stairs then provide access to the large roof terrace with sun loungers, seating for al fresco dining, large stone BBQ and stunning panoramic views along the lush green valley and back over the village including the large Church with its traditional bell tower.

La Piccolo Torre is a Non-Smoking property (smoking allowed on roof terrace).

Facilities

Further details indoors:
The house has an interesting history, which we are starting to piece together from the village locals. So far it is our understanding that the house was built by/for an American sailor shortly after The First World War for his Italian girlfriend from the village. Unfortunately before he could complete the house, he was called back to his boat and left Italy, his girlfriend either couldn't afford to complete the house, or else was prevented from completing the build due to the fallout with the immediate neighbours as the American had built the house in the middle of one of the villages squares (blocking the views of surrounding properties). The house then remained empty until The Second World War.

During the Second World War the property was used as a safehouse for partisans and the Italian resistance as a stop off point for American, Canadian and English soldiers and spies escaping from Florence. They would spend up to 12 days in the house until being called to the West coast and their boat home. Indeed one of our neighbours has a letter from General Alexander thanking them for supporting British troops during the war as they provided food and clothing to the house. Following the war the house was again left empty, although the wartime occupants did leave a small number of hand grenades and pistols which were found and disarmed by the Italian bomb disposal team during the recent renovation. As such the property has never been permanently occupied, making it an 80yr old new build!

Further details outdoors:
PARKING,

Although the property has no allocated parking, there is plenty of public parking in the village, there is car parking by the two small shops which are a thirty second walk from the house through an arch, even if these spaces are taken on your arrival you can pull in to unload the car.
There are more spaces by the church which at the furthest are 50 metres (100 foot approx).

All parking areas are well lit, paved and relatively level.

Further details

New for rent August 2005.

PLEASE NOTE ALTHOUGH THE PROPERTY WILL SLEEP 7 MAXIMUM IT IS MORE SUITED TO FOUR PEOPLE AS THE 5-7th PERSONS WOULD BE ON A SOFA BED AND SINGLE BED IN THE LOUNGE AREA.

Conditions

Property has stone staircases and floors, therefore children should be appropriately supervised to avoid injury. Local football pitch and ball play area in village 50m from house, outdoor and indoor swimming pool in Bagni di Lucca.

Photos

 

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La Piccola Torre roof terrace

 

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Large sitting area

 

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The pretty main bedroom

 

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Bagni di Lucca Lido (10 min drive)

The Tuscany / Lucca Province region

The Italian region of Tuscany is amongst the most beautiful areas of Europe offering stunning Alpine hills to the North, the rolling hills of Siena to the south, sandy beaches and beautiful coast lines and some of the most historic cities and towns in Italy.

A holiday in North Tuscany is characterised by beautiful and lush scenery, hill and mountain roads to traditional, rural Italian villages and masses of history and art .

Tuscany was the region in which the Italian Renaissance produced its first results. The unique artistic patrimony of this region includes architecture, painting and sculpture, collected in dozens of famous museums like the Uffizi in Florence and in situ in even quite small cities.

Tuscany is also known for its wines (most famous of which are Chianti, Morellino di Scansano and Brunello di Montalcino) and has 120 protected regions (nature reserves). Notable tourist destinations in Tuscany include Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Maremma (in Grosseto province), Crete Senesi, and Siena.

The Bagni di Lucca area

La Piccola Torre sits nestled in a small square in the mountain village of Benabbio, at the foot of the Apuan Alps and 6km outside the historic spa town of Bagni di Lucca, the house is perfectly located for exploring the national park area of the Garfagnana, the cities of Lucca, Pisa, Livorno (Leghorn) and Firenze (Florence). The house is located just 50 minutes from Pisa airport, 50 minutes from the beaches of Viareggio and Forte Dei Marmi and 50 minutes from the local ski resort of Abetone. Further afield beautiful Porto Venere is 90 minutes away to the North West and the rolling hills of Sienna a couple of hours to the South East.


Benabbio - the village facilities
Situated along the road that climbs from Bagni di Lucca over the Pizzorne plateau and goes down to Pescia, this charming traditional working village stands on the hillside and on the top stands a Romanesque church and the few ruins of the castle of Lupo Luperi. Benabbio is a typical mountain Tuscan village with a wealth of history stretching from Medieval times, please note due to the location/altitude of the village walking to Bagni-di-lucca is only advised for the really fit, obviously downhill is fine but walking back is not for the faint hearted! But the village has two shops which between them should provide all the goods you need. Taxis are also available from the village. During the summer months the villagers open the small outdoor bar and dancing (ballroom not modern) area called 'la Lucciola' (the Firefly) the bar serves snacks and children /young people are very welcome, it is a three minute walk from the house. There are two restaurants in the village, a new restaurant opposite the church in the centre of the village offering traditional Tuscan dishes such as wild boar and a Pizza/pasta/ice cream restaurant just five minutes walk up the hill (on the left) by the side of the church, offering very reasonably priced food and is ideal for children, it also provides a take away pizza service. There is also a great western style riding centre which provides local trecks just outside the village - www.ruscelloranch.com

Just down the hill from the village Bagni di Lucca has a number of bars and restaurants to satisfy most appetites, with more gastronomic experiences further toward Lucca including the beautiful 'Butterfly' restaurant on the main road to Bagni di Lucca from Lucca, where you can experience the very best in high quality Italian gastronomy.

BAGNI-DI-LUCCA (5km) hosts an amazing period natural thermal spa offering many treatments and beauty products. The town also has a lovely large outdoor/indoor swimming pool providing sunbathing areas, snacks and drinks - great place for the children. An historic casino museum has also recently opened after national investment and refurbishment. (2010) - now non operational,it was apparently the first casino to open in Italy.


Bagni di Lucca was established in late roman times. Its health -giving springs have been used by the nobility of Europe for over 1000 years, and was known as "The Italian Switzerland". The magnificent and unique Ponte della Maddalena (The Devil's Bridge) was built in 1101 so the baths could be reached from Lucca. In the 18th and 19th centuries there were particularly strong ties with England and it was an essential stop on the "Grand Tour". It was frequented by Shelley, Byron, the Brownings, Strauss, Listz, Paganini, and Puccini and many other notables.

Today Bagni di Lucca is a beautiful little spa town with a variety of shops, bars and restaurants, The town nestles in the lush valley of the Lima River which flows right through the middle of the town (you can swim in many places)) in the foothills of the Apennines surrounded by picturesque medieval hilltop villages, many of which are worth a day's visit especially Barga.

The house is also on the doorstep of two National Parks offering mountains, forests, gorges, rivers, lakes and caves (La Grottto Vente is not to be missed it is known as the wind cave, its very large and has amazing formations inside - tours are available in English and run approx every half an hour- further info at house).

The skiing in Abetone is fantastic with runs to suit beginners as well as experienced, the resort has 60km of stunning piste and a modern lift system (apart from one chairlift - a bit old and slow!). Lessons are available in English and prices for lessons, lift passes and eqipment hire are about the cheapest in Europe as the resort is not advertised. There are NEVER any queue's and skiing is possible from Dec right through to April - the resort has an excellent snow record due to its own mirco climate and it has never experienced an avalanche!

The nearest beach resort is Viareggio,, it has miles of sandy shoreline and is ideal for children and sunbathers, in summer the resort gets busy with the rich and famous italians who often arrive on their own private yachts - very entertaining!

How to get there

La Piccola Torre What's nearby: Attractions Restaurants Click map icons for more information

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The village of Benabbio is easily accessible by road or by train. Low cost flights to Pisa (50 minutes drive) are available from the following UK airports:

- Bournemouth
- Bristol
- Coventry
- Doncaster
- Glasgow
- Liverpool
- London (Stansted)
- Manchester

Alternatively low cost flights to Florence (75 minutes drive) are available from London Gatwick.

The drive from the airport is a simple run North from Pisa (or West from Florence) on the motorway to the beautiful walled city of Lucca, from there a short drive North along the beautiful Serchio Valley takes you past the historic towns of Ponte a Moriano and Borgo a Mozzano (with the famous Devil's Bridge or Ponte del Diavolo) to the Spa town of Bagni di Lucca with its thermal spa, restaurants and bars along the river Lima. Just a couple of hundred metres past Bagni di Lucca on the road out to Abetone (the local ski resort, known as the training ground for the Italian olympic skiing team) on the right hand side the road to Benabbio climbs up the side of the valley providing stunning views along the river and across to the Apuan Alps.

Whilst we recommend hiring a car from the airport, to allow you to best explore this beautiful area, it is also possible to take a train from Pisa airport to Bagni di Lucca, with a couple of changes in Pisa and Lucca. It is then a simple task to pick up a taxi or take the bus from Bagni di Lucca up to Benabbio where you can spend a relaxing time in the village.

Activities near Bagni di Lucca

Reviews

Review: 1 to 2 of 2

15 Aug 2011

“Absolutely fantastic!” What a beautiful place to stay. Excellent accommodation. Loved the town and surrounding scenery.

09 Aug 2011

“It would not have been included in our shortlist” As we are two couples, our main criteria when looking for a holiday villa is that it MUST have two bathrooms.Although you advertise La Piccolo Torre as having two, it only has the one. This was most upsetting and very inconvenient. This problem is not new, as the visitors book mentions it on several occasions going back two or three years.This is misrepresentation and should be addressed to prevent disappointment to others. One of the bedrooms was far too small for the double bed that had been put in it which left no provision for any kind of wardrobe. After deciding that we had to make the best of it, we had an enjoyable stay. PS.NO ICE MAKING COMPARTMENT IN THE FRIDGE. Response: We advertise on two sites - holiday lettings and owners direct - holiday lettings did not allow provision for a separate toilet and sink(but no shower or bath) to be ticked on the specification so at the time of the booking this could have been misleading although the house description clearly gives an account of each room in detail. We changed our holiday lettings spec. to state one bathroom only immediately after receiving this feedback and responding to the clients concerns. There is a photo of the second room which gives a good representation of the size of the second bedroom, although the room has no wardrobe we provide plenty of hanging space in the actual room. Ice can be made at the top of the fridge. As the owners we strive to represent our property in a true manner and provide a welcoming and real experience of Italian living, the house is old and full of character and history which is supposed to be its main charm, we feel we offer exceptional and competitive value which is supported by many positive comments in our guest book over the last six years. The owners.

Review: 1 to 2 of 2

Reviews powered by

Guestbook for La Piccola Torre

"Ann and Pete, Just returned from 2 wonderful weeks in Bennabio. We had a brilliant time, we loved the house, the locals , the village, the ice-cream , pasta, wine etc The kids spent a lot of time around at the football field and at the lido in Bagni and even made some friends."

"We would like to thank you very much for our stay in La Piccola Torre , the website does not do the house justice - all our family enjoyed it so much! The weather was fantastic, the area beautiful and we have seen so many places... I would say Volterra and Lucca made the biggest impression, but the mountains themselves were magnificent and so worth seeing."

"The house is beautiful and very stylish, lots of thought has obviously gone into its design and it just heaves with character, we had to drag ourselves away from the roof terrace otherwise we would have not seen any of the local scenery which was stunning. This holiday and your house were vere special to us as my partner proposed to me on the roof terrace watching the sun go down.

Lucca is an amazing and very beautiful place, everyone has heard of Florence, Piza and Sienna but Lucca somehow remains low key, which may be part of its ambience as it is not full of tourists or overpriced, but still has the charm and history of the more famous larger cities.
If you are feeling flush visit the Butterfly restaurant just on the way out of Lucca towards Bagni-di-Lucca (can be seen from main road) the food and setting are wonderful but you may need to book on weekends and high season and don't forget your phrase book, no-one spoke english when we were there which ended up in a couple of surprises when the food arrived!!

Rental prices

Prices for group size 7
Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
skiing	2 Jan 12	1 Apr 12	325£ 325	0-	0-	4 Nights
spring/ Easter	1 Apr 12	19 May 12	395£ 395	0-	0-	4 Nights
Early summer	19 May 12	30 Jun 12	449£ 449	0-	0-	4 Nights
High season	30 Jun 12	1 Sep 12	529£ 529	0-	0-	1 Week
Late season	1 Sep 12	19 Oct 12	429£ 429	0-	0-	4 Nights
Early winter	19 Oct 12	23 Dec 12	329£ 329	0-	0-	4 Nights
Xmas/New Year	23 Dec 12	2 Jan 13	429£ 429	0-	0-	4 Nights

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.

LATE DEALS ARE LISTED WHERE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE BUT PLEASE ENQUIRE IF LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS BEFORE DEPARTURE DATE

Prices include all electric, water, oil, gas and logs, often these are hidden extras!

PRICES QUOTED IN TARIFF ARE BASED ON TWO PEOPLE SHARING THE PROPERTY, A CHARGE OF ?15 PER ADDITIONAL PERSON WILL BE REQUIRED TO COVER EXTRA CLEANING AND LINEN COSTS.

A £75 DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED ON BOOKING (NON-REFUNDABLE)

BALANCE IS DUE SIX WEEKS BEFORE DEPARTURE PLUS A REFUNDABLE BREAKAGES/SECURITY DEPOSIT.

IF BOOKING IS CANCELLED LESS THAN 3 WEEKS BEFORE DEPARTURE 50% OF TOTAL PAYMENT IS REQUIRED

Availability

See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

Contact the owner

* Required fields Please check the following errors: First name * Last name * Email *   Did you mean ""? Yes / No Phone number Arrival date Departure date   Ignore calendar - enquire anway No. of adults No. of children Message * Email me special offers and holiday ideas T&Cs

6 years listed You are contacting Ann Trigg Landline +44 01453 884564 Mobile +44 07801 925730 Payment accepted PayPal accepted Languages spoken The owner is based in the United Kingdom and has advertised with Holiday Lettings since 2005. This house has received 2 reviews from previous guests.