We are going in October thought Lucca( or vicinity) would be a good place to stay. We plan to have a car and tour around Tuscany for 4 days. Also any suggestion on accomodations including farms
Posted by
DeWitt, MI, USA
199 posts
Katherine, I think Lucca is a very good place to stay. On our two-week trip to Italy five years ago we stayed in Lucca on a hunch, and we loved it. We spent three days there in a 600-year-old hotel inside the walls, and took two day trips: one day by car to Siena and San Gimignano, and the other day we traveled by train to Florence for the day. It is very convenient, as Lucca is located just off the Autostrada, so is easily accessible by car. Also, inside the walls is a bus station, and just outside a railroad station...all within easy walking distance. After a rigorous day of sightseeing it was a wonderful place to relax and eat dinner in one of the many open-air restaurants, then walk a few hundred feet home to our hotel.
Posted by
Pasadena
49 posts
I wish I had stayed in Lucca like the above poster and just visited Florence on one or two day trips! Lucca was serene and lovely. No traffic, no hills, no stairs either!
Posted by
Stratford, PEI, Canada
8 posts
Katherine,
We stayed just outside Lucca at the Villa Volpi in May 2005. It is a beautifully restored villa on the hills just out of town. I t is a quite scenic spot. There is a fine restaurant there as well. From the Villa Volpi , we toured the area and the town. It was very nice. The inn was beautiful but I believe the prices have gone up from when we went . I believe we payed about 95 Euros in 2005 for two including breakfast.
http://exintsites.exint.it/rex/defaultvolpi.asp?LG=UK
Posted by
St Charles, IL, USA
1 posts
We stayed at the La Luna in Lucca in 1998 for $90 a night w/out bfast; an airconditioned suite.
I see on their website that the prices have increased.(www.hotellaluna.com) It was wonderful and central. We walked the walls; ate at De Leo Tratorria where a waiter sang lovely opera while he served the food; at the cistern piazza we walked through a very old wine seller's cellars; easily toured the surrounding area by car. We returned in 2001 just for a day and wished we were staying longer. Hope to go again in 08 for 3 or 4 days.
Posted by
Canterbury, England
1 posts
My ideal travel fantasy always has been spending a month's time in Tuscany doing nothing but strolling in the olive groves, lazing under the Tuscan sun and sipping wine. I finally fulfilled that fantasy this year when I went on my Italian tour and I was more than pleased. The region is so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. And yes the prices of the farmhouses and villas too brought tears to my eyes. However, Villaman (http://www.villaman.com/), which has some of the most authentic homes on their site, might be where my next big cheque goes. Honestly, the homes are to die for.