Villa Carnicelli, a villa rental in Lucca, Italy

A Noble Home Brought Back to Life with Contemporary Minimalism

Surrounded by olive groves and other ancient trees, the villa was brought back to life with sustainability at its core. It was restored using materials that are environmentally friendly, sustainable and plastic free. The plastering, both inside and out, is organic, and the heating system and vacuum cleaning system are located inside the home's walls, meaning less dust and cleaner air.

This villa for rent in Tuscany is 450m² in size and can accommodate eight adults in five bedrooms and four bathrooms, with a professional-grade kitchen. (An additional two guests can be added if necessary.)

Experiences

An in-house chef is available to provide lunches and dinners, using simple Tuscan and Italian recipes with a modern, multicultural touch. The focus is on fresh flavors and, to that end, she uses herbs from Villa Carnicelli's own garden to bring dishes to life. She speaks fluent English, German and Italian. There is an additional charge for this service; please inquire for further details.

The property's honesty wine bar is stocked with the best from local wineries, including certified organic and biodynamic bottles, and a small guide to the bottles on offer gives a summary of each vintage.

Amenities

The entire building is equipped with a high-speed wifi connection by STARLINK, velocity of 300Mbps. The system can be switched off during the night upon request.

Good to know

The hosts are required to collect a tourist tax of €2 per person (aged 14 and over), per night, for the first three nights of the stay. This amount is to be paid in cash at check-in.

Around

Gragnano di Capannori is a small hilltown with about 1,500 inhabitants and two notable attractions: the Church of Santa Maria Assunta, and the Sanctuary of Madonna del Belvedere.

It's about 8 miles from the ancient, medieval city of Lucca, which, with its centuries-old Ducal palaces, churches and fortifications, and Roman amphitheater, has much to explore. It also has amazing cafes, shops and restaurants along with fresh local markets and, if your timing is right, you can check out the monthly antique market, a sprawling cacophony of antique items and curios on the third weekend of the month. The drama of history is everywhere and tightly contained within the ancient, fortified walls. Don't miss Piazza dell'Anfiteatro, the ellipse of medieval houses built around the amphitheater ruins that comprise the central region of the city.

The house is conveniently located for day trips to Florence, Pisa, the Cinque Terre, Portofino, Santa Margherita, Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Montalcino, Montepulciano and Pienza and the lesser known but equally beautiful Ligurian seaside villages north of Tuscany.