Villa Luna

The kids loved the horseback rides at Il Nostro West Ranch, and we found a great trattoria up in the mountains. The village has a little bakery for breakfast and a small supermarket that even opens on Sundays, marked “Dominica Aperto.” Lucca is about 20 minutes away, while the winding drive to Viareggio beach takes around half an hour. At the end of August, we had hot days and cool nights, which suited us perfectly. Villa Luna sits in a handy spot between the coast and Lucca, and Alessandro was always easy to reach and very helpful. The house is in good shape overall, though a few areas show some wear. Downstairs there’s a kitchen, bathroom, and two sitting rooms. Upstairs are three bedrooms, a large bathroom, and a tiny extra room that could hold storage or a baby cot. The rooms are well furnished, and the upstairs windows have mosquito screens. The basement “apartment” was the main drawback. It has a large bedroom, a room with two bunk beds, a bathroom, a sitting room with a play area and wood-fired pizza oven, plus another kitchen. But there are no screens on its windows, so airing it out also lets insects in, and it felt dark. We moved things around, with one family sleeping in the second ground-floor sitting room instead. Makeshift beds weren’t great for a holiday, but still preferable to the basement. We had a lovely break and would recommend the villa.

The pool is large, screened from view, and has plenty of good loungers. The automatic irrigation comes on overnight or early in the morning, so it’s best to bring in anything left on the lawn. Inside, the stone house stays reasonably cool even on very hot days despite having no AC. The basement is cooler still. There’s plenty of space, airy rooms, and two kitchens, which is handy for a larger group. The rooms and beds were good, and everything was clean and nicely set up when we arrived. The house is on the village edge. There’s a road outside, though it isn’t busy enough to bother us much. You can park two or three cars easily inside the gates, and possibly more with a bit of maneuvering; there are also spaces right outside. The host who greeted us that evening was friendly and accommodating. A warm recommendation, it’s worth booking.

Really beautiful and well looked after 😍