Spacious apartment in authentic Tuscan villa

The Villa has been fully restored and modernized, while we kept its historic character. It is ideal for a family vacation, holiday with friends or retreats for special occasions. This villa is in the historic center of one of the most picturesque medieval small towns of Italy, surrounded by the majestic mountains of Northern Tuscany. The house is special even among similar villas in the area as it offers large, light spaces which are at the same time private and intimate. We offer you separate 150 sq m apartment on the first floor: two bedrooms, 2 en-suite bathrooms, living room, fully equipped kitchen and dining room with a fireplace. The apartment has direct access to intimate garden with the pool that belongs solely for the guests of the Villa. Amenities, facilities: Bedsheets and towels are provided (except for beach towels). You will arrive in a clean apartment; cleaning supplies are available for you during your stay. There is a washing machine as well (no drier), and a Laundromat with drier in the closest village in the valley (about 15 min drive). There are three bicycles available for free use by the guests. There is also wireless internet in the house which is accessible from most rooms. Villa della Rocca is ideal for a holiday to visit Lucca and its surroundings; walking, hiking and biking; discovering the amazing natural parks and historic villages of the area; wine-tasting tours and baths (terme); exploring the marble mountains, Cinque Terre and the Ligurian sea; and all the while experiencing the life of the local community. Your kids can play in the two gardens, one with the pool or play football on the street or the piazza as there is no traffic, no rush, no worries. Everybody is kind, you will feel welcome even if you cant speak Italian. Supermarkets TuoDi in Piano di Coreglia. TuoDi is the closest supermarket. It is a discount shop so it is very economical and has the basic selection of everything, from fruit to cheese and coffee. We do recommend it to buy bigger quantities of pasta, sauces, risotto etc., as their own brand is very cheap and still ok quality. However, you will not find all the brands there and there is a poor selection of drinks and wines. We do not recommend that you buy red wine there (whites are OK). Directions: Turn left on the main road at the end of Via Coreglia (the straight road after the serpentine) and then left again very soon, right after the AGIP station (the sign says SkyLab, which is the local disco). Drive into the parking lot on your right. Opening hours: 9 AM – 1 PM and 4 – 7 PM. Open Sunday morning. Conad/E.LeClerc Hipermarket in Gallicano. This is where we often do our shopping as well. Contrary to prejudices, in Italy there is a lot of fresh, locally produced food in the hipermarket chains so you will find all the good stuff you would be looking for in the local market. They also have a good selection of wines, cheeses, fresh meat and fish. Prices are very affordable. Directions: turn right on the main road at the end of Via Coreglia (the straight road after the serpentine), then turn left onto the bridge. After crossing, turn right (towards Castelnuovo G.) and continue on the main road until you reach Gallicano. Continue on the main road in Gallicano and you will see the big red-blue E.LeClerc logo on your right side; you will need to exit from the main road directly into the parking lot through a narrow downhill driveway. (You have to pass the exit for the LeClerc gas station before you exit for the supermarket.) Opening hours: Open every day from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, including Sundays; except public holidays. Penny Market in Borgo a Mozzano. This is another discount chain but with more quality selection than TuoDi. It is very good value for money. You will always find a good quality promotional wine there and they have the best deal for prosecco ☺ It also has a deli shop where you can find local produce and fine food. It is perfect to do shopping on the way from Lucca and it is open on Sundays. Directions: from the house, turn right on the main road at the end of Via Coreglia (the straight road after the serpentine), then turn left onto the bridge. After crossing, turn left (direction of Lucca) and continue on the main road until Borgo a Mozzano. You will see the Penny Market building on your right; turn right at the roundabout to enter the parking lot. From Lucca, you will see the Penny Market building across the road when you arrive at the roundabout in the center of Borgo a Mozzano. Exit the roundabout on the left side to enter the parking lot. Opening hours: Penny Market is open every day 8 AM – 8 PM, but on Saturdays and Sundays it is closed for siesta between 1-3 PM. Esselunga Marlia near Lucca. We believe this is the best choice to shop. Esselunga is an Italian chain with good quality food, good selection and nice offerings. You can trust their brand for any product. It is slightly more expensive than the discounts and big chains but it is still very affordable and good value for money; and the variety of food is fantastic: fruits, vegetables, wine, meat, fish, you name it. Directions: best to stop there on the way from Lucca. You will see the Esselunga banner across the roundabout at the end of the straight road leading out of Lucca. Turn right before the roundabout and exit left (crossing the road) to enter the parking lot. Opening hours: Esselunga open every day 8 AM – 9 PM, Sundays 9AM - 8PM. Restaurants Nonna Clara. A roadside restaurant run by women only. Countryside ambience, good local food, tasty pizzas. Polenta dishes are the specialty of the house (they make soft polenta, almost like a soup, in several flavors). Directions: turn right in the direction of Lucca after crossing the bridge at Piano de Coreglia. Nonna Clara will be on your right side as you drive on the main road, in about 5 kms. Pizza Stop, Diecimo The best pizza in the region on your way back from Lucca to the house. Not too authentic though but the wood fire pizza tastes as it should. Directions: Between Lucca and Borgo a Mozzano is a smaller settlement Diecimo. On the right hand side from Lucca there is a modern building with a terrace and parking places just next to the road. Il Vecchio Mulino, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana A very unusual restaurant with incredible local food. Andea is passionate about all local ingredients, and despite the slow food logo the food comes not too slow. There is no set menu, usually you get hot and cold tasters of the Garfagnana region. But you can discuss your preferences with the waiters. You can take any bottle of wine from the shelves around you. There will be veg and non-veg dishes and taster means you will get a lot of everything. Food is coming in waves... Address : Via Vittorio Emanuaele 13. Via Vittorio Emanuele, 12 Local products Funny as it may seem, you will find the best value selection of local products in the supermarkets of the area (see Supermarkets), especially in Conad and Esselunga. If, however, you prefer to have the „ambience” for your shopping, we recommend Barga where you will find some nice local shops. Lucca has plenty of deli shops with local products; however, they tend to be more pricy. Another nice little town where you can find good shops and the occasional weekend festivities with local vendors is Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (see also Markets). Markets There is a market day in every small town, as well as in Lucca. In our honest opinion, the markets in this area are not that great, though undoubtedly worth a visit once. If nothing else, you will find good home-made cheese, honey and other seasonal local produce – and of course you will get a glimpse into the lives of the local people. Market days in the neighborhood: Fornoli – Tuesday and Friday, Bagni di Lucca and Gallicano – Wednesday, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana – Thursday, Barga – Saturday. The market day in Lucca is also Saturday. In addition, there is an antique market in Lucca every third weekend (9 AM - 5 PM both days). We do recommend a visit if you happen to be around, it is a special showroom of the kitschy, the everyday, and the invaluable pieces that surround people’s lives in Tuscany. It has everything from 100 years old lightbulb holders to art deco masterpieces and murano glass chandeliers - just let us warn you that you are probably better off window shopping than shopping there as the prices need serious negotiation skills ☺