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Around the swimming pool. Click to enlarge
This large country villa to rent sits in the hills outside the medieval city of Lucca, Tuscany. In a superb position, the villa, with its own gardens and swimming pool, gazes down upon the valley below. On the wall of the house is engraved '1606', the year the first stones were laid.
Pisa, with its Leaning Tower, you’ll almost certainly know. Yet this marvellous town sometimes suffers from too much emphasis on this (admittedly remarkable and beautiful) building. The Leaning Tower is just one component of the medieval Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles), with the Duomo (cathedral), Camposanto and Baptistery completing one of the most remarkable collections of medieval architecture still in existence. The style is Pisan-Romanesque, which marries Moorish notes borrowed from Andalucia, particularly black-and-white marble facades, to the traditional Gothic style.
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Lucca may be less familiar to you, but this ancient city is a gem. Predominantly medieval, its foundation is far older, with the old Etruscan town being overbuilt by the Romans. They laid out the grid system that exists to this day. Combined with a maze of medieval alleyways, tiny streets, unexpected piazzas, and a host of quite beautiful little churches (and a fine Duomo), this marvellous town sits within massively deep 16th century defensive walls. So deep in fact, that footpaths, gardens, trees and parkland run along the top (as do joggers and cyclists). Within, Lucca has fine restaurants, bars and shops ... a delightful little city.
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Click on the images to enlarge
Or take a trip to the seaside. The Versilian Riviera, with hotspots such as Viareggio, lie within easy reach. Take a cooling dip, and then a stroll along the promenade, perhaps pausing for a refreshing gelato or spumante, or a reviving espresso.
[ View on Google Map | map of Tuscany ]Then back to your country villa outside Lucca, Tuscany, and a taste of the relaxing Italian life as it has been lived here for centuries. This is a truly special spot ... to find out more just click below.
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Click on the images to enlarge
