Casale Lavinia - country house with swimming pool and magnificent oversight wifi

Six of us returned yesterday from a fortnight at Casale Lavinia, which proved to be a wonderful base from which to explore Northern Tuscany. Edo and his family are outstanding hosts; helpful without being obtrusive, and they were so kind to us throughout our stay. The house itself is beautifully maintained, and we spent a lot of time in and around the garden and pool area, which had the breeze to mediate the heat which some of the towns lower down in the valleys didn't during the current heat wave. As a mark of the care they devote to the place, the pool was cleaned every day, and was pretty idyllic as a place to keep cool and enjoy pool volleyball or just ploughing up and down trying to work off the pizza, pasta and Chianti. We also enjoyed sitting out on the terrace at night in the warm evening breeze, usually with all the outside lights turned off watching shooting stars and enjoying the sounds of the mountains and forest at night (lots of wildlife around - saw wild boar, many foxes, buzzards and some beautiful large butterflies). A couple of tips - there is no air conditioning in the house itself, and so the bedrooms can become quite hot. It may be worth taking a portable fan or something similar just to get some sort of breeze through the rooms at night (open windows result in mosquitoes getting in). Secondly, the nearest supermarket is a 20 minute drive down the spectacular mountain road so if, as we did, you arrive late on the first evening, it is probably worth doing a food shop in Lucca before you head up the hill to the villa. A couple of recommended trips...Lucca generally is beautiful, and we had a particularly lovely afternoon cycling around the city walls, which is a really popular pastime and allows you to see the city whilst keeping cool and getting some gentle exercise. Also, a place near Bagni di Lucca (40 min drive) has just recently opened called Canyon Park....stunning gorge adventure place with zip lining, high ropes, and paddle boarding up the gorge. Sounds intimidating but isn't, and has the most stunning opal coloured waters to swim in and clamber up the rocks and jump in...we had several teenagers with us and they, and we, loved it, although the water is cold so takes some getting used to. Overall, a wonderful place to stay, with lovely hosts and an idyllic setting.

Four adults and two teenage girls in our party stayed for a blissful week in May 2017. Our hosts were kind and most helpful, providing board games and DVDs to keep girls occupied some evenings. Lovely large bedrooms and nice kitchen. Gardens and pool was excellent, well kept and watered and cleaned daily. We ate outdoors every meal under the covered patio area. The only slight drawback was that the lounge was a bit small for six people but given the lovely weather this did not prove much of a problem for our party. Thank you for sharing your lovely home with us.

our party of 5 had a great stay. the property is top notch. we were impressed with the quality and detail of the construction. new living space within a historic farm building. clean and comfortable. our hosts were available when needed and were very interested in making our stay comfortable and special. we took day trips to Cinque Terre, Pisa, San Gimignano and Lucca. the views from the property (and right out the window) are fantastic! we would highly recommend a stay at Casale Lavinia. the road from Lucca to Casale Lavinia is hilly, narrow and windy, so allow plenty of travel time .

The house and surroundings are perfect. The first impression on arrival is breathtaking. The garden , pool and all areas from the parking place down to the house itself are well kept, colourfull and tidy. The host family were there to say welcome and show us around. A bottle of their own wine and one of olive oil were placed on the kitchen table on arrival. We were able to comfortably be 6 people in the house. We could make food each evening on a grill provided and relax and enjoy the quiet warm evenings around a table just outside the kitchen door. The pool is large enough for a swim and is well maintained each and every day. Many quiet hours were spent here of course. However if one wishes to explore the surrounding area this is easy and there is so much to see. Therfore, in conclusion, the house and surrounding area has everything. This was our second visit to the house, and hopefully not our last.

It was wonderful, the location of the House is in 1 Word top. Sure if you like the calm of you rest. You are fully equipped, very complete home and very well maintained. The garden is also beautiful. I can recommend it to everyone! The only tip I have for the homeowners is placing screens for the windows and doors.

What a fabulous holiday home in a beautiful location. For our two week stay we booked the main house for our family of 7 and the smaller property too, which comfortably accommodated our daughter and son in law. We used the pool daily (it was cleaned every day by the owners) and visited Lucca (try the K2 restaurant for dinner and "Grom" for dessert) Pisa, Florence (Vesuvio pizzeria is the best!) Viareggio and Montecatini Terme to name just a few. The owners couldn't have been more helpful and friendly, making our stay as enjoyable as possible and Illene speaks wonderful English. It's worth mentioning that the road up from Lucca to the house is pretty narrow at various points, but we took a land rover and a pick up truck up and down each day without any problems and the views from the property are well worth the drive! We had a fantastic time and we will definitely be returning in the future.

We stayed one week with our family at Casale Lavinia. What a wonderful week we had !!. The owners are hospitable people and always willing to help, in case you needed anything. The house (Italian style) was very nice, fantastic view, great swimming pool (private). The village "Lucca" is nearby (15 minutes drive). You can also reach Pisa and Florance easily by car. I highly recommended Casale Lavinia.

Formidable semaine dans un endroit magnifique ! Location tres propre et une piscine entretenue dont les dimensions permettent de nager . L' accueil , la gentillesse et la disponibilite de toute la famille nous ont fait chaud au coeur et nous en gardons un grand souvenir ! Daniel

We loved our stay at Casa Lavinia. The location and views are superb and our Hosts very friendly and helpful. Travellers need to know they must have a car to reach the location which is up in the hills but within easy distance of the local attractions. The house was clean and thoughtfully presented. Thank you for the wondeful home cooked meal on our last evening.

We spent 7 days there in the summer of 2014. Although the place is slightly difficult of access (~20 minutes drive from Lucca) in a narrow street, once you get there, it is really worth it, as the place is beautiful, quiet and very well maintained. The owners are very welcoming and careful of there guests, always available to help. Kids enjoyed playing with Lavinia, the owners daughter. The place offers a beautiful view on the valley. We enjoyed walking the owner's plantations of vines, oliveries and gardens. Rooms were large enought for our family of 4 adults and 2 children. The washing machine and bathrooms (2) were super clean and well functionning. The kitchen was fully equiped, although don't forget to buy all spices as nothing is provided. We also enjoyed the pool and patio area. The place near Lucca is well located for a lots of day-trip. We actually did and enjoyed Vareggio for the beach (40 min), Pisa for the tower (40 min), Florence (1 hour) and the beautiful city of Lucca (20 min)! Also worthed mentionning, the place is a real paradise for road bikers like me. The place is surrounded with cols.

We came to Casale Lavina for a family holiday, after spending 2 weeks at the wonderful location we can’t praise both the house and location high enough. The house is roomy and immaculate throughout. The 3 bedrooms are all well-furnished. Both bathrooms are modern with plenty of fresh towels to hand. The kitchen is well appointed with more than sufficient crockery and kitchen utensils. The house is set in beautiful gardens with a lovely pool which are all kept to a very high standard by the family who own the house. The family are quite exceptional, they are all warm and welcoming, nothing is too much trouble for them but they are not intrusive in your stay.. Ilene speaks exceptionally good English and was very helpful with advice relating to restaurants and local information. This wonderful holiday home is located at the top of a wooded mountain which is accessed by a very scenic mountain road . Once at the house the stunning views and tranquillity of the area is more than worth the drive. We holidayed here with our grown up children (28-17) however the lovely gardens do have a small play area which smaller children would enjoy. Hopefully we will return for further holidays at this exceptional house. We would have no hesitation to recommend the house to our friends and families, indeed we would say everyone should experience the Casale Lavina experience at least once. Thank you to Edo and your family for our wonderful holiday.

This is a 5 star location. Stunning views with very well maintained gardens and pool.

My family and I (two children) have experienced a fantastic time in the hills around Lucca. The owners are very friendly and helpfull with respect for privacy. The house and grounds were very clean and well maintained. Also the pool was maintained daily by the owners. We will definitely go back again.