Villa with private pool in the hills above Lucca - experience superbly comfortable country style

OVERVIEW Villa Spada

Set high in the idyllic landscape of the hills north west of Lucca, this patrician country house dating back to the 1700's was once the hunting lodge of the aristocratic Spada family. Elegantly spread out over two floors the villa is grouped around an welcoming central drawing room on the ground floor and surrounded by an extensive and enchanting well-kept garden terraced on three levels. Stone lions guard the tall villa gates and the gardens are shaded by a centuries old lime tree which is sufficiently magnificent to be famous throughout the region.

On the ground floor, French windows lead out from the sitting room to a terrace with table and chairs which overlooks a small walled-in formal garden and the panorama beyond. A few steps lead down to an extensive lawned terrace and the swimming pool rimmed with borders of old roses, irises and hydrangea bushes. Lawns also lead up to the entrance of the villa framed by cypress trees, hibiscus and lemon trees in terracotta vases and the age-old spreading lime tree. The kitchen is fully equipped and there are five spacious bedrooms all of which have a splendid view. They have been decorated in an elegant country house style with pastel washed walls, wooden bedsteads, as well as paintings and other antiques belonging to the family.

Amenities and services

Floorplan of the villa

First floor
1 double bedroom with bathroom en-suite
1 double/twin bedroom with bathroom en-suite
1 double bedroom
1 twin bedroom
2 singles
2 further bathrooms
Laundry
(1 further twin is possible)

Ground floor
Entrance hall
Sitting room with French windows to the terrace
Smaller sitting room with fireplace
TV room
Dining room
Kitchen
Cloakroom

Garden :

Swimming pool 12 x 6 m secured by a gate
Pergola with table and chairs next to the pool
Terrace with table and chairs off the main living room
Small formal walled in garden
Large lawn and secular linden tree in front of the villa

ESTATE: Orbicciano Lucca

A gentleman’s retreat near Lucca

The countryside around Lucca is an enduring testimonial to the hedonistic lifestyle of Lucca’s noble families who between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries built over three hundred patrician country residences on the gentle hillsides which surround the city. This villa landscape is famous all over the world.

The elegant Villa Spada in Orbicciano built in the 1700’s with its surrounding farmhouses is the epitome of this elegant country house era. Set high in the hills twenty minutes north west of Lucca with breath-taking panoramic views on every side, it was once a hunting lodge belonging to the aristocratic Spada family. The Orbicciano estate, which produces some of the finest olive oil in the region, also includes a farmhouse which are available for holiday rentals.

The estate of Orbicciano lies outside Lucca, one of Tuscany’s most sought after spots. Many films have been made in this area.

Life in the small hamlet of Orbicciano has a fascination all its own, even attracting an American artist to set up house and her easel here. There is a small trattoria just down the road, while all around are other country villages, each with a different patron saint who is feted on a different day of the year with pageants and supper and dancing under the stars and fireworks lighting up the sky behind the next hill. This is a very fertile part of Tuscany with a patchwork of fields changing colour with the seasons, while the trees all stay the same, the dark green of the cypresses, the silvery olives and the holm oaks that never lose their leaves, all year round.

Lucca, Pisa and Florence are within easy reach of Orbicciano. The famous villas of Lucca, the Versilian beaches and the Apuan mountains with their spectacular marble quarries are all just a few kilometres away. You can go cycling, play tennis and golf or relax in the spas in Bagni di Lucca or the beauty Farms in Vico Pisano and Montecatini.

Isabella Spada, the owner and manager, will be here to welcome you and to offer suggestions and ideas to help you decide what to do and to make your stay more enjoyable.

ACTIVITIES

• Lucca: Twenty minutes away from Orbicciano by car, Lucca is one of the most enchanting towns in Tuscany – strolling along the wide avenues along the top of the ancient city walls or in the narrow streets with their ninety nine churches, browsing among the old-fashioned little boutiques, sipping a cappuccino at one of the many bars, tasting the best ice-cream, visiting the richly endowed museums – is a sheer delight.
• The famous Villas around Lucca: Some of these historic villas are open to the public and a few have internationally renowned gardens, all of which makes highly rewarding sight-seeing while staying in the area of Orbicciano.http://www.villelucchesi.net
• The worlds smallest theatre (Guinness Book of Records) is the Teatrino di Vetriano, today owned by FAI (the Italian equivalent to the National Trust) http://www.fondoambiente.it/beni/teatrino-di-vetriano.asp
• Sightseeing: Pisa is at twenty kilometres, Florence at 80 and Siena at 120. The small sculptors town Pietrasanta, just below the marble caves where the famous white carrara marble comes from (a fascinating excursion) is twenty minutes away.
• The seaside: There are sandy beaches approximately thirty minutes away on the coast of Versilia at Viareggio and the fashionable Forte dei Marmi with lively bars, designer shopping and some of the best seafood restaurants in Italy.
• The hot springs of Bagni di Lucca: http://www.termebagnidilucca.it

RATES

GUEST REVIEWS, Villa Spada, Orbicciano Lucca

LOCATION

The estate Orbicciano is at 15-20 minute drive from Lucca and 25 minutes by car from the sea.