Sleeps | 12 |
Bedrooms | 6 |
Bathrooms | 5 |
Half Baths | 1 |
Space | 2,368 sq. ft. |
Property type | villa |
Minimum Stay | 4 - 7 nights |
This beautiful and elegant Tuscan villa, with a full-sized private swimming pool and set in a country estate of 34 acres, is ideal for a large group of friends or family who want to enjoy spacious tasteful accommodation, a peaceful environment with breathtaking views - only a short drive from the lovely spa town of Bagni di Lucca. Here are some reasons for choosing La Dioma:
- Charming unspoilt part of Tuscany in an area of natural beauty and tranquility - low key tourism with many reasonably-priced restaurants, pizzerias and bars.
- Villa located on the edge of a pretty medieval village only 10 minutes from the vibrant town of Bagni di Lucca situated on banks of river Lima with shops, markets, spa resort with thermal waters, and many local festivals.
- Property situated at the end of a private road with no immediate neighbours.
- Truly breathtaking south-facing location with all day sunshine and uninterrupted 360º views of surrounding mountains dotted with medieval villages. La Dioma is the only property in Guzzano with a panoramic view of Bagni di Lucca and the Lima valley, spectacularly lit up at night.
- Traditional Tuscan farmhouse on three levels, more than 200 years old and tastefully restored with many original features including rock walls, cotto and chestnut beamed ceilings, and fireplaces.
- Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, English TV channels, DVD, sound system and other mod cons.
- Large kitchen/diner fully equipped with modern appliances and wood burner.
- Spectacular lounge with wood burner and panoramic patio doors to terrace and outside eating area.
- Six double bedrooms - four extremely spacious with modern en-suite bathrooms, plus a family bathroom and downstairs cloakroom.
- Magnificent outside paved terrace on two fronts of the property with car parking for up to four vehicles, barbecue, large stone dining table under shaded gazebo, smaller dining table, and sunbathing areas.
- Private full sized swimming pool (11.5m x 5m) sunken into an extensive paved terrace with shaded gazebo, dining area, and plenty of sunbeds for a large group . Uninterrupted amazing views whilst swimming!
- 34 acres of olive groves, meadows and woods with freshwater streams.
- An Italian cook can be arranged to prepare four course traditional Tuscan meals or pizzas at the villa at very economic prices.
It is hardly surprising that La Dioma is known locally as Paradiso!
This HomeAway partner has demonstrated and is committed to fast response times, the best rates, and a great guest experience.
Patricia and John come from a Hertfordshire village. John is a retired quantity surveyor. They have two grown-up children who adore spending time at La Dioma , either chilling out in the lovely hot summers or skiing and snowboarding in the winter. They also now have two little grandchildren who adore coming on holiday to La Dioma, especially swimming and jumping in the pool!
One of the first rental owners in the Bagni di Lucca area, John and Patricia have an established history of 12 years of renting their holiday home to very happy guests from all over the world - as their guestbook will testify!
Patricia and John Gray purchased this villa in 2002
We spent three weeks in Italy looking for a small holiday home with no land. We found La Dioma, a three storey detached house with 34 acres of land! We fell in love with the spectacular peaceful location and the magnificent views of the mountains and the pretty town of Bagni di Lucca in the valley below. The original features of the house were covered with plaster, but initial prodding revealed huge period chestnut beams, cotto tiles, fireplaces and rock walls. We set about lovingly restoring La Dioma to its former beauty. After two years, the house was renovated, furniture purchased and the magnificent swimming pool and sun-bathing terrace finished. Patricia learnt Italian, and John - let's say it's work in progress! We feel very privileged to own our own corner of Tuscany with our property known locally as "paradiso"!
Apart from the stunning natural beauty and tranquility of the area, staying at La Dioma is a real Italian experience. This is not an area of mass tourism. Our neighbours are busy going to work, tending vegetable gardens, making wine and olive oil, picking mushrooms, hunting wild boar and stacking wood for the winter. They may not speak much English but they are incredibly kind, hardworking, fun-loving and friendly. Everything revolves around the family and often food! There are so many great local restaurants and cafes with authentic and reasonably-priced food, it is difficult to decide which one to go to! On the other hand, barbecuing lazily on the terrace with a few beers or a bottle of wine, and popping into the swimming pool and soaking up the lovely views, isn't a bad option either!
Our party of ten thoroughly enjoyed the house and it's stunning location. Plenty of relaxing and /or challenging walks locally. The roads are more rural than in the UK but once you get your locations, are fun. The views and lovely villages further up the mountain are to die for. We took the train to Florence from the local station for 9 euros! and had a fantastic day out. The house is very well appointed with more than adequate bathrooms and toilets. Bedrooms are very spacious. The kitchen is fully equipped to meet all your needs. The pool is in such a prominent location it is perfectly situated to maximise the views. We spent many an evening putting the world to rights over a bottle or two. Thank you for letting us share your delightful Tucscan home. We hope to be back in the near future.
There were eight of us, all adults, staying at this villa and it was perfect for us. It felt well maintained, almost new, and the position and outlook were exceptional. The local area was beautiful, really easy to get around, and the locals were very friendly. I would highly recommend this property and area for a holiday and would love to go back.
We truly enjoyed our stay at La Dioma. The villa is nicely set up. The bedrooms are great and the bathrooms are nice. Kitchen is good. A little challenging to cook for 12 people on the stove but we made it work. Adriana's pizza is fabulous!
If I could give 10 stars for the views, I would! The home is set in the mountains above Bagni di Lucca and has nearly 360 degree views of from the terrace. Words almost cannot describe it - I felt peaceful and happy waking up to it every morning. The house itself fairly easily fit all 12 of our guests (and nearly all rooms had their own full bathroom). Our 8 kids loved the pool (although were a little surprised it was salt water). Just a few things to be prepared for - the house is hard to access. We had a 9 passenger mini van and could not even enter the little village leading to the home so had to park on the edge of the villlage and walk. The road leading from Bagni di Lucca to the house is very scary to drive until you get used to it. Lots of Italians driving very fast - be sure to beep your horn as you go around the corners. The house itself also lacked a few things - there is only one garbage can for recycles but you then you have to take it to the village and separate them into paper, plastic, etc. We also did a lot of dishes because there didn't seem to be enough cups for our group. Also note there is no air conditioning and unfortunately no screens on the windows (and lots of bugs!). My city kids had a very hard time with the heat since they didn't want to leave the windows open and sleep with critters. We just kept telling them that this was the Tuscan experience! Overall a fine house.
Amazing views, wonderful location. Very well equipped comfortable accommodation, with the luxury of a bathroom for each bedroom. We hired the house for a girls 50th birthday celebration, the entire 9 days were memorable with relaxing by the pool, enjoying the views from the terrace. A local cook came in to cook a super evening meal & made a home made Birthday cake. Several lovely local towns, with walks and lovely cafe's/bars. A memorable week and we would have NO hesitation about returning or recommending. FABULOUS.
Great place,had two wonderful holidays with different sets of friends.All enjoyed it. Wonderful setting with views down the valley.Lovely to eat outside or sit witch a G&T in the evening.
Accommodation first class, comfortable room for ten people,just the place for a filmy get together.Lovely pool area with plenty of sun loungers and for those who don't want to cook a lovely local lady provides outstanding food.
Special interest holidays:
Bagni di Lucca is a vibrant spa town on the edge of the Garfagnana, an area of outstanding natural beauty with mountain ranges, mountain passes to the Mediterranean coast, lush valleys, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons, and caves with wonderful rock formations. It is a popular area for walking, climbing, cycling, touring, birdwatching, and exploring the numerous hilltop medieval villages. The area is also popular for painting holidays and cookery classes - available locally.
Coast/Beach:
The chic seaside resort of Viareggio on the Mediterranean coast is 45 minutes drive away. A day trip the beautiful Cinque Terre coastal area is a wonderful experience.
Travel:
The village of Guzzano is situated four kilometres from Bagni di Lucca. The walled medieval city of Lucca is half an hour’s drive away, Pisa (with its international airport) an hour’s drive and beautiful Florence an hour and a half away. Car hire is recommended for this area.
Distances:
Bagni di Lucca is 4 kms from the property. Lucca is about 30 minutes drive. Pisa one hour drive. Florence 1½ hours drive. Beautiful Barga, one of the principal towns in the Garfagnana, is about 30 minutes drive.
Further Details:
Bagni di Lucca is situated on the banks of the beautiful Lima river. The town has a great selection of reasonably-priced restaurants, pizzerias, ice cream parlour, patisserie, cafes and bars. There are several supermarkets, butcher, baker, and other shops, banks, a twice-weekly market selling local produce, a large public swimming pool and a lovely town park with a children's playground. There are several pretty bridges, including an historic chain foot-bridge, which provide lovely views of the natural river and wildlife. There is a recently renovated lovely casino with a tourist information point. The town has a special historical connection with the UK from the Victorian age, with an 'English Church' and an English Cemetery. The renowned spa is open to the public to take advantage of the thermal waters and minerals with a range of health and beauty treatments. There are a number of recommended walks incorporating the main features of the town and the spa, as well churchs, chapels, monuments and other points of historic interest in the surrounding hills.
Fees | No additional mandatory fees |
Refundable damage deposit | $348.48 |
Booking Notes:
40% deposit requested and balance payable two months before arrival date.
Alternatively if a booking is made more than 12 months in advance of arrival date, 25% initial deposit increasing to 40% at the 12 months stage.
Changeover Day:
Changeover normally on Saturday.
Notes on prices:
Prices shown are for the property per week in UK Pounds.
Prices are inclusive of gas, electricity, cleaning of house and change of bedlinen.