Set your heart on an authentic Tuscan holiday and don’t want to be part of the crowds? We think you’ll love Tuscan Sun in Lorenzana, which is south west of Florence, close enough to pop to Pisa or Lucca for the day, and near the medieval village of San Gimignano, with its thirteen towers and labyrinthine streets to explore.
Lorenzana, is a traditional Italian village where nothing much has changed over the years. It’s set in rolling Tuscan hills and Tuscan Sun is literally in the middle. You enter through a gate that looks as though it’s taking you to an apartment, but it then opens up to reveal a beautiful old house set in gorgeous rambling gardens. You’ll discover an ancient millstone – the original olive and grape press used in the village – in the middle of the living room and a classic tower at the top of the house that can be seen for miles around. The generous pool terrace overlooks the Livornese hills and farmlands beyond.
All the living areas and a contemporary farmhouse kitchen – now complete with modern appliances and a pleasure to cook in – flow well and lead out to the garden where meals are enjoyed under the welcome shade of the pergola. This is an area well known for its charcuterie, cheese and wine, and you’ll discover that wild boar and slow-roasted pork always feature on the menus of local trattorias and osterias.
Thick walls keep most of the house cool in summer, with each of the bedrooms upstairs opening to impossibly pretty views. It’s the perfect escape for a multigenerational family or two families who want to base themselves in Tuscany but want to be able to retreat out of the touristed cities – after exploring art galleries, Romanesque churches, medieval piazzas and more – to a peaceful spot in the country. Here, the bells of San Bartolomeo and San Cristoforo are bound ring out as you arrive in this postage-stamp of a town that will become ‘home’ in no time, and swathes of colourful broom, holm oak and cork trees cover the hillsides of Monti Livornesi Park nearby.
What we love!
• Location: such a surprise! When you enter from the historic town, it feels like you’re coming into an apartment but the whole house (310m2) opens up to glorious Tuscan views and a lovely rambling garden on the other side. Best of both worlds!
• That the house has more twin beds than most, so good for a large family or two families with teens or kids. Ideally the house sleeps 8, and each bedroom is decorated differently. Additional accommodation is available on request.
• Lucca, Pisa, San Gimignano and Florence are all easy to reach in a day trip.
• There’s a spa and wellness centre just 10kms away at Casciana Terme, and Salvadori beach is 17km away.
• You can book a cook on request but the kitchen is well equipped, but if you want to pop up to the village, the Osteria dei Vecchi Sapori is recommended.
What you need to know…
• The nearest airport is Pisa, 30km away, but Florence is 60km and Bologna 160km. It is essential to hire a car so that you can get to nearby villages to shop and explore.
• There are two restaurants, a bar and a small food shop in the village 800m away, but larger supermarkets are 13kms away in Collesalvetti. The nearest chemist is 4kms away.
• Pack mozzie repellent for summer midges and mosquitoes, particularly around the pool. There are screens on some bedroom windows and mosquito plugs.
• There is an additional discretionary charge per night for heating the house in winter.
• The pool is open for use from May to September (or otherwise by arrangement, at an additional charge).
• One car may be parked at the property; additional cars can be parked within walking distance.
Reviewed by Michelle Snaddon