We have owned a property at the center of Lucca for 11 years, and we rented this property while readying our own for sale. The layout is on 4 levels: entry, dayroom, dining and kitchen on one, double bedroom on two, bathroom on three and two single bedrooms (one with the potential for two single beds) on four. It is at the quiet end on a multi-unit, drive-to-the-front-door complex where average Italians live, work, keep pets, etc. The kitchen is nicely laid out and was a pleasant environment for meal preparation. (The weather was awful, so we never cooked or dined outside, but comfortable furnishings were available in the enclosed, private garden had we wished to use them.) No one bothered us. The neighbors were polite and seemed friendly, though we only interacted with them with smiles, nodded heads, and brief greetings beginning with "bon . . . ." Our hostess was very personable and available when we needed assistance with unit-related issues. For Americans, the walk to the train station or the historic center is a little far (about 2 miles), but a bike rented from inside the walls and a path through the river park and over a couple of small rises made the same trip a matter of only a few minutes. (The bike ride would not be a little risky if one were herding small children). There is a decent coffee bar and trattoria 2 minutes from the front door (operated by distant relatives of Pittsburgh's famous Tambolini restaurant family), and an adequately stocked grocery with wine and liquor 3 minutes walk farther along. Although there was neither air-conditioning nor on-site laundry facilities, the typical thick Italian brick and concrete wall and ceramic floor construction keep inside temperatures comfortable on hot days and there is a self-service or "we'll do it for you" laundry two doors down from the trattoria. (The weather this May was abominable: cold and rainy, but the heating system was more than adequate to our needs.) Access to major highways, the beautiful mountains of the Garfagnana and the rolling wine country around Lucca was very easy. We were comfortable here and will try to make this our Italian "pied a terre" on future visits to Tuscany. Thank you, again, Valentina.