Belle de trois étages en pierre Maison de campagne à Lucca, Toscane

This property did not disappoint. We wanted rustic, comfortable and fantastic views. We got all that and more.

We rented this house from Martha for a week-long family trip in the summer. We have 3 boys (15, 13, and 11) and intentionally stayed away from the major tourist attractions. Our intent was to experience an authentic Tuscany getaway, and Martha's house proved to be the perfect launching point for our adventure. The house is incredibly authentic and spacious enough for our family of five. The views are outstanding and Martha's guidance and suggestions were thorough. We spent most days making trips to the surrounding villages, where we consumed gelato, hiked, and swam. Each night was filled with plenty of wine and incredible local food back at the house. As some have mentioned ,the drive to the house is a bit tricky, but well worth the effort. The traffic noise from the valley below was louder than we anticipated, but it didn't detract from the breath-taking views and the fact that you were taking in a quintessential Tuscany vacation. Highly recommend working with Martha to make your Italian getaway a reality.

Hi, my name is Iris and I am 12 years old. I loved the villa down to the last decoration. The home was amazing. One of my favorite things about it was the view. The villa was conveniently located making it easy to take day trips out of the small train station in the town.

Hi, my name is Ella and I am 14 years old. The view from this breathtaking house was unreal. Waking up and seeing the picturesque little town Borgo A Mozzano was a once in a lifetime experience. I wish I could go back!

My name is Clayton and I'm 17. I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful the view was. This house was a nice break from the touristy metropolitan areas. You are essentially perched up on the side of a mountain so you feel totally secluded, but it is only a 10 min. walk down the mountain to the train station. The home felt rustic and authentic, but had every modern appliance you would need. One of my favorite nights was when we baked our own pizzas in the woodfire oven next to the house! And on our last night we had a four-course meal at the Osteria I Macelli, a 15 min. walk into town.

And we are Lisa and Peter, the parents, and we could not have expressed our love for this hidden gem better than our three children!

Martha's house is a piece of paradise. Borgo a Mozzano is the perfect place to sit, admire, breathe and do nothing or hop in the car and go to all the small towns around that offer village fairs, music festivals, from the kitch to the fabulous. Don't limit yourself to Lucca (25 minutes easy drive) or Florence (60 minutes cheap train ride from Lucca). Explore! The house itself is amazing. Confortable, clean, every piece of it was renovated in the most perfect taste. And that view! You are all alone in the middle of that hill. But a 5 minutes walk down it will take you to the village swimming pool and community centre where, if you are lucky, you will find beautiful music, like we did, or simply swim while admiring the mountains all around. Paradise is definitely in Garfagnana!

Aaaaaah, Borgo a Mazzano. What a lovely town, rich in it's simplicity. We were SO glad to have chosen to stay in this small town where locals truly LIVE, rather than a touristy metro area. One would be hard pressed to stay in a fast-paced frame of mind here (unless you're driving ...that's a very different story!).

To say that this villa made our stay infinitely more memorable would be an understatement. The owner is a joy to work with and a great resource. The house itself is perfect, and has everything needed to cook and relax. 7 of us (3 young adults, one teen, a couple, and a grandmother) stayed quite comfortably. We could easily have accommodated either another couple or another child or two, as one of the rooms went unused until later in the stay while the 'kids' stayed in the AMAZING loft. A side note; if we are able to return, I'm calling dibs on the loft ;)

The first morning, we older folk awoke to a full brunch of local meats, cheeses, fruits, and breads from the town shops; bounty from the kids' earlier walk down the hill. We enjoyed our first cups of Italian coffee a'la the stovetop moka pot, with added local honey, while overlooking the breathtaking view. It was HEAVEN! Later in the vacation, we went wine tasting and let me just say that the view from the villa was even more gorgeous than any vineyard we photographed. We had a photo enlarged for a large wall at home.

Our time was spent traversing up and down the hill for our daily workout (don't forget the bug repellent), drinking wine (the wine shop in Borgo has vino on tap), training into Lucca (bike rental is highly recommended), venturing to neighboring towns, drinking and eating in various bars (aperetivo served happy hour style at many places), day tripping into Firenze (don't drive there - seriously), drinking local liqueurs and beers, exploring Cinque Terre (Oh My God, just beautiful!!), more wine, snacking on grapes (the terrace vines themselves make a great photo op), cooking over the fire (yes - cooking locally handmade sausage skewers over a roaring fire in the kitchen), and the kids even spent a full weekend in Rome. Two weeks was just enough to leave us wanting more. Our family matriarch, my mother, stayed the entire month accompanied by my nephew, and after my departure my sisters moved in for 2 weeks. Everyone wants to return :)

There was rain, so I would like to spend a summer or maybe a spring there someday to get that experience. Until then, Gracie Mille!!!!