We visited La Lucertola during the 2008 Witsun break, in search of a chill-out break in the tranquillity of the Tuscan countryside, but having three grumpy teenagers in tow, it was also important to be close enough to places of interest to keep them amused. What greeted us was an unexpected delight.
Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty, high up on a mountainside amidst an ancient olive grove and with stunning views of the surrounding countryside as far as Pisa and the coast beyond, the two self-contained farmhouses at La Lucertola are perfect – large, comfortable and extremely well-equipped. The setting is exquisite and as a bonus, there is the lovingly nurtured organic garden - the produce is available to pick and use, free of charge, by the guests! This proved a particular favourite with our children, who loved going out to pick the salad and herbs for our meals and we returned home with all good intentions of recreating our own Tuscan vegetable patch!
Being less than a 30 minute drive from Pisa airport and with highly competitive rates available on Ryanair flights from London Stansted, La Lucertola is ideally located as a base from which to explore the delights of Tuscany (if you actually choose to leave the peace and tranquillity of your Tuscan home that is).
Living in their own separate farmhouse on site, Luisa and Coz are the perfect hosts and I would like to thank them for allowing us to spend a little time sharing their little piece of Tuscan heaven, where even the rain storms hold a certain charm; it’s very easy to understand why they chose to swap their hectic London life for this! Check out their excellent website for more details.
www.lucertola.info
La Lucertola
Via di Cavina, 14
Pugnano
56017 San Giuliano Terme
Pisa
Italy
Tel: 00 39 050 851405
We've just come back from a week at la lucertola and though we had a couple of afternoons of rain the weather failed to dampen our enjoyment. The location is its usp - both the fact it's high in the hills with a view of pisa and its leaning tower - but also the fact it's 20 minutes to Pisa and Lucca, which is a beautiful town, 25 minutes to the beach and less than an hour to Florence. You won't be stuck for days out - if anything you'll run out of time, like we did. Desperately wanted to spend the day at the spa in St Guilano de Terme but just didn't quite manage it. Only tip - book a four wheel drive at the airport - the hill corners are challenging if not fun!
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I would recommend a day trip to Florence (about an hour's drive), especially to see the amazing artwork in the dome of Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral). Our final evening's meal was at Villa Bongi - truly fantastic.