Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Hotel Villa la Principessa, Lucca, Italy
Facts in brief
Official star rating 4
Location In countryside, about 4 kms from the centre of Lucca
Annual opening 1 April to 13 November
Closest airport Pisa
Distance from airport About 30 minutes by car
Closest railway station Lucca
Distance from railway station About 15 minutes by taxi
Hotel facilities and services
Restaurant for light lunches and dinner, gardens, outdoor swimming pool, private parking, bar, games room, lift.
Complimentary
Wi-Fi
Out and about nearby
Historic Lucca with its 100 churches, old city walls that you can walk or cycle along, Roman amphiteatre (now called Piazza dell’Anfiteatro), the Guinigi Tower, the National Art Gallery in the 17th century Palazzo Mansi, the Piazza Napoleone. Also worth visiting are the gardens of the Palazzo Pfanner, Villa Oliva and Villa Grabau in Lucca and nearby the Parco Villa Reale and Villa Torrigiano. In July Lucca hosts a summer music festival.
Thanks for organising what was a wonderful holiday. Apart from a delay because of Gatwick fog coming home, everything ran like clockwork and we had a cracking time. I would be happy to recommend Expressions and hope we will have the opportunity to organise another trip with you in the future.Mrs S, October 2024
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 5 nights
From about
£1,720
Holiday Code IE100
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Hotel Villa la Principessa, Lucca, Italy
The Hotel Villa la Principessa is situated in the rolling hills of the countryside on the outskirts of historic Lucca and occupies an aristocratic villa that dates from the 14th century. The villa was first constructed in 1320 and was the residence and court of Castruccio Castracani, Lord and Duke of Lucca, a soldier of fortune whose family was involved in the feud between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines in that period. His life was portrayed by Machiavelli in a work thought to have been written during a visit to Lucca in 1520. The villa acquired its present form in the early 19th century. At that time, it was transformed into a princely mansion worthy of hosting Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister, the Princess Elisa, who was assigned the Principality of Lucca and Piombino by her brother. Elements of the mediaeval villa were uncovered during the 1970s when the house was being restored. A notable feature of the hotel is its park and garden, home to an historic variety of trees and camellias that provide shade. Nearby the Tuscan hills, home to olive groves and dense woodland, form a backdrop of greenery to the hotel’s gardens. The elegant façade of the villa, with its shuttered windows, provides a calm exterior whilst inside the aristocratic history of the house comes to life in the Fireplace Hall with its 16th century oval painting above the wooden mantelpiece, and the Hall of Emblems which is now a secluded lounge but decorated with original pictures of the coats of arms of the most important historical families of Lucca. Today the Hall of Emblems is devoted to relaxation and is home to a large television and board games. The 41 rooms and suites vary in size (the standard doubles are small at 14 to 18 square metres, so it is worth considering a larger room if you are to stay for several nights) and are decorated traditionally in keeping with the historic ambience of the house. The hotel restaurant is open for light lunches and in the evening for dinner. The cuisine is inspired by local tradition and dinner is served in the garden under the centuries-old trees on summer evenings. Also for your enjoyment in the ancient parkland is a swimming pool with sunbeds and shades. The Hotel Villa la Principessa offers a charming, historic base from which to explore both the ancient city of Lucca with its mediaeval churches and city walls, its villas and gardens (both in the city and nearby) and also to visit the summer Puccini festival at Torre del Lago, which is only about 30 minutes away by car.
Room descriptions
The Hotel Villa la Principessa has 41 rooms and suites. All rooms have private bath or shower and wc, free Wi-Fi connection, air-conditioning and heating, minibar, hairdryer, television with Italian and foreign channels, and safety box. Most of the rooms are in the main villa building and seven are in the old stable building.
Thanks for organising what was a wonderful holiday. Apart from a delay because of Gatwick fog coming home, everything ran like clockwork and we had a cracking time. I would be happy to recommend Expressions and hope we will have the opportunity to organise another trip with you in the future.Mrs S, October 2024
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 5 nights
From about
£1,720
Holiday Code IE100
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Hotel Villa la Principessa, Lucca, Italy
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Hotel Villa la Principessa, our clients usually fly to Pisa and then take a hire-car for the duration of the holiday. If you don’t want to use a hire-car during your stay, we can arrange a private car transfer from the airport and then from the hotel you can explore on foot, by public transport or taxi.
Special offers
Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.
Thanks for organising what was a wonderful holiday. Apart from a delay because of Gatwick fog coming home, everything ran like clockwork and we had a cracking time. I would be happy to recommend Expressions and hope we will have the opportunity to organise another trip with you in the future.Mrs S, October 2024
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Standard double room for 5 nights
From about
£1,720
Holiday Code IE100
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke hotel holidays to the Hotel Villa la Principessa, Lucca, Italy
About Tuscany
An Expressions tailor-made holiday in Tuscany allows you to appreciate its classical landscape of rolling hills and vineyards dotted with olive and cypress trees, its misty green-grey mountains that are never too far distant, and hill-top towns of rich brown and gold stone houses. This combines with the beauty of the works of art contained in the towns and villages throughout Tuscany to create an inspirational union of the spirit and the senses. There is an intrinsic comfort in the supposed contrast between the delicacy of a Botticelli and the heartiness of Ribollita soup, yet both are typical of this fascinating region. As birthplace of the Renaissance, the impact of Tuscan and particularly Florentine traditions and culture on European heritage is fundamental to our way of life. In addition to the obvious attractions of the scenery of Chianti and the art cities of Florence and Siena, there are the less well-known regions south of Siena with its moon-like landscape of hills, the patchwork vineyards of Montalcino, the coastal marshlands of the Maremma, the spas of Montecatini and Saturnia, the islands of Elba and Giglio, and the Casentino with the source of the Arno and abundant mushroom crops. Wherever you travel on holiday in Tuscany, you will be inspired by the beauty of your surroundings and the way of life, which is quintessentially that of Italy too.
Highlights of Tuscany
Famous vineyards producing wines of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Alabaster is produced in Volterra. Gold and silver are worked in Florence and the Ponte Vecchio is lined with jewellery shops. Marbled paper and stationery is a speciality of Florence. Ceramics and hand-painted majolica from raw terracotta from Impruneta to the glazed pottery of Siena are to be found throughout Tuscany. Lucca has traditionally produced silk and hand-woven fabrics. Leather goods including shoes, handbags and belts are to be found from market stalls to designer shops such as Gucci and Ferragamo. Interesting markets include the Mercato dell' Antiquariato which sells furniture from antiques to bric-a-brac in Arezzo on the first weekend of every month, in Pisa on the second weekend and in Lucca on the third weekend. The 'wild' Maremma is known for its long-horned white cattle and cowboys (butteri) and natural springs including Saturnia.
Cultural highlights of Tuscany
As birthplace of the Renaissance, Tuscany contains a wealth of treasures: Giotto`s Campanile and Brunelleschi`s Dome in Florence, the Tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo in Florence`s Santa Croce, Botticelli`s `Birth of Venus` and `Primavera` and the portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca in the Uffizi, Michelangelo`s `David` in the Accademia, the architecture of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, `The Tuscan Maremma` painting by Giovanni Fattori in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Piazza del Campo in Siena, `The Legend of the Cross` frescoes by Piero della Francesco in Arezzo, `The Creation` fresco by Bartolo di Fredi in the Collegiata in San Gimignano, Romanesque church of the Collegiata in San Quirico d`Orcia, 14th Century Fortezza of Montalcino, Renaissance masterpiece of the church of Madonna di San Biagio at Montepulciano, the abbey-church of Sant`Antimo, mediaeval Lucignano and the towers of San Gimignano, the Etruscan Museum in Cortona.
Festivals in Tuscany
Many of Tuscany`s festivals resound with the flamboyance of the Renaissance and keep Tuscans and visitors alike in touch with the region`s rich history. Others are linked to Tuscany`s hearty traditions of eating and drinking. The most famous is Siena`s Palio which takes place on 2 July and 16 August each year. Others include the Sagra del Tordo (Festival of the Thrush) in Montalcino on the last Sunday in October when there is an archery contest and charcoal-grilled thrush are a delicacy. In Florence, Calcio in Costume (a football match played in mediaeval costume) takes place in June. Pisa has the Giocco del Ponte (Game of the Bridge), a mock battle in Renaissance dress also held in June. Viareggio celebrates Carnival on Shrove Tuesday with a huge display of flamboyant floats. In May and August Massa Marittima holds the Falcon Contest.
Gastronomy in Tuscany
Simple country food is at the heart of Tuscan cooking. Regional dishes include Bruschetta (bread or ciabatta toasted and rubbed with garlic, olive oil and salt), Ribollita (bean, cabbage and bread soup), Pasta with hare or wild boar sauce, Porcini mushroom and truffle dishes, Bistecca all Fiorentina (thick cut of sirloin and fillet beef), Cantucci (almond and honey biscuits) served dipped in Vin Santo, Panforte (chocolate, nut and spice cake). Pecorino cheese made from sheep's milk. Local wines include the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the Bianco di Pitigliano. Famous reds include Chanti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Vin Santo made from semi-crushed grapes left for several months is an excellent dessert wine.
