Luxury bespoke holidays to the Park Hotel Villa Ariston, Tuscan coast, Italy
Facts in brief
Official star rating 4-star superior
Location In the resort of Lido di Camaiore, about 50 metres from the beach.
Annual opening From 18 April until 30 September
Closest airport Pisa
Distance from airport About 25 minutes’ drive
Closest railway station Camaiore Lido-Capezzano
Distance from railway station About 5 minutes
Hotel facilities and services
Park and gardens, Restaurant, Two tennis courts with tennis coaching on request, Cocktail bar and lounge, Free parking, Swimming pool, Fitness room, Children’s playground, Cycle hire.
Complimentary
Welcome drink of a glass of prosecco or a soft drink, Parking, fitness room
Land sports
Tennis, cycle hire
Out and about nearby
The resort of Lido di Camaiore, with its charming seafront promenade, sandy beaches, cafes and shops as well as its iconic Art Nouveau architecture is midway between Forte de Marmi and Viareggio (7 kms and 6 kms respectively). Lido di Camaiore has the Bagno Piero Beach and the exclusive Versilia Lido Beach Club. Visit the 16th century Matilde Tower and savour the panoramic views from the top. Not far from the beach is Pinewood Park, a green space where you can enjoy nature walks and outdoor activities amongst the shady pine trees. Forte de Marmi and Viareggio also have long sandy beaches and wide seafronts, plus a choice of dining and shopping. Puccini’s house and opera venue at Torre del Lago is just 13 kms away so ideally placed for attending the opera performances from your base here. The historical centres of Pisa and Lucca are both about 30 kms away, and can be visited easily by train or car. Further afield to the north are the Cinque Terre, about 65 kms away. The nearby Apuan Alps offer hiking and scenic drives.
Sports nearby
Walks, hikes, cycling, paddleboarding, windsurfing.
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 Deluxe double room in the Villa with bed and breakfast for 7 nights
From about
£1,900 Low season
£2,690 High season
Holiday Code EXH46835
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 holidays to the Park Hotel Villa Ariston, Tuscan coast, Italy
The Park Hotel Villa Ariston enjoys a fortuitous location set amidst the verdant vegetation of a park of 20,000 square metres that is just 50 metres from the seafront in Lido di Camaiore, with its long promenade and sandy beach. The Torre is the original building in the grounds and it was here that Giacomo Puccini visited and composed. The main villa dates from the early 1900s and was created in Tuscan Gothic style by architect Coppede for Senator Rolando Ricci as a private home. Here he entertained famous and illustrious guests including Puccini, D’Annunzio and Marconi. The villa became a hotel in the mid-1950s and since 1986 has been in the hands of the Codecasa family. Today, amidst the luxuriant grounds with the sea close by, accommodation is split between four buildings, with most rooms being between the Villa and the newer Duse building, where all rooms have private balcony. The bedrooms in the main villa are decorated in a neo-Baroque style and those in the Duse building which was completed in the early 2000s are decorated in a restful colour scheme with parquet floors. Only the Duse building has a lift. There are suites and connecting rooms, suitable for family groups. The grounds and gardens of the Park Hotel Villa Ariston afford space for rest and relaxation away from the beach, but with swimming pool, tennis courts and gym, there is plenty to keep guests active too. The restaurant, Marrachek, specialises in fish and seafood. Breakfast is served in the Rolando Ricci room by the swimming pool. Access here with a car is easy as there is ample free parking and there is plenty in the area to explore. On the other hand, if you want a private transfer from the airport, it is only about 30 minutes from Pisa and you can get out and about in the resort on foot.
Room descriptions
Park Hotel Villa Ariston has 57 rooms located in four different buildings. The Villa, the Torre and the Fattoria buildings do not have a lift. Some rooms are on the ground floor. Rooms have either shower and WC or bath and WC. All the rooms in the Duse building have balcony. On the first floor of the Fattoria are suites that can be booked together for a family group.
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 Deluxe double room in the Villa with bed and breakfast for 7 nights
From about
£1,900 Low season
£2,690 High season
Holiday Code EXH46835
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 holidays to the Park Hotel Villa Ariston, Tuscan coast, Italy
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to the Park Hotel Villa Ariston in Lido di Camaiore on the Tuscan coast, we recommend that you fly to Pisa (direct flights with British Airways from London Heathrow and with other airlines from UK regional airports) and then either let us arrange a private car transfer for you or have the use of a hire-car for the duration of your holiday. Pisa is about twenty-five minutes’ drive from the hotel.
Special offers
Free nights Stay 7 nights for the price of 6 or 4 nights for the price of 3 for stays except from 1 July to 31 August.
Early booking offer Book before 15 March 2025 and receive a reduction of 15% on our rates.
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 Deluxe double room in the Villa with bed and breakfast for 7 nights
From about
£1,900 Low season
£2,690 High season
Holiday Code EXH46835
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 holidays to the Park Hotel Villa Ariston, Tuscan coast, 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.