After spending a few days in Nice, we were looking forward to a quiet, restful week in Tuscany. We arrived at Hotel Villa la Principessa in LuccaĀ by car, and were immediately breath taken by the beautiful surroundings. ThisĀ old style villa sitting at the foot of a hill is surrounded by a lush forest of trees and bamboo bushes.
The Villa La Principessa hotel was the home and court of Castruccio Castracani, Lord and Duke of Lucca. Ā The 13th-century manor house is warmly-decorated in the interior, features a lounge with a fireplace, lounge bar, restaurant, swimming pool set in a wonderful garden, terrace, and a park all making Villa La Principessa the ideal destination for those who are entranced byĀ the combination of nature and refinement.
The magnificent building is resplendent with its history and grandeur. Upon entering the foyer, one is simply sent back in time to a beautiful age. The old world style typical of the era of the property, enhances its beauty and charm. Antiques dot the common areas and welcome guests as they stroll throughout the rooms.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The hotel offers 33 elegant rooms and 8 luxurious junior suites. We were delighted to be upgraded to a junior suite which was more than spacious containing theĀ utmost comfortable seating area with a sofa, small deck, and two armchairs. Ā After travelingĀ from Nice on trains lacking air-conditioning, we truly appreciated the coolnessĀ of our room, which is not always installed in many European hotels. Ā Our room, on the second floor overlooked the back area of the Villa with a garden view, creating a tranquil and comfortable ambiance. All of the guest rooms come equipped with air-conditioning, a safe, WiFi Internet connectivity, minibars, and an LCD TV, includingĀ 20 Italian and foreign channels. Ā All the rooms have a sizable private bathroom. Ā Our bathroom had a double sink with opulent bathrobes, a hairdryer, and even a service phone.
DINING
Hotel Villa la Principessa has a Tuscan restaurant onsite for guests to enjoy dining either indoors or out in the garden area. Ā We had a couple of dinnersĀ out in the garden, which were all wonderful. I especially enjoyed my homemade fresh pasta, and theĀ beautiful surroundings of theĀ profuseĀ greenery.
They serve an international buffet breakfast outside in the garden each morning on the terrace. There is no shortage of delicious foods. I especially could not believe the selection of food they offered, there was something for everyone, both hot and cold. It was for sure the most plentiful breakfast selection I had seen in a while.
POOL AREA/GARDENS
Outside, in the large gardens was the swimming pool. It was surely a great way to relax after a busy day out in Lucca. Serving as an escape from the hustle and bustle of traveling, this swimming pool is the perfect spot for unwinding. Not to mention the picturesque landscapes that can be viewed from the pool make one feel as if they are in a different world.
Hotel Villa la Principessa is only a couple miles from Lucca city center, and about a half hour drive from Pisa, making it an ideal spot to tour the region.Ā Overall, we had a truly enjoyable stay, and we would definitely return in the future.
Note: Ā Wifi is not complimentary, however it is based on a per use basis, so we paid ā¬10 for the connectivityĀ for the 5 days in total.Ā Villa La Principessa is also a pet-friendly hotel.
Hotel Villa La Principessa,Ā Via Nuova per Pisa 1616/G, 55050 Massa Pisana LU, Italy
anna
April 24, 2016 at 12:20 amOh wow! That place looks incredibly lush! The interiors will make you feel like royalty! Thanks for sharing this.
Carmen Edelson
April 25, 2016 at 1:02 pmIt does look like you’re in a royal palace inside with all the antique furniture.
Megan
April 24, 2016 at 8:03 pmI’d love to stay in a villa in Tuscany. Looks like a great place to visit. I especially enjoy the pool/garden area. Feel like I could really relax out there. Thanks for sharing.
Carmen Edelson
April 25, 2016 at 1:03 pmThe grounds were especially nice, and very relaxing. We really enjoyed laying by the pool.
Meg Jerrard
April 24, 2016 at 8:19 pmI was already really impressed, though my jaw dropped when it came to the photos of the garden and pool area – WOW!! Everything about this villa just screams “Tuscany” to me – we’ve traveled through a lot of Italy, though haven’t yet made it to this region, so it’s in the plans to go back.
Sidenote … also hated that there was no airconditioning when we stayed in Nice!!!
Carmen Edelson
April 25, 2016 at 1:07 pmThe Tuscany region is one of my favorites places in Italy. Lucca was the perfect spot for us to unwind, because its only a 30 minute drive to Florence, and 15 minutes from Pisa. Having a/c in the rooms made our stay even more pleasant.
Lauren
April 25, 2016 at 1:27 amWhat a beautiful place! I’m in love with that pool. I’d really like to be sitting by it right now! Also…I’m in love with Italy and I’m dying to go back.
Carmen Edelson
April 25, 2016 at 1:09 pmThe pool was one of my favorite places too. The views of the mountains from the pool are spectacular. We hope to make it back to Italy soon.
Laura Lynch
April 25, 2016 at 1:32 amWhat a beautiful house. I think Italy is one of the best places to see and enjoy the old world houses and villas. Tuscany is so full of fantastic places to stay.
Carmen Edelson
April 25, 2016 at 1:11 pmI agree Tuscany has many small towns with many great places to stay in. We really enjoyed staying here because it was right outside of Lucca’s city walls.
Jenna
April 25, 2016 at 3:32 amThis place looks great! I would love to relax by that pool for awhile and the breakfast by the garden looks wonderful. I would love to stay here sometime!
Carmen Edelson
April 25, 2016 at 1:14 pmThe pasta dinners at the hotel were my favorite. We had dinner one night outside in the garden area and it was very romantic. They offer a huge selection for breakfast, so there’s something for everyones taste.
Trisha Velarmino - P.S. I'm On My Way
April 25, 2016 at 12:44 pmI can’t believe I missed out on this place during my long stay in Italy! I was relatively near the area, too! Wonderful shots, Carmen. I love the aesthetic and preserved antiquity of the place. I found myself looking at more and more little quaint villas and inns lately and this hotel seems to just hit the spot. And damn, that breakfast selection description got me so excited.
Carmen Edelson
April 25, 2016 at 1:19 pmDuring our stay they were hosting the summer concerts in Lucca. Most of the places were sold out and we were lucky to have found Hotel Villa La Principessa. It’s not the most convenient since you need a car to get into town, but we didn’t mind the 3 mile drive.
anto
April 26, 2016 at 1:42 amLooks amazing, exactly how I’d imagine my perfect Italian get-a-way to be… I love how the green grows all the way up the wall, that’s so utterly romantic!
Carmen Edelson
April 29, 2016 at 4:20 pmYes, the ivy on the wall really makes you feel like your in the country.
Vanessa Chiasson
April 26, 2016 at 9:29 amOh my goodness the homemade fresh pasta sounds lovely! I can’t imagine how good it was. This looks like the perfect place to escape for a weekend to relax and write.
Carmen Edelson
April 29, 2016 at 4:22 pmThe pasta was my favorite of all the meals. It was such a relaxing vacation, and definitely I great place to write in peace and quiet.
Anna @ shenANNAgans
April 27, 2016 at 5:34 pmSign me up for a visit to a Tuscany villa, looks amazing. Especially digging the indoor / outdoor dining setup, now that, that is my idea of heaven. š Would be hard to get me to leave that beautiful setting.
Carmen Edelson
April 29, 2016 at 4:26 pmI would love to rent a villa in Tuscany for a week and just relax and enjoy the surroundings. This villa was the perfect escape for us and the location couldn’t have been any better.
Becky Padmore
May 3, 2016 at 4:11 amWhat a gorgeous looking place in Italy! Would love to stay somewhere like that one day š
Carmen Edelson
May 3, 2016 at 12:54 pmWe only wished we had stayed longer, because it was almost too brief to be appreciated. I hope you get a chance to experience it one day soon.
shruti Panday
May 17, 2016 at 6:14 amThat place looks incredibly lush! Looks like a great place to visit. Iām in love with that pool. I would love to relax by that pool for awhile!!
Carmen Edelson
May 17, 2016 at 8:15 amThe pool area is very relaxing, surrounded by all the landscaping and you can’t beat the scenery of course.
Steven Andrews
October 22, 2021 at 2:08 pmHey Carmen! This Villa Principessa Lucca is beautiful and offering luxury accommodation. Also by pictures, this villa is looking Royal. I will surely visit here in next month. Well! Thanks for sharing this cool hotel with us.