Be different and head for the hills. The chestnut-covered slopes of the Garfagnana region are less well known, more remote and somewhat wilder than the southern Tuscany everyone knows and loves, but no less captivating. Wind up through the Serchio Valley from Lucca, up and up, until you reach this secluded hideaway with views of the breathtaking variety. The perfect spot for families, walkers, nature lovers and peace seekers.

Inside it’s typically rustic and simply furnished with beams, an open fireplace in the kitchen and traditional stove in the sitting-room. There are three bedrooms – one with twin beds and a spare put-you-up bed, a double room on the same floor and a third bedroom which is accessed via the garden with its own entrance. There are two shower rooms. You will find a pretty terrace at the front for breakfast, and you’ll more than likely fancy taking lunch or supper to the shady deck behind the house overlooking the safe little pool – you’ll feel as if you were dining in the tree tops.

If all gets too relaxing, you can always pop down the road to the six-hole golf course with its dinky clubhouse, or pack a picnic and stride off in any direction.  Jazz and opera fans can head for arty Barga – an irresistible medieval hilltop town where there’s always a festival in the offing. The station at nearby Castelnuovo di Garfagnana makes day trips to the beaches of Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio or the great cities of Florence, Lucca and Pisa easily doable in a day or you could take the train to the wonderful Cinque Terre.

We look forward to hearing from you if you would like to book a stay at La Cerreta.  Sarah & Mark.