Villa Il Gamberaio

Villa Il Gamberaio is a working farm between Lucca and Florence, 4.5 km from Montecatini Terme, fully renovated in 2021. Six double bedrooms across the main house and a guest cottage, a 13-metre pool with hydromassage, a six-seat hot tub, a pickleball court and a maid who comes every day but Sunday. Twelve guests, plus two children on extra beds.

Six doubles sleep twelve, every one with its own shower room, and two of the upstairs rooms take an extra single bed. We’d put it forward for three families with children, who get a playground, a ping-pong table and a fenced pool, or for a group that wants Lucca, Florence and Pisa within reach without staying in any of them. Of the villas in Tuscany we place, it’s the one for a group with small children and grandparents at once, since the house, the pool and the pool area are accessible to guests with reduced mobility.

THE MAIN HOUSE

On the ground floor are the dining room with its fully equipped kitchen, the living room, and two double bedrooms with private shower rooms and doors onto the garden. Three more doubles are on the first floor, each with an en-suite shower; two of the six are master suites of over 25 square metres. Air-conditioning and underfloor heating run throughout, with mosquito screens, a washer and dryer, an iron, a safe and an alarm system. The kitchen has espresso, moka and American coffee machines, a wine fridge, an ice maker, a juicer and a dishwasher, and there’s a wine cellar.

THE GUEST COTTAGE

The dependance has a living room with TV and a second full kitchen downstairs, opening straight onto the garden and pool, and one double bedroom upstairs with underfloor heating, a smart TV, an en-suite shower and its own entrance. A separate staff quarter with sleeping space is there for anyone who travels with their own help.

THE POOL AND THE GROUNDS

The pool measures 13 by 9 metres with hydromassage built into it, is fenced, and stays open all year; the heated outdoor hot tub seats six and is included in the rate. A poolside kitchen with a sink, a fridge and a portable induction hob keeps lunch outside, and there’s a barbecue and a wood-fired pizza oven. The grounds hold a pickleball court, a ping-pong table, a playground with toys, a hammock, a small private gym, a herb garden and a vegetable garden. The farm grows olives and vines, and when the estate’s oil hasn’t sold out, guests may taste it. An EV charging point is on site.

THE SERVICE

A maid comes two hours a day, every day except Sunday, and a welcome aperitif with snacks is laid on arrival. Heating, air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, linen, bath and pool towels, pool and garden upkeep and final cleaning are all in the rate. Children are welcome and pets are accepted. Check-in runs from 3 pm to 5 pm, check-out by 10 am.

THE LOCATION

Massa e Cozzile, with the nearest shops and supermarkets, is 3.5 km and the spa town of Montecatini Terme 4.5. Pistoia is 21 km, Lucca 31, Pisa 45 and its airport 59, Forte dei Marmi 62, Florence 70, Greve in Chianti 81. For the days out, our Tuscany family vacation guide covers Lucca’s walls and the Pisa afternoon with children in tow.

To check dates or request a quote for Villa Il Gamberaio, write to [email protected].