Location:
Fifteen minutes from the walled Roman village of Lucca. About 20 minutes from Forte di Marmi, fashionable seaside resort town. Thirty minutes from the Pisa Airport and 50 minutes from Florence.


Views:
Casanova sits at an altitude of 1,000 feet and enjoys virtually 360-degree views. In one direction is the Puccini Lake and, beyond it, the Tirreno Sea and the islands of Capraia, Corsica and Elba.


Brief Description:
Casanova is the result of a complete restoration of 16th, 17th and 18th century buildings, using all original stone, tiles and wood beams. Today, the property is an immaculate, wonderfully comfortable vacation home for its owning family from Milan, with convenient access to Florence and the sea, as well as to the opera center of Torre del Lago and the art center village of Pietrasanta. The 400-acre property sits on four hills and includes the house built by Giacomo Puccini in the late 19th century, the house where the composer worked on his masterpieces.


Bedrooms and guest capacity:
There are four bedrooms in the Main House, including the Master Suite, and five bedrooms in the Guest House (La Forestierre), including a number of twins perfect for children. Total capacity is 18 guests. Décor in the bedrooms is Italian countryside style. Almost all bathrooms have showers.


Activities on the property:
On a sprawling, garden-surrounded lawn at the top of Casanova's hill is the center of the house's summer activities - a unusually large, 52-foot square swimming pool with a wide stone deck for sunning, and adjacent is the "summer kitchen" and shaded dining under an archway. Just across the lawn is the Play House which houses a pool table, grand piano, and a state-of-art sound system. Also on the property is a large steam room, a movie room, and a tennis court/soccer field.


Dining:
There is an enormous eat-in kitchen in the Main House, with two long tables. Summer dining at night is usually on the patio, with a large square table for 16 and breathtaking views of the local hills. Lunches in summer, for those not sightseeing, are usually around the pool, served from the "summer kitchen." There is a special breakfast terrace, also with awesome views. Maria is the head cook, always smiling.


Staff:
The head couple is Flavio (driver and gardener) and Maria (head cook). There is another driver (two vehicles are included in the rental of Casanova - a Mercedes limo and a Jeep), as well as housekeepers. In addition, for two hours every day a a hostess will be on site to help guests plan sightseing and activities in the area.

Location:
In Tuscany, fifteen minutes drive from the ocean near the villages of Donoratico and Bolgheri. Forty-five minutes south of the Pisa Airport and 90 minutes from Florence. Castle is at the center and highest point of the village of Castagneto Carducci.


Views:
Views over the little village of Castagneto Carducci and the rural hillsides, to the ocean.


Brief description:
A 11th-century castle belonging to the same noble family for 36 generations. Grand, curvilinear, fortresslike facade with entrance drive through secured gates. Interiors a veritable museum of one family's (and Tuscany's), history. Multiple dining rooms, living rooms, and salons are stately yet comfortable.


Bedrooms and guest capacity:
Seven bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, most with original four-poster, regally canopied king-size beds. Master bedroom very large and opens onto a large terrace with sweeping views of valley and sea. Capacity 14.


Activities on the property:
Owning family has private access to the beach 15 minutes away, where there are a number of cabanas for changing, showering, picnicking and lounging; beach is soft sand and water is generally very calm, also shallow for several yards until it deepens, perfect for children of all ages. Note: this property does not have a swimming pool but has lovely shaded lawns and patios around the circumference of the castle.


Activities within one hour:
Charming ancient village of San Gimignano and Pisa are each 60 minutes drives; Volterra with its outstanding museum of Etruscan history is one hour; numerous quiet villages with significant cathedrals and shopping for local items within one hour. In Cecina, 30 minutes away, are larger fine stores for Italian leather and outdoor sports/hunting clothing, as well as pottery. Vineyard tours, including the renowned Sassacaia and Ornellaia wineries, are within 30 minutes, as are olive oil presses for tours.


Staff:
Family cook Daniela, additional cook, two housekeepers, driver upon special request, gardener. Readily available is an assistant with excellent command of English and knowledge of local area attractions and activities.

Location:
Just on the outskirts of Sorrento, a charming Amalfi Coast town. On the top of a sheer, 100-foot cliff over the Mediterranean. Less than an hour from the Naples Airport.


Views:
Panoramic views from the rooms and vast terraces of the Amalfi coastline, Mediterranean Sea, Naples and Vesuvius.


Brief description:
Villa Tritone is a significant house built by William Waldorf Astor, then ambassador to Italy, in 1880. It has a grand architectural style both inside and out, and its garden, also designed and installed by Astor, is one of the finest in Europe. Upon entering the house, one is greeted by priceless Roman columns and statuary, and rare art and sculpture are found throughout the house. Surprisingly, despite its museum-quality art, the house is extremely comfortable.


Bedrooms and guest capacity:
Seven bedrooms on three floors, all with air-conditioning, the majority with king-size beds. Windows of all but one bedroom open onto the sea. Beds and antique furniture in the bedrooms are grand.


Activities on the property:
The garden and cliff-top terraces are the focus of summertime living. Plants from all over the world, some of them ancient, provide a serene resting and strolling place - palms, oriental gardenias, orchids, mosses, ferns, succulents. In the garden is a small but lovely,curvilinear swimming pool. Shutters in the garden wall, when thrown open, provide luxurious breezes and sweeping sea views. A most unique swimming alternative is the platform on the sea reached by steep stairs from the house, ending at sea level with Roman-constructed tunnels and swimming grottoes still in use. There is a game room with ping pong, table hockey and other table games.


Activities within an hour:
The train to Vesuvius takes just less than an hour. The village of Sorrento is just outside the house's gates, and beyond is Amalfi and the other charming, seaside and hillside villages on the Amalfi Coast.


Staff:
Family cook Gracia is excellent, she collaborated with the lady of the house on a highly reputed Italian cookbook. Antonio, the head waiter, has been with the family for 20 years and his knowledge of the local area will greatly enhance the guests' stays. The head gardener Genarro, despite his almost non-existent English, will charm you with garden tours.