Villas in Italy near villages with No Car Needed
There is something particularly relaxing about not having to get in a car every day. We have a number of villas that are close to villages or in towns - you can find them here: Villas close to a village.
But sometimes you might want to go even further and find a villa which you can enjoy with no car needed. With this in mind, here is a selection of homes that clients of ours have arrived at by train - sometimes just from the airport, other times coming the whole way from the UK by train. (We discuss how to do this here: UK to Tuscany by Train).
1. Casa Guelfi (for 2)
The nearby port of Bocca di Magra has boat trips around the head and then north to Lerici, Tellaro and even night time trips to PortoVenere, on the Cinque Terre. You can also hire boats here and explore the little coves of the rocky coast.
2. Villa Colombaia (for 14)
This wonderful and rather magical old building was once built as a hunting lodge for an important Florentine family. Now it is available for rent and still carries much of its old magic - I always imagine there must be secret doors in this old villa, with hidden treasure maps or manuscripts.
It is close to the town of Rignano sull'Arno, south of Florence in the Valdarno - and the town has a railway station. A path leads from the villa into the town - it's tricky to find so it's best if we arrange for somebody to pick you and your luggage up on arrival - but once you know it, the walk into town from the villa is brief, and you will find restaurants and shops there.
To get to the station of Rignano sull'Arno you would start from Florence station, or from Rome - so whether arriving by air or by train getting there is not complicated.
3. Via della Colonna (for 2)
This was a very easy inclusion in the list - it's right in the centre of Florence! You can walk to the main train station in 10 minutes - or there are taxis and buses galore.
The apartment itself is spectacular and very special, with high painted ceilings and beautifully furnished - it is owned by the same designer who furnished the wonderful Pipistrelli close to Siena.
Many people stay in Via della Colonna for a few days or a week at the beginning of their holiday then hire a car from Florence airport (that you can get to via shuttle) and go to stay in a villa in the countryside for a following week.
4. Castelonchio (for 6)
Castelonchio is a beautiful villa over-looking Lake Trasimeno, with a private pool and views that I love through the owners' olive grove down to the Lake. There is a rail station in the nearby town of Tuoro that can be reached from Florence or from Rome. The distance to the house is a little too long to walk with luggage but a taxi will solve that. Once you've arrived the nearby town of Tuoro is within walking distance - the closest restaurant is about a 20 minute walk, while the centre of town, with a musuem about Hannibal's famous battle against the Romans, is a 25 minute walk.
From the Tuoro you can reach Passignano sul Trasimeno and from here there are boats across the lake, and to visit the islands too.
5. Villa Chiara (for 10 to 13)
Villa Chiara is a luxury contemporary villa at the foot of the hills of Northern Tuscany, close to the natural hot springs of Monsummano Terme. The position is ideally placed for visiting Florence, Pisa, Lucca, San Gimignano and more, with easy access to the elegant beaches of Versilia too. Spacious and well-appointed, it has five ensuite double bedrooms, three of which have an extra single-bed, so the house sleeps 10 to 13 guests.
To reach Villa Chiara without a car, you'd first head for the train station at Montecatini Terme, then get the number 73 bus (or Taxi) towards Lamporecchio, getting off at Francesca Sud, 432 - just after the Pizzeria da Remo.
