Behind the historic city of Lucca, Tuscany's Apennine mountains rise in folding crinkles of olive groves, dark forests, winding roads and hilltop villages. On one such ridge sits Villa Fobbia, just above a nearby village and with fabulously long-reaching views.
This is a very special villa, listed in the 2024 Times "25 Gorgeous italian villas"; spacious, comfortable, and elegant - a house where everything has been thought of and no expense spared. The position is special too, close to Lucca, Pisa and Florence, but set in a quiet and lesser-known part of Tuscany, on the edge of the beautiful Apennine mountains.
The house faces resolutely towards the views, with nearly every room enjoying the same amazing views, giving the whole house an airy, spacious feeling. The decor is a sequence of delights, beautifully considered and with some very elegant pieces making the rooms feel very special.
Outdoors the garden evolves in a series of terraced olive groves , one of which now who holds a swimming pool, another a boules pitch, a further one yet a table-tennis table. When your appetite calls, this house is ideally placed: there are three restaurants within walking distance, the closest of which is "Da Valentino", a wonderful local restaurant/bar with card-playing locals and enormous portions of fabulous Tuscan food, which is 1.2km or a 15min walk away.
Villa Fobbia sits on a wide terrace facing west, with long-reaching views over the hills north of Lucca. But you won't see them on arrival as you enter this beautiful villa from the side into an entrance hall on a half-level between the two lower floors. Turning right will take you to the ground floor and a beautiful living room with french doors opening onto a terrace where the spectacular views are suddenly revealed. To the right of this living room there is a study with drinks cabinet, drinks fridge, desk and another set of double doors that open onto the terrace. To the left of the living room you'll find an ensuite double bedroom with a stunning bathroom with a bath and a separate shower. This double bedroom can be reached from the area where the car is parked, making it a good choice for those who might struggle with stairs.
Going upstairs you will find an elegant and well-equipped marble kitchen with french doors to a covered terrace, ideal for alfresco meals. Along the front of the house and facing the views, there is a dining room and beyond it, another enormous living room with two tall windows and a beautiful fireplace. Beyond the living room there is a further small sitting room.
Between the kitchen and dining room a set of stairs fold up to the top floor, where you will find a further 4 double bedrooms and three bathrooms, one of which is ensuite, while the other two are shared between three bedrooms.
Walking outside into the beautifully tended gardens a path winds through olive trees to a swimming pool set in prime position to enjoy the view. By the pool there is a covered pergola for al-fresco meals, and an outdoor kitchen equipped with a fridge and stove. A ping-pong table and a beautiful boules pitch are also set in the garden providing the perfect setting for evenings with friends and family.
This villa faces the views, which are fabulous, and has a private pool and gardens
Beyond the pool there is a furnished dining area, with a shaded pergola and an outdoor kitchen
The house is entered from the side, where internal steps lead up to the mid-level entrance hall - but you can also walk round to the front, allowing you to enter the lower floor without steps. The external steps you can also see lead up to the smaller sitting room but are not generally used.
A terrace runs along the front of Villa Fobbia, furnished with seating areas and tables.
The ground floor has a luminous living room.
The details of Villa Fobbia are beautiful
This double bedroom on the ground floor has a fabulous ensuite bathroom
I love this ground-floor ensuite bathroom, with a free-standing bath and a separate shower
The dining room faces the views, with the kitchen next door
The dining room faces the views, with the kitchen next door
This drinks cabinet is by the stairs, in the dining room.
The elegant first-floor living room.
Beyond the living room is this charming smaller sitting room with a drinks cabinet and more beautiful views.
The first double bedroom shares one of the two bathrooms upstairs.
The second double is mid-way along the top corridor. The door you can see at the end is the bathroom.
The second double also has long-ranging views of the valley
This bathroom is on the left of the upstairs corridor and faces the views.
The third bedroom is on the right at the end of the corridor.
The third bedroom is on the right at the end of the corridor.
This bathroom is on the right of the corridor, between bedrooms three and four.
This double bedroom has its own ensuite shower room
This is the ensuite for Bedroom four
Along the path to the pool you will see this boules pitch tucked into a little crease in the garden.
The swimming pool has been perfectly placed in the landscape to enjoy the views of olive groves and forests on the hills near Lucca
Close to the pool there is an outdoor dining area, with a shaded pergola and an outdoor kitchen
The views are spectacular
The swimming pool has plenty of sunbeds and sun-umbrellas
This is a view of the nearby village from Fobbia, where there are three restaurants within walking distance of the house.
The area around Lucca is wonderful, one of the best examples of man made landscape, where every change that has been wrought seems to have been for the best: the forested hills are sustainably managed for woods, chestnuts and truffles; vineyards and olive groves interweave with cypresses, unpaved roads and stone walls.
A number of 16th and 17th century villas surround Lucca: Villa Marlia, Villa Reale, Villa Torrigiani are all worth a visit with their formal gardens and richly decorated interiors.
Heading north one enters the area of the Apuan Alps, the steep mountains that gave the marble for Michelangelo's David and La Pieta'. Now they provide extensive opportunities for walking, cycling, climbing and caving.
For the more urbane amongst us, Lucca is a jewel of a city, studded with churches and good restaurants. It also has a healthy antiques market and good shops. Pisa, Florence, Siena and the Cinque Terre are all within easy reach.
The Puccini Festival, a delight for Opera lovers, runs every year at the Lake of Massaciuccoli, easily reached from Fobbia. See the 2024 program for Puccini Festival here.
From € 914 to 1,333 per day
From € 6,400 to € 7,998 per week
Approximately
$ 6,912 to $ 8,638 in USD
For availability and pricing see the calendar above. To book online click on your desired arrival date, then on the departure date. The calendar will grey out dates for stay lengths that are not accepted - most villas book Sat to Sat but many also allow shorter stays or odd dates.
If you have any questions or would like help choosing, we visit our properties regularly and can help you select the best villa for your holidays.
We can hold dates for you for 48 hours while you make sure everything lines up, then you simply pay the deposit (30% of total) to secure your booking. The balance will then be due 10 weeks before you travel.
Simply add "XCover" to your booking for a full refund if you can't travel. For more details see our Booking Conditions and XCover. You can add XCover to your booking at any time until you have paid your balance, ask your agent. If you simply need to change your dates please let us know: we can often modify your booking rather than cancelling outright.
Many local administrations now charge a “Tourist Tax” for people staying in rented accommodation and these vary from town to town. The charges are generally per person per night with a maximum number of nights, usually around 5 but sometimes 7, beyond which they will not charge. The charges range between 50 cents to 5 euro. Children are sometimes included, sometimes not and these charges should be collected by the property owners.
It can often be faster to contact us to ask for advice - we visit all the houses so can give you first hand advice based on your wishlist. Once you find a villa you like we can hold dates for you for around 48 hours while you check flights or make sure everybody is on board.
Please ring us with any queries - there are a lot of answers in our FAQ page too. If you want to keep searching, have a look at our suggestions below!