First of all I would like to thank Beatrice for being absolutely beyond amazing with making sure everything was perfect during our stay. The property is located a mere 10 min drive from Lucca and close to the motorway which is convenient for excursions and day trips to Pisa, Florence, Volterra etc . Lots of space in and outdoors and a lovely pool are a beautiful setting for a tranquil holiday. Thank you very much for a great stay

We enjoyed one week of holiday in Villa Cardinale. The villa was very clean when we arrived. The pictures on the website give a good view of what to expect, although it is even more beautiful in reality. The view from the hill is spectacular. Beatrice, the lady coordinating the maintenance of the villa, was very helpful and gave us a lot of advice and help with selecting and booking restaurants and places to visit. We had the private diner prepared by Maria twice during the week, this is highly recommended! To summarize: we had a wonderful stay with our family.

We spent two weeks at Villa Cardinale and had a wonderful time all the way through! The house, the interior, the location but most of all Fabio, Beatrice, Martina and Isabell were fantastic! Questions were always answered promptly and always with a smile! Tuscany is one of the nicest regions in the world but in combination with this property, with all the amenities it offers and the people who care for it and it’s guests a holy place to be! Warm Thanks to all for this too short „escape to heaven“! Nicola & Family & Friends

The most homely beautiful villa to experience Tuscan life, and a special word of thanks and appreciation to Beatrice who saw to all our needs, will return, thank you

It was everything I was looking for my 50th birthday celebration. Plenty of room for entertaining guests. A true Tuscan experience. Lucca is minutes away and a true delight. Enjoyed getting to know the community. The property manager and staff were incredibly helpful in getting to know the area and the owner was a fabulous host. We enjoyed the locally produced olive oil tremendously. We will come again!

Three married couples spent 7 nights at this wonderful home. It was so tranquil and quiet we all fell in love with the location. The sunrises in the morning, the singing birds, the cool breezes, the great gardens, the comforts of home away, - all made this villa a place that we hope to return to someday. There are three floors in the Villa. The kitchen, separate dining, and a small office/bedroom with full bath on the ground floor. The living room and a master bedroom with large bathroom is on the next floor. The top floor has a large bedroom with small bathroom (shower only). The other bedroom on top floor is smaller, but has a sitting room, and larger bath with tub. There is a separate building (the annex) with a 5th bedroom and large bathroom. The clothes washer and dryer are also in the annex. The building location is high on a hill, which resulted in pleasant breezes most days. We could see the buildings in old Lucca as well as the aqueduct that runs across the valley. This Villa is the highest home on the hill – so there is absolute privacy. We never ate in the dining room as the weather was so nice – there is a table for 10 located outside under a freestanding roof. Additionally there was three other areas outside to sit (patio outside kitchen; table for 6 under olive trees; Cabana next to pool) which meant there was always somewhere in shade or sun to relax. Maria came one night to serve a wonderful home cook Tuscan style meal. The left overs were great the next day as well. The beds were very comfortable, water pressure is good, and everything in kitchen was functional and well stocked with every dish you need. Given it is an old building – there are quirky things such as un-level floors, a low kitchen doorway (watch your head), and minimal electrical outlets, it is very well done from the perspective of plumbing and kitchen appliances. We had rented a large Fiat Talento van (9 passenger). Driving up the road to the Villa meant brushing up against the olive trees along the road. Also the parking area at the Villa required some back and forth to turnaround the large van – small car would be ok. Can’t imagine not having a vehicle – while close to Lucca – it is not walkable. With Lucca 5 minutes away we frequently went there for meals. We drove to LaSpezia (1 hour) to see Cinque Terre via train. Florence is only an hour away (park at Villa Costanza parking on autostrada and take Tram into town) and Pisa is only 20 minutes

There are many highlights of our experience:- Aurora and Maria were terrific. From their kind and thoughtful service to the great food prepared for meals at the villa - they are simply superb!- the grounds are very pretty from the view of the valley to the beautiful olive trees, a nice pool area and relaxing outdoor dining table - all made time spent outside very enjoyable. There are a couple of important aspects of the experience that were disappointing:- the villa was much more remote to the village than we thought. It was more than an hour walk and it was across some busy streets. We also could not get taxis to navigate the gravel sections of the access roads. We ended up using Lucca limo - who were great - and it ended up adding significant expense and planning each day we went. - the villa itself has great potential. Our biggest issue is that kitchen was outdated and very small. The refrigerator, stove, coffee maker and toaster were very old and the space to work in limited to 2-3 people. There were also a lot of ants on the counters and sink. The wifi didnt work the first three days. The bathrooms had some updating done but with our group having some large people - up to 65 tall - some showers and toilets were hard to use. I offer these inputs only to help make future experiences better. We appreciate Fabio and Maris hospitality and Aurora and Marias wonderful service.

There are many highlights of our experience: - Aurora and Maria were terrific. From their kind and thoughtful service to the great food prepared for meals at the villa - they are simply superb! - the grounds are very pretty from the view of the valley to the beautiful olive trees, a nice pool area and relaxing outdoor dining table - all made time spent outside very enjoyable. There are a couple of important aspects of the experience that were disappointing: - the villa was much more remote to the village than we thought. It was more than an hour walk and it was across some busy streets. We also could not get taxis to navigate the gravel sections of the access roads. We ended up using Lucca limo - who were great - and it ended up adding significant expense and planning each day we went. - the villa itself has great potential. Our biggest issue is that kitchen was outdated and very small. The refrigerator, stove, coffee maker and toaster were very old and the space to work in limited to 2-3 people. There were also a lot of ants on the counters and sink. The wifi didn't work the first three days. The bathrooms had some updating done but with our group having some large people - up to 6'5" tall - some showers and toilets were hard to use. I offer these inputs only to help make future experiences better. We appreciate Fabio and Mari's hospitality and Aurora and Maria's wonderful service.

For 20+ years, I've been dreaming of an Italian vacation that included a luxurious, well-appointed villa, with kind and helpful staff, stunning views, and proximity to the best of Tuscany. You can imagine my happiness, when Villa Del Cardinale made all those dreams come true. We were met by the charming "key keeper," Aurora, who presented us with bottles of local prosecco and Fabio's organic olive oil, pressed from the trees surrounding his magnificent property. Aurora took us on a tour of the 4 suites--perfect for my family of five: husband, 2 sons and girlfriend. (There's actually room for 8.) Each room had its own en-suite bathroom; every room had air conditioning (a must!) including the master bath with huge jacuzzi tub. That night, Maria & Aurora cooked us an amazing 4-course dinner of local specialities, highlighting tomatoes from Maria's own garden & Aurora's homemade Tiramisu with berries! We ate on the terrace to candlelight, serenaded by cicadas. Heaven! It was a 10 minute walk down the hill to Bar La Perla, where we could drop in for a cappuccino, a breakfast pastry, a sandwich, gelato--or a full bar with local wines. Aurora set up a wine tasting for us at a lovely wine coop neabry. It was helpful to have a rental car though, for jaunts into Lucca (10 min) and Florence (60 min)--since taxis were hard to convince to come to fetch us. Honestly, when you are in heaven--why leave? Many of our crew spent the entire week right at the Villa! We barely left. We swam, napped, made music, read. Maria left enough supplies to create a 2nd dinner and we found a great Salumeria in Lucca. We breakfasted each morning under the olive trees soaking in the view. A few times we ate in Lucca (lovely walled town) and a few of us went to Florence, which was an easy drive. But mostly we enjoyed the luxury of a 4-bedroom villa high above the Tuscan hills. It was the most relaxing vacation of my life! Fabio and Mari are consummate hosts--they communicated thoroughly and promptly at every juncture. Aurora was a dream. The house, grounds, pool were immaculate. Maria (who cleans as well as cooks) came 3 times that week to clean and change the linens, as did the gardener/pool attendant. Everyone was so helpful and attentive and kind. I wasn't looking for nightlife or sightseeing--I dreamt of comfort and the ability to understand--to taste--the life of Tuscany. If you seek serenity--l'd say: look no further. Villa Del Cardinale is hard to beat.

For 20 years, Ive been dreaming of an Italian vacation that included a luxurious, well-appointed villa, with kind and helpful staff, stunning views, and proximity to the best of Tuscany. You can imagine my happiness, when Villa Del Cardinale made all those dreams come true. We were met by the charming key keeper, Aurora, who presented us with bottles of local prosecco and Fabios organic olive oil, pressed from the trees surrounding his magnificent property. Aurora took us on a tour of the 4 suites--perfect for my family of five: husband, 2 sons and girlfriend. (Theres actually room for 8.) Each room had its own en-suite bathroom; every room had air conditioning (a must!) including the master bath with huge jacuzzi tub. That night, Maria & Aurora cooked us an amazing 4-course dinner of local specialities, highlighting tomatoes from Marias own garden & Auroras homemade Tiramisu with berries! We ate on the terrace to candlelight, serenaded by cicadas. Heaven! It was a 10 minute walk down the hill to Bar La Perla, where we could drop in for a cappuccino, a breakfast pastry, a sandwich, gelato--or a full bar with local wines. Aurora set up a wine tasting for us at a lovely wine coop neabry. It was helpful to have a rental car though, for jaunts into Lucca (10 min) and Florence (60 min)--since taxis were hard to convince to come to fetch us. Honestly, when you are in heaven--why leave? Many of our crew spent the entire week right at the Villa! We barely left. We swam, napped, made music, read. Maria left enough supplies to create a 2nd dinner and we found a great Salumeria in Lucca. We breakfasted each morning under the olive trees soaking in the view. A few times we ate in Lucca (lovely walled town) and a few of us went to Florence, which was an easy drive. But mostly we enjoyed the luxury of a 4-bedroom villa high above the Tuscan hills. It was the most relaxing vacation of my life! Fabio and Mari are consummate hosts--they communicated thoroughly and promptly at every juncture. Aurora was a dream. The house, grounds, pool were immaculate. Maria (who cleans as well as cooks) came 3 times that week to clean and change the linens, as did the gardener/pool attendant. Everyone was so helpful and attentive and kind. I wasnt looking for nightlife or sightseeing--I dreamt of comfort and the ability to understand--to taste--the life of Tuscany. If you seek serenity--ld say: look no further. Villa Del Cardinale is hard to beat.

Fabulous views. We were 4 couples.and there was plenty of room for everyone. Fully equipped kitchen. The.Villa was clean and very well maintained. Mr. Fabio was very helpful in answering our questions before arrival. Our contact person for arrival was Ms. Aurora. We had flight connection issues before our arrival and she stayed in contact and very accommodating. Once at the Villa and she was extremely helpful in explaining where to shop and how to get around. She also arranged a wine tasting at a local winery that was a wonderful experience. Happy to recommend this Villa.

We - grandparents, children and grandchildren - 10 persons all together loved the house from first sight. We were warmly welcommed by Aurora and went to our beautifully furnished rooms with very comfortable beds and well equipped bathrooms. Everybody enjoyed the swimmingpool from the babygirl to the mature grandparents.

For our family holiday with grownup sons and partners, this villa was just perfect. With all the bedrooms being generously sized and all with en-suites, everyone was happy. The sitting room is very comfortable and the kitchen very well stocked. We loved all the outside areas, especially the pool area and the stunning views over Lucca. We were warmly welcomed and well looked after by Aurora and Maria. This villa is well placed for days out visiting the region and we were equally comfortable spending the day around the pool having stocked up with supplies from the nearby grocery store. A visit to the bakery and gelato shop at the bottom of the track is highly recommended! With a marriage proposal, this holiday was very special and will always be remembered.

Our family thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Villa I’ll Cardinale. The property was better in real life than in the pictures. The staff was very eager to assist us in any way possible. The house has a great deal of charm and really nice amenities. Very comfortable living areas inside and outside of the house. We would definitely return if we go back to Lucca in the future.

We are a family of 8, including collectively 6 children and significant others in their late 20’s and early 30’s. The house was perfect for this family gathering - 4 large bedrooms, large den, well-stocked kitchen, great pool, and multiple outdoor eating and lounging areas. The views from the house are fantastic; Fabio, the owner, is incredibly responsive and helpful; Maria, the chef, cooked us a delicious homemade meal. Lucca is an easy 5 minute drive away and a charming walled city with an endless supply of restaurants and shops. We had an absolutely terrific time and we highly recommend the villa to anyone who wants a relaxing Tuscan experience.

We could not have enjoyed our time at the Villa more - the property and house are stunning, the pictures do not do it justice. Fabio is a wonderful host, the welcome and support we had from him and his 'team' was ideal. We are already trying to determine when we can come back. The rooms were so comfortable, the kids played in the pool while we sipped wine under the shade of the olive trees. The location is also ideal, very short drive to Lucca and grocery stores. Would recommend this very highly to anyone.

Lovely villa with all the amenities. Beautiful views. Wonderful location. Enjoyed by all from 3years to 70+.

Fantastic house, gorgeous view and great hospitality. I loved it and will return. It will be difficult to find a more romantic place to stay.

Wonderful owners and their assistants, beautiful spot ideally located in Tuscany for great day trips. Fabio and Mari make you feel like family. They are so thoughtful and caring. I do not have enough words to express their wonderful welcome nor to describe their exceptionally fine home. If you are thinking villa in Tuscany, this has to be your dream spot!!!

Once you park the car at the top of the hill, one can begin to enjoy the views and the tranquility that Il Cardinale offers. The villa, plus the annex, are comfortably appointed and the pool added to everyone's pleasure. Our family enjoyed the 3+week stay at the villa which was enhanced by the marvelous staff that facilitated our every need. Phyllis/Bob Colin. New York, New York USA

This place has everything. The Villa itself takes you back to the year of 1600 and at the same time provides all the facilities you need for a modern life. On top of that, very tasteful interior. The area around was perfect with the pool, places to sit, having dinner, morning coffee etc. At the same time you feel like your on the countryside. The service personell and the owner were the best we have meet. Topservice, quick replies and hasselfree. We really recommend this place if you are in the area!

What a beautiful place to make lifetime memories! Villa II Cardinale is absolutely stunning: beautifully & comfortably furnished! I receive so many ooohs and ahhhs when I share photos of this historic home with friends! Every detail is so well thought out. The home, its gardens and pool are immaculately maintained. Views from every window and outside sitting area are spectacular - quintessential Italy! The owners' hospitality is extremely generous: we were greeted by the owners' representative with a great overview of the home, sparkling wine and olive oil from their olive trees and were given hugs and cookies from a local bakery when we left! She checked in on us throughout the week and gave great recommendations for places to visit and restaurants to dine. The home is in a great central location for making day trips. Lucca, now our favorite Italian city, is perfect for tourists yet isn't touristy or crowded. It's just a short drive from the villa. We also made excursions to unforgettable towns and cities including Barga, Bolgheri, Carrera, Livorgno, Volterra, Pisa, Florence, Cinque, Terre and more. The owners were extremely dedicated in making sure that everything was perfect for our stay - so delightful that we've encouraged them to come visit us if they come to Virginia! We highly recommend staying at Villa II Cardinale for the perfect Italian vacation!

We spent a week at the villa the last week of June. We were 2 families with a total of 4 adults and 5 kids. The villa was perfectly laid out for us all and the location was perfect for day trips to explore Tuscany. Maria cooked a delicious meal for us all to enjoy. We had a fabulous time and highly recommend staying here!

Villa Il Cardinale is a beautiful, first-class home away from home; a beautifully restored and maintained Tuscan villa. All the rooms are large and comfortably furnished. Baths attached to the four bedrooms are all updated with modern fixtures. We made meals of our own in the nicely equipped kitchen. The villa exceeded our expectations in every aspect. Even though the pictures on the web site are beautiful, you have to see it for real to truly appreciate this lovely, comfortable villa. Villa Il Cardinale has incredible views of Lucca and the Tuscan countryside. My favorite time was in the evening, sitting bye the pool, looking down on all the lights of Lucca, laying like a carpet infront of us. Our week was also blessed with beautiful weather, making the entire vacation perfect.

Both grownups and children immediately felt like home in this beautiful old villa! We are two families from Norway with 5 kids between 7-14 years’ old. For us it was important to find a house that invites to cocking, socializing – but is still private. This house got I all! This big property has a perfect location up in the hills just outside Lucca at the very end of a small road. Lots of different areas to sit, eat or just read a book enjoying the stunning views and silence during the whole day. Stay by the pool if you enjoy the sun or find you own favorite olive three to sit under when you want some shadow. We did our shopping at the recommended super marked in Lucca (10 min away with car) and they have all the stuff you may desire! We did a lot of cooking and loved to eat at the lovely outside patio. Mari and Fabio (house owners) was most helpful and made sure the whole process from booking, check-in to check-out went as smooth as one could possibly expect. The Villa and the whole journey receives our warmest recommendations! This is a place you want to go back to!