My group of 14 spent one week at Villa Luciano. This Villa is about 30 minutes by train outside of Florence. It is located at the top of the Village of Londa. I selected the Villa because of both its size and proximity to a village. My 16 and 18 year old nephews were in the group and I wanted them to be able to walk somewhere for coffee. Little did I know that within 3 days of our visit, local village girls would be hanging around outside the Villa. My nephews then spent the next 3 evenings meeting with all the local teen-agers down in the Village. Needless to say - the residents of Londa were quite friendly!

The Villa itself is quite large. It has 7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 3 kitchens, a large swimming pool, and beautiful gardens. The 14 of us never felt crowded. Although in a village - you felt quite secluded. The Villa has a staff onsite that was quite helpful in answering all of our questions.

Another nice feature of the village were the small stores. There was a coffee shop, a hardware store, a newstand, and a small grocery store. Although pricier than a larger grocery store - this was made up in convenience. The owners of the local market consistently tried to give our group Italian lessons, but I must admit - we were hopeless. We were also there during the semi-final of the 2006 World Cup where Italy beat Germany. We watched in the Village with the locals and had an amazing time.

I can highly recommend the Villa Luciano for your stay in Italy. It is a beautifully maintained villa with superb gardens. The staff is excellent, the villagers quite friendly - the perfect spot for a relaxing vacation in the Tuscan countryside!

In early Spring 2001, my girlfriends and I were searching for a gracious Villa that could accommodate a group of 10 women generously. It was hard to find since there are few reasonably priced properties with this capacity anywhere in Europe. Our friend Lisa found Villa Luciano and we fell in love. It was a real thrill driving up the hill at the top of the lake town of Londa a few months later and approach the home from the exact trajectory pictured on the website.

The house was everything we could have wanted and more. Beautiful, expansive views from every window and balcony. Modern marble and tile bathrooms with plenty of hot water and a big jacuzzi in one of suite bathrooms. We had many parlors, sitting rooms and alcoves furnished with comfortable seating and antiques collected for generations by the family to socialize in. The manicured formal gardens were a great place to paint, talk and listen to music. We enjoyed a perfect balance between historical restoration and modern convenience.

Londa Centro is just down the hill - a 3 minute walk across the creek from the Villa. We were the only American tourists seen recently and everyone welcomed us and knew where we were staying before we told them. We bought groceries, wine and other supplies all on foot in the quaint town.

Everyday we split up in different directions by car or rail to Arezzo, Cinque Terre, Perugia, San Gimignano, Greve in Chianti for wine tours, San Sepulcro, Montepulciano or countless other historic towns, all an easy drive from our abode. Some of us spent leisurely days right at the Villa and in town. The pool wasn't opened since we visited in March, but it had beautiful views and lemon trees all around and would be ideal in warm weather.

Some nights we cooked ourselves with local, fresh ingredients in one of the 2 modern kitchens. Other nights we were out for the evening in nearby towns on and off the beaten track. And through everything, Sandra, the Concierge at the Villa, was right across the street in the offices available to guide and help us with anything we needed.

And, perhaps most notable, Paolo, the owner, actually hosted an evening for us in his modern apartment in Florence .... All nine of us! He was warm, communicative and gracious before, during and after our visit and we are friends to this day. Paolo's family built the roads in and out of Londa in the thirties and forties and they built the dam that created the lake enjoyed by locals today. He also owns other apartments and properties around Londa.

On our last night at Villa Luciano Sandra arranged a private chef to cook and serve us an indigenous 9 course meal. Bellisimo!

We traveled to Italy in early November of 2004 with 9 friends. Spent a couple of days in Rome, then up to Florence by train, rented 3 cars and a villa for a week, back to Rome by train and returned home a day later.

My assignment in our travel group is to find lodging. We have rented properties in Ireland, France and Spain. After months of research on the internet, I found Villa Luciano in Londa. The pictures were appealing, the location perfect, excellent price and US dollars and credit cards accepted.

I contacted the manager, Sandra, and asked for previous clients that I might contact. She gave me several names and email addresses and they all were in complete agreement. Villa Luciano was fabulous!

The Villa is absolutely beautiful. The web site is excellent, but it is hard to visualise the enormity of the property. The house is huge and the manicured grouds are very extensive. The views from each floor of the house are wonderful. There are really "that many rooms" in this house as advertised, and they are elegant but very comfortable.

With seven bedrooms, four couples each had a large room and three singles each had a smaller twin or double room. Although there are not private bathrooms for each room, we had no problems sharing.

We love to cook and had a great time between the two excellent and well equipped kitchens on the first floor. The dining room seats twelve and is quite lovely. There is a large terrace off the dining room where we enjoyed daily wine and cheese from the surrounding area, especially Frescobaldi which is very close.

Londa is a pretty little village with small grocers, a hardware, shops, post office, pharmacy etc. The grocer at the bottom of the hill will deliver to the villa. They have a good selection of wine, meat, cheese and vegetables. There is also a moderate price/casual restaurant with delicious food and excellent service at the end of the lake.

Be prepared for a very brisk walk up if you walk down to the village! The villa is floor floors tall and there are five massive stone staircases. Although there are many steps, the pitch is comfortable and there are rails.

For friends and families, I absolutely recommend Villa Luciano. It is obvious that the owner and staff take great care and have pride and love for this beautiful home in the tranquil hills of Tuscany.