There are many pros and cons to this property which is why I gave it an average rating. Starting with the pros....1) it's in a local village and gives you a feeling of being in Tuscany, 2) the villa is huge and has modern amenities, 3) the grounds are great, especially for the kids. The cons...1) the villa is freezing; the property manager didn't want to turn on the heater because it was 'too expensive' - considering how much the place costs for a week, I thought that was unacceptable, 2) the place isn't that convenient, if you want to go anywhere, without a car you are pretty dependent on the bus which doesn't run very often and 3) the villa was a little damp inside, like musty damp, but that could be because of the rain. One great benefit is Gabriella, a local woman that will come and make pizza for you at the villa, it was great!

WOW!!! from the very first minute we arrived, we all fell in love with Villa Luciano and the hill town of Londa. My partner and I wanted to create a vacation for ourselves and our 3 kids, in their young 20's, and their friends, that we could remember forever. We wanted a place close enough to a town so you could walk around and experience the flavor of Tuscany, and yet far enough out in the hills for a break from our city lives. After searching Italy and Spain on line, Villa Luciano seemed perfect; and it was!

The rooms are huge, yet cozy, we never felt like we were too small a group for such a grand villa. The meals prepared for us were wonderful, and so much fun getting all of us together. We wound up staying on the Villa grounds and in Londa more than we planned...it was just so beautiful and relaxing; and a great place for the kids to blow off some steam and enjoy the reunion.

Londa proved a great location for day trips into Florence by train, and the north western Tuscany towns by car. We expecially loved the mountain road to Stia and the Chianti area.

For a family with older kids, or, an extended family i can't imagine a better place!

For 2 weeks, we felt like royalty in "our Villa" in Londa !
I arranged the stay at Villa Luciano, for 18 people, from the last week of May through the 1st week of June 06'.
About 1/2 of the group stayed for the entire 2 weeks, while the others were there either the 1st or 2nd week.
The Villa was exquisite, the villa grounds sitting above the town were beautiful, and the town of Londa, welcoming.

The closest train station is about a 10 min. drive from the villa into the town of Contea. There is also a local bus that picks and drops off at the bottom of the hill in the town of Londa, that one can take to and from the train station as well.
Sandra, the villa manager, has an office across the road from the villa. She was ever so helpful with our needs and able to answer all of our questions. We were glad she was so close!

There is new Internet connectivity at the villa which we used to check train schedules, car routes, book tickets and of course the emails to and from home. I brought my laptop and it really was a plus!
As stated in other reviews, there are 7 bedrooms, but a couple of the mattresses in the twin bedrooms need replacing because they sag really badly (down to the springs). But, sleeping with the bedroom windows opened and the fresh air circulating, was wonderful.
We cooked several meals at the villa or we ate in Londa or in the nearby towns.
We splurged our last evening together and opted to have a cook come in and prepare our meal. It was wonderful !

The only slightly negative thing was the time it took to do "day trips" into the little towns in Tuscany via car (especially the towns in the southern part of Tuscany). It was quite a drive on narrow 2 lane winding roads from the villa to the autostrada or to the highways and then to the villages and then back to the villa in the evening. Need a good "Tuscany" map and a great "map reader" while the driver drives.

If you venture to this town of Londa (called Little Switzerland), you will love the accommodations at Villa Luciano !
Be sure to also check out the little town of Poppi for a day trip. It was such a welcomed relief from the bigger more congested towns in Tuscany. The leisurely drive through the mountains was great, as was the scenery and you felt like you were discovering a little town that hardly anyone knows about. But also know that the town shuts down during lunch time. We found only one place opened that we could get a sandwich and drink.

We all loved "our villa" and all look forward to returning some day.

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!