Albergo Villa Marta

The Tuscany villa is a dream for many and what is found here, just three miles outside of the beautiful town of Lucca, may well fulfill that dream.
A large walled garden with magnolia, pine and cherry trees and of course olives and cypresses creates a wonderful space to relax whilst the Martinelli family and staff are on hand to tempt you with excellent food in the ambience of a Tuscan villa from the 1800s. The four star Villa Marta boutique hotel opened in 2005 and has already found a dedicated but discrete fan base.
The beauty of staying at a hotel like this is the dedication and genuine hospitality that you can find there. Fifteen well-appointed rooms allows for an elegant and personalised atmosphere and the Martinellis prefer to insist on the best of traditionally cooked Tuscan ingredients and individually furnished rooms rather than compromise quality.
Everything is done in such a way that you can slow down and really absorb the beauty of this stunning part of Italy. Top marks go to the garden and the villa’s public areas which are light years away from anything you would normally associate with a hotel. In fact, during the summer, the garden becomes the real living room with a terrace and pergola and wicker furniture in which to read or sample one of the local wines. Jasmine grows over the walls that run round the garden where their scent mixes with the pine. For those who are thinking of somewhere very special indeed to get married, the grounds of the hotel include a very beautiful and private neo-classical chapel. Whiling away the afternoon in the garden is not the only option available, however. The hotel offers bicycles to tour the by-ways and lanes whilst painting and art classes are held regularly. Those who want to approach the famous Italian cuisine a little more intimately can do so with cooking lessons aimed at all levels.
The decoration of the Villa is soothing and calm with a great deal of attention paid to the fabrics and paintings where exhibitions of Tuscan artists add a touch of colour. In the bedrooms most of the ceilings have exposed wooden beams and terracotta floor tiles with more natural colours in the linen and in the tile-work of the bathrooms.
The Albergo Villa Marta would be ideal for a romantic break though the villa is large and there are more than enough possibilities and things to do in the environs that a family would also enjoy its charms.