Overall: Our stay at the villa was a fantastic week for our group of 18 adults. Enjoyed Most: It was large enough for our group to dine and socialize together and at the same time to have a bit of quiet time out. The kitchen and dining area was well equipped to host a dinner party for 20 people. The pool area was fantastic and qw loved to spend the day here on our 'rest days'. Towels for the pool were also available which was great. We also loved the history behind the villa. It was once owned by a mayor of Lucca. Enjoyed Least: Some of the showers were very small and the villa was not close enough to walk to town. The washing machine took a very long time to do a full cycle. With 18 people in the villa we had a lot of washing. Surrounding Area: While we couldn't walk to town we did love that it was in the countryside and the view was spectacular. I loved that you could hear the bells ringing from a nearby church. The grounds of the villa were also very well maintained. Nearby Events or Locales: The nearest town was Lucca and unfortunately unable to walk to town due to the narrow roads and no footpaths. The traffic was also quite heavy. However, there was a small shop a short walkable distance away for milk and bread. Tips or Restaurants: You definitely need some sort of transport to stay in this villa. We took taxis from the train station to a supermarket and then they came back and picked us up and then delivered us to the villa. This was only possible because we had a contact in Lucca and they arranged this with the taxis.We also hired buses for some day trips again arranged by our contact in Lucca. Other days we used taxis to go into town. Directions: As previously stated your own transport would be ideal. Luckily we had a taxi driver that could speak English and he was very helpful. He also gave us his card so then we were able to contact him when we needed a taxi into town. At 20 Euros it was quite expensive for a 4 km trip but this was usually shared between 2 couples. This also probably worked out cheaper than hiring several vehicles for the week. Check In Out: The check in process was a little challenging as neither the key holder nor caretakers speak English.