Vacation Rentals by Owner

Luxe, calme et volupte

Guest: younghee k. (Providence, RI USA)
Date of Stay: 05/08/12 Review Submitted: 05/18/12

I was so fortunate to be able to spend a part of my recent vacation in this lovely Tuscan estate. The perfect spring temperature, with delightful breezes, brought out Bell’Estate’s birds. Their songs and the rustle of branches surrounding the peaceful manor were the only sounds registered in the video I made with my iPad -- the physical beauty of this place and its setting was so astonishing that mere still photos would not have done it justice. Bell’Esate is a perfect sanctuary from which you might never want to leave. But you might want to venture on short excursions to Florence, Pisa, Volterra and other surrounding Tuscan towns. Upon returning from these outings, you will certainly appreciate even more the calm and peacefulness of this vacation home. I plan to visit Rome next spring, and intend to stay in another rental vacation home owned and run by Alessandra. Having experienced her impeccable taste and warm hospitality in Lucca, I can hardly wait to plunge into The Eternal City.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Wonderful vacation property

Guest: Eileen O. (Bridgewater MA USA)
Date of Stay: 10/11/11 Review Submitted: 11/11/11

I stayed at Bell' Estate with 7 friends for one week in October. The house was perfect in size, location, setting, convenience, and facilities. The owner, her local assistant, and housekeeper were helpful beyond expectations and made our experience one we will never forget. The estate is beautifully furnished and provided a perfect place to base our explorations of northern Tuscany. I highly recommend Bell' Estate.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

A Perfect Setting in Tuscany

Guest: Shel Z. (Redwood City, California)
Date of Stay: 10/01/11 Review Submitted: 10/20/11

We had a GREAT time in Luca this Fall at the Bell' Estate. One couldn't ask for a better place to spend 10 days celebrating retirement with good friends. Alessandra and her sister Sonia couldn't have been nicer and easier to deal with. The house was exactly what we wanted and more. The only problem we had was getting their on the first day and that added to it's ambiance. We would love to come visit and stay at Bell' Estate again.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Bell' Estate Sept 17-24 2011

Guest: Anne and Bruce ( Barrie, ON Canada) (Barrie, ON, Canada)
Date of Stay: 09/17/11 Review Submitted: 09/29/11

We had 3 couples staying for a week in the beautiful Bell' Estate near Lucca. Driving directions from Alessandra were exact and we had no problem finding the estate in the hills around Lucca. The photos do not do it justice. It is really a magnificent property. Relaxing by the pool after a day of touring was a perfect end to each day. The villa itself was very clean and the housekeeper who came 3 days during our week was lovely...even helping to get red wine stains from some clothing! Inside , the villa was very homey and comfortable. In the study there are many books, including some detailed mathematical volumes. My husband, the engineer, was quite impressed with those! Sonia came and created a beautiful Tuscan meal for us, helped by her adorable son Georgio. It was great fun. We enjoyed a bike tour around the Lucca area which included a winery and lunch at a local farm, while 2 in our party took a cooking class with Chef Paolo down the road from the villa at Hotel Carignano. Both options were excellent! Meals at the restaurants at the top of the winding hillside road ( Vipore and Lombardo) were both excellent. Make a reservation! (and have the rosemary frites at Vipore!). The villa was easy access to Florence and Pisa and we drove to Cinqua Terra with no difficulty. It is a 3 1/2 hour drive to the rome airport so if you are able fly from Florence, that would be a better option. The only surprise was the presence of mosquitos..we were not expecting that! Coming from Ontario Canada where we are used to mosquitos, it was not such a hardship! Use the bug nets around the beds, they really help, and buy some bug spray! All in all a wonderful stay. Thank you Sonia for your help on site and to Alessandra for your help in coordinating!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, sightseeing.

A truly special home

Guest: Michelle H. (Philadelphia)
Date of Stay: 08/27/11 Review Submitted: 11/16/11

Last year was one of the most memorable vacations my husband and I have ever had! When the gates to the villa swung open and we saw for ourselves how truly lovely this property was we knew we were in for a wonderful holiday. The house and grounds are beautiful and meticulously well-equipped and maintained. The house overall is very spacious and well furnished including large, comfortable beds, well-equipped kitchen, outdoor dining spaces and enormous swimming pool. It is perfectly situated for taking day trips to Florence, Cinque Terre, MonteCarlo, Sienna and more. On hot summer afternoons we would return from our explorations to lounge by the pool with cocktails. Several evenings we enjoyed long leisurely meals prepared with herbs, tomatoes and peppers from one of several gardens on the grounds. At night, we would sit outside where we could see every star in the sky and saw numerous shooting stars while we were there. Cinzia, the housekeeper, was fantastic: very helpful and entirely trustworthy. Alessandra's sister, Sonia, was lovely. She welcomed us to the villa and prepared a wonderful dinner for us on our first night. She is quite the chef!!! The true jewel though is the owner, Alessandra. She is an exceptional hostess. You can tell that this home belongs to someone who takes special care to ensure that her guests' every need is met. We have stayed in two of her other homes. I feel so fortunate that she opens her homes to others because they are each truly special.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Quintessential Tuscany

Guest: Pam (Glenwood Springs, CO USA)
Date of Stay: 10/19/10 Review Submitted: 10/29/10

This past week was spent entirely at Bell' Estate by eight women celebrating a 60th birthday, and it could not have put a more perfect ending to the delightful two-week experience in Italy. The villa is precisely as represented in the listing - country charm and understated elegance. I will refrain from reiterating all that has been said in previous reviews because they are all perfectly descriptive and accurate. The pictures do not lie! We visited in October and the swimming pool was understandably not available, but the colors of the surrounding grounds changed before our eyes while we were there. We truly felt that we were living the Tuscany life, and could not bring ourselves to leave the delightful kitchen where we prepared and ate breakfast together each morning. Although the showers are small they are comparable to what we found elsewhere in Italy. And although the water pressure prevents multiple showers from being taken at the same time, this did not impede us at all! The master bedroom bed is supported by wood slats and a thinner mattress than might be expected; some may find it harder than they are accustomed to, but I slept wonderfully. The warmth of this fabulous residence wraps itself around its guests and welcomed us as if the owners were there with us and we were family that was visiting. Alessandra was exceptional in her correspondence before the trip and her willingness to answer any questions we had in preparation. Her sister, Sonia, welcomed us herself at the villa and we made arrangements with her for a walking tour of Lucca the following day. Her knowledge of the city and its history, her melodious voice and accent, and her gracious hospitality set the tone for the entire week. The location is ideal for venturing out into the countryside and for exploring other areas of Tuscany. A true flavor of what life might be here is experienced in this exceptional villa. It was VERY difficult to leave and is highly recommended.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

A Wonderful Retreat Just Outside Lucca

Guest: Nandrew (Greenwich, CT USA)
Date of Stay: 08/28/10 Review Submitted: 10/03/10

We highly recommend Bel' Estate! The villa is lovely and the pool is spectacular. Particularly memorable was our cooking lesson with Sonia and being able to hike up to the church behind the villa through olive groves and vineyards. We spent a glorious week sightseeing in Lucca and further afield on day trips. We recommend a day on the beach at Forte dei Marmi and also driving through the Alpi Apuanes to the town of Barga in the Gafagnana. We hope to return to this beautiful spot one day!

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Enchanting, magical, inspiring

Guest: Jen (Starkville, Mississippi, USA )
Date of Stay: 05/29/10 Review Submitted: 06/24/10

This villa and property was so beautiful and far exceeded all of our expectations. The villa was immaculate and something out of a fairy tale. The villa and property are so well kept- you can tell how much love and pride has gone into the villa over the past years. Our family and friends gathered here for a vacation for the last week of May to first week of June, 2010. The weather was amazing for our entire trip. The last 2 days of our stay were a warmer (85/90 degrees) and the villa was always cool and comfortable literally air conditioned by the hillside breezes. We were a little worried about this detail but it was not an issue at all. The villa location was ideal for daily trips into Lucca center for exploring. The hillside and road the villa is on is very private and lovely for early morning or after dinner walks. We were six in all sleeping in the villa, up until the last evening when 2 additional family members joined us. And the villa very comfortably accommodated the 8 of us. Almost every evening we prepared a delicious large family dinner for up to 14! The kitchen was incredibly well equipped. The large supermarket in Lucca was an easy trip. We visited local vineyards for wine and oil. One night the large group of us traveled to Vipore an amazing nearby restaurant. Lazy days were spent lounging by the pool with cocktails, books or great family stories. We ate lunch al fresco and cooking with herbs from the amazing herb garden. Lunch was beautiful in the comfortable shade in the yard. Alessandra and her sister Sonia are lovely hosts who provided absolute privacy while also assisting and going above and beyond to be sure our stay was comfortable and that all our needs were met. The housekeeper, Cinzia is lovely, helpful and so very trustworthy. This was one of the most amazing unforgettable vacations our family has ever had. I can't say enough great things! We easily traveled to this location from Florence and were also able to easily travel to Viarregio, then onto Rome. Mutliple family members rented cars to explore the region and we traveled from and to the larger cities by train very easily.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway, sightseeing.

Guest: FamilyComSim (Seattle WA)
Date of Stay: 04/16/10 Review Submitted: 04/16/10

We spent a perfect April week in the villa with one other family, 4 children and 4 adults. The villa is stunning in it's architectural presence and we were perfectly accomodated and comfortable. The kitchen is fully stocked, the gardens perfect for the children to run around and play and the location is so convenient to the Pisa airport and wonderful hillside villages. We arranged with the owner for someone to spend a day instructing us how to prepare a delicious italian meal in the kitchen and fully enjoyed the process as well as the results! Each of the restaurants that the owner recommended in her housebook was special in it's own way - wish we'd had time to try more. Our favorite daytrips: MonteCarlo, Sienna and Lucca.

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 08/30/09 Review Submitted: 08/30/09

We stayed at Bell' Estate early August '09. I agree with all the earlier posts - it was wonderful. We were terribly reluctant to leave. There were only two of us, but the house could easily accomodate a group comfortably. A magical place!

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Guest: Markham Ontario Family (Markham)
Date of Stay: 08/30/09 Review Submitted: 08/30/09

Our stay at Al Campana Villa was wonderful. We were a bit uncertain about rental because we have done multiple home exchanges in the past and were afraid that renting would be cold and impersonal but Bell Estate was exactly the opposite. We felt we were actually living in a Tuscan home. The house was furnished with personal objects and the interests and personality of the owners was apparent in every room. The kitchen was extremely well equipped (could have used a few more wine glasses) and we spent many memorable hours around the marble table sipping wine and eating fresh mozzarella and prosciutto! We loved the 6 burner stove and the large fridge! We cooked dinner several times during our stay - opened the double kitchen doors and ate al fresco in the garden and one evening we had a special candlelit dinner in the lovely dining room - opening the massive doors to the garden and enjoying the cool night air. The pool was especially appreciated by our teenagers – it was huge (Olympic size) and situated in a grassy field overlooking the beautiful countryside. The fire flies were an extra special touch during our midnight dips. The bedrooms were very roomy, comfortable and tastefully furnished in antiques. We were thrilled that there were three baths on the second floor so there was very little waiting (4 teenagers make this inevitable). The proximity to Lucca and Florence made it a great location for day trips. I highly recommend taking the train to Cinque Terra to hike the trails. I will miss waking up to the sound of cicada and the sun streaming through the windows. It was a beautiful holiday. Thank you so much for sharing your home. Esme and Rob Hurst and FamilyAugust 2009

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Guest: Franck and Stacy (Orinda, CA, USA)
Date of Stay: 07/26/09 Review Submitted: 07/26/09

My girlfriend and I stayed at Bell’ Estate with family and friends for five unforgettable days. My only complaint is that I wish I could have stayed longer. The house is simply stunning. The spacious living room, beautiful dining area, and homey kitchen provide plenty of space for a family to truly relax and enjoy their vacation. The bedrooms are comfortable, the 3+ bathrooms are nice, and the property, with its magnificent views, is nothing short of spectacular. The villa is large, elegant, and extremely well maintained, yet still feels like a rustic country cabin – which is exactly what I was hoping for. The garden offers a pastoral peace and quiet that seems right out of a Wordsworth poem. Some of the moments I most cherished during our stay (and our entire European vacation for that matter) involved sitting in the garden during the quiet, early morning hours, sipping the fresh espresso I’d just made in the kitchen, and reading a good book. Eventually, I’d make my way down to the pool to bask in the sun, soak in the serene Tuscany scenery, and swim laps in the pool. That’s what vacation is all about for me. If you can convince yourself to leave the property (which I admit was difficult at times), the guestbook that Alessandra provides has detailed to directions to several great restaurants and hiking trails in the area. The nearby town of Lucca is genuinely charming, and Florence is less than an hour’s drive away. Alessandra, the owner of the villa, was so helpful – making sure everything was ok and answering any questions we had. The housekeeper was friendly and accommodating, even helping us with our laundry. The house also provides wireless internet access if that’s important to you. Yeah, so, in case you can’t tell yet, I had an unforgettable time at the Bell’ Estate. I would love to go back and stay for even longer. I did not want to leave.

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Guest: larondine (New York, NY)
Date of Stay: 07/19/09 Review Submitted: 07/19/09

This villa is happily situated in the hills north of Lucca; there are spectacular views of the hills to the south of the city, from every vantage, and the house is oriented in such a way to inspire true enjoyment of classic, Tuscan landscape. The house and grounds are beautifully preserved and maintained, and are very private. The interior of the villa is filled with beautiful books, furniture, and objects of curiosity and historical interest. Because the ceilings are high, and the walls very thick, the villa stays cool even in intense summer heat if one follows the detailed and knowledgeable instructions provided by the owners. The kitchen is a marvel, and is ideal for anyone who might enjoy finding the readily available and exceptional local produce, and creating meals which may be taken al fresco. Everything was beautifully arranged in expectation of our arrival: there was mosquito netting for each of the beds in each of the bedrooms, there were fresh towels, and additional towels for use at the pool; the beds were extremely comfortable. There were two, well-appointed showers, as well as a large, separate bath. The housekeepers were very helpful in showing us around the house, and were very accommodating, although it helps to have some Italian in order to ask questions, should you have any. This is a villa that clearly belongs to a family who take great care in preparations for guests, and rightly expect that the guests will treat their environment similarly. The gardens are filled with lemon, and other fruit trees, and there is an absolutely huge and magnificent pool suitable for real lap-swimming, or for wasting huge amounts of time to great benefit. The pool also enjoys beautiful views of the hills south of Lucca. There are hoopoes, and wood pidgeon, and even a songbird that sings the first few bars of the Eroica at sunset. There are bats who are considerate enough to deplete the mosquito population at dusk over the pool—definitely a spectator sport. The guest book is filled with useful suggestions from restaurants, to wine tasting, to shopping. We adhered to these suggestions, and this greatly added to our enjoyment of Lucca and the surrounding area. In addition, it was most helpful to be given informed advice about supermarkets, one of which in particular, had spectacular local produce, as well as anything else one might need. Although this m

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Guest: Becky Jean (London, UK)
Date of Stay: 03/18/09 Review Submitted: 03/17/09

My family (including 2 small children) had a delightful one week stay at this house in summer 2005 and again in 2008. The house is authentic, stately, and spacious, with a wonderful kitchen for cooks. We never really felt the need to leave the estate, which is private, peaceful, and beautifully landscaped. The enormous pool has a great area for small children to play. The views of the countryside are magnificent. And when we did feel like getting out the location was perfect - easily accessible to Lucca, a lovely old walled city that isn't so overrun with tourists as other cities in Tuscany, and with great day trips to wine country, beach, and other old cities (including Florence). We loved it!

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Guest: il marchese (Burlington, Vermont, USA)
Date of Stay: 03/17/09 Review Submitted: 03/17/09

Bell' Estate is an enchanting place. It is, first of all, in a lovely location--on a hillside a short drive from Lucca, with views across a valley to ridges with cypress trees and splendid walks in the hills and also along the nearby Serchio River. The home itself is stately, quiet, lush, and extremely comfortable. I was there with a variety of family members, from a 15 year-old nephew to my 80 year-old mother, and before arriving I worried a bit about having a holiday that would suit everyone. But this house turned out to be the centerpiece that made everything work. First of all, it's just gorgeous, both outside and in, and so we were always aware of being in a very special place. We were there in summer, and worried that it might be too warm--but everytime we stepped back inside the massive walls of the house, we were refreshed by its natural coolness. The bedrooms are comfortable and quiet, the bathrooms modern. The kitchen is large and wonderfully equipped; we enjoyed putting together several big family meals, and having them in the formal dining room. In the late afternoon, we sat in chairs on the gravel behind the house, drinking wine and enjoying the great shade trees. I guess the house wouldn't be perfect for those who want a lively night life--but we were happy, at the end of a busy day in Lucca or Florence, to return to its peacefulness. And a couple of nights we walked down to the little restaurant at the foot of the hill for a simple but pleasant dinner. Everything about the house was first-rate. It was immaculate, and the cleaning/laundry service provided by the owner was efficient and unobtrusive. I would certainly recommend the property to a friend, and hope to return to it myself before too long.

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Guest: kprince (Boston, MA, USA)
Date of Stay: 03/17/09 Review Submitted: 03/17/09

I am an architect with a great appreciation of Italian medieval and renaissance architecture (many examples in Lucca and in nearby Florence, Pisa and Siena) and a swimmer. This beautiful property was a perfect fit. It is located in the countryside yet also deceptively close to the center of the town. After picking up a new car in Munich and a few days in Switzerland, my girlfriend and I drove to Carignano. The villa and pool are nestled in the Tuscan hillside. Lucca is a quick and fairly direct drive away. In between the highway exit and the villa are various stores (grocery and dry goods) and even a modern self-operated car wash (very handy after a long drive behind trucks on the autostrada). The building has nice views to the west and south and well separated from neighbors by olive trees and other vegetation. The living room, dining room, kitchen and bedrooms were clean, spacious and surround a central stair. There is an outdoor flat grass patio adjacent to the kitchen where we ate breakfast and later grilled our dinner. The pool is unusually large in width and length, perfect for the avid swimmer (Olympic length with multiple lanes). It is well concealed from adjacent properties by trees and bamboo. After an unfortunate incident of vandalism in Marseille a few years ago, I also appreciated the added security of parking my vehicle in the driveway behind gates. There is space for several vehicles both shaded and in the sun. I would recommend this property for a large family/group with an interest in not only enjoying the seclusion and pool, but also partaking in the cultural activities of Lucca and neighboring historic towns.

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Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 06/05/08 Review Submitted: 06/05/08

I stayed in this house with my husband and children and we had a wonderful time. The views are gorgeous. I loved sitting in bed, looking out the window. The gardens are beautiful and spacious and the children loved exploring them. The kitchen has everything. We had great dinners in the house and really enjoyed the restaurants in the area. We explored the surrounding countryside and hired bikes and cycled around Lucca. The office is a great place to work with WiFi. There is a sense of history about the house and the family that has grown up in it. This house is an experience and I loved it!

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