Stunning Tuscan Luxury Villa with Full-Size Private Pool and Panoramic 360 View

About Patricia and John Gray

Patricia and John come from a Hertfordshire village. John is a retired quantity surveyor and Patricia a retired HR consultant. They have two grown-up children who love spending time at La Dioma , either chilling out in the lovely hot summers or skiing and snowboarding in the winter. John and Patricia also have two little grandchildren who adore coming on holiday to La Dioma, especially swimming and jumping in the pool! One of the first rental owners in the Bagni di Lucca area, John and Patricia have an established history of 16 years of renting their holiday home to very happy guests from all over the world - as their guestbook will testify!

Why Patricia and John Gray chose Guzzano-pieve di Controne

We spent three weeks in Italy looking for a small holiday home with no land. We found La Dioma, a three storey detached house with 34 acres of land! We fell in love with the spectacular peaceful location and the magnificent views of the mountains and the pretty town of Bagni di Lucca in the valley below. The original features of the house were covered with plaster, but initial prodding revealed huge period chestnut beams, cotto tiles, fireplaces and rock walls. We set about lovingly restoring La Dioma to its former beauty. After two years, the house was renovated, furniture purchased and the magnificent swimming pool and sun-bathing terrace finished. Patricia learnt Italian, and John - let's say it's work in progress! We feel very privileged to own our own corner of Tuscany with our property known locally as "paradiso"!

What makes this Villa unique

Apart from the stunning natural beauty and tranquility of the area, staying at La Dioma is a real Italian experience. This is not an area of mass tourism. Our neighbours are busy going to work, tending vegetable gardens, making wine and olive oil, picking mushrooms, hunting wild boar and stacking wood for the winter. They may not speak much English but they are incredibly kind, hardworking, fun-loving and friendly. Everything revolves around the family and often food! There are so many great local restaurants and cafes with authentic and reasonably-priced food, it is difficult to decide which one to go to! On the other hand, barbecuing lazily on the terrace with a few beers or a bottle of wine, and popping into the swimming pool and soaking up the lovely views, isn't a bad option either!