Our stay at a Villa in Northern Tuscany...

Balcony view

What is Villa Reale - Anello? Where is Villa Reale - Anello? How do you get here?
Located about thirty or forty minutes north of the famous walled city of Lucca within a stones throw of the bustling metropolis of Coreglia Antelminelli is a large Villa that is divided up into four Vacation Villas. One of which is Villa Reale - Anello. We booked this Villa for our Italy Adventure through RentVillas.
With a little help from our assigned RentVillas assistant Nicole, putting some of our trepidation to rest, we prepaid for our accommodation sight unseen in a foreign country. Other than hotel and rental cars this was a big commitment!

Finding this Villa at night in the rain was a little difficult but with one call help arrived and within a few minutes we were there. We were only a couple hundred meters away. The directions that came in the packet were pretty good but after a long days drive in a foreign country and arriving at night in the rain, well our mental state was a bit suspect. Parking is about a hundred meters from the front door, with the typical in Italy ups, downs and some stairs. This all means you can eat more of the great food and consume more of the great wines. The place was warm, clean and most of all comfortable and most important of all, a nice bottle of wine to greet us. It is equipped with all one needs for a lovely holiday stay. Just like being in a large size condo. The Villas have swimming pools that would be a wonderful amenity during the summer. We unfortunately were there during the end of one of the cooler wetter winters in a while and never saw temperatures at the Villa over about 8-12 Celsius. The grounds have numerous seating areas and walks to enjoy and again would be absolutely delightful during good weather. The back balcony offers an amazing view of the valley and although we did enjoy the view it would be amazing in warmer less cloudy times. 

The place was a little far from the highway for us being that is was winter, but as a summer place the elevation  would make it a little cooler which would be good and the dry roads would make it seem closer. 
We enjoyed the place a lot but there were a couple of issues. The three bedrooms were each very different and set up a little strange. Two bedrooms have en-suites but only one of them has a couples bed the other has two singles. The third bedroom has a queen size bed but has no attached bathroom. It has access to the bathroom off the hall. Swapping the queen with the two singles would make things better. The other issue we had was a hot water system that had a mind of its own. Particularly given the fact that it was winter and cold, the numerous cool and cold showers and combinations thereof were very annoying to say the least.

We had called the property manager the second day we were there to report the problem. The following day a plumber came by but over the next four days while repairing one thing or another never really made any difference. In hindsight we also think the shower control in the middle bathroom was faulty as well which just complicated pinpointing the problem.

These issues aside we did really enjoy the place and the little town of Coreglia Antelminelli was a delight to wander around once we discovered the older part of town. It has a great little cafe and a great little restaurant. The cafe is a local hang out with cards being played in the back room and lots of loud vocal banter with hands flailing about. The coffee's are great, as are the pastries and pizza and the prices are amazingly inexpensive. The local restaurant L'Arcile, is family run and has been serving since 1916. We really enjoyed our dinner there and wished we had found it sooner.
Being able to return 'home' and cook a meal or to just relax in a warm and comfortable place and enjoy it's beauty and that of the area is a wonderful feeling that makes staying in a Villa just that much better than a hotel for a week. All in all a pretty good spot to enjoy northern Tuscany from, and a great spot if you want to just chill and relax with fantastic views. We give it a 'good would go back'.

Ciao Bella,

WineWalkabout

Kiwi & Koala

Tower in Coriglia Anteminelli

View from the front...