Tuscan Training Base

[echelon_john]

Hi All,
First, Mods please let me know if this isn't appropriate, but I thought it might be of interest to Salonistas...

My father-in-law owns a house in Tuscany which he rents occasionally to vacationers. It's just outside a tiny hilltop village which is located between Viareggio and Lucca in the foothills of the Appenine Alps.

It sleeps 6-8, has an inground pool, maid service, cooking on demand, and acres of olive groves. Really a nice spot that he had restored from the ground up.

For the past few years I've kept a bike over there to ride when we get the chance to spend time there, and I can vouch that it's some of the nicest riding you'll do anywhere, with roads that have featured in recents Giros, as well as the annual G.P. Camaiore. Not to mention the food, the beaches, etc.

If you're interested, please PM or email me and I can give you more particulars and put you in touch with my F-I-L. It would be perfect for multiple couples to go in together on for a week or two; non-cyclists have easy access to beaches, Florence, Pisa, etc. and there's a world-class Italian cooking school nearby as well.

Thanks!
John

[pruckelshaus]

...and this just a day after my wife and I were trying to figure out where to go this summer on family vacation...

[slingshot]

Having spent a little time in that region, I am definitely intrigued. How about a picture of the villa to wet the appetite?

[Shawn G]

After spending almost three years in Europe, my favorite place to visit is Tuscany. Great food, great people, great views and great riding. If we are still here this summer I may be calling for your FIL's number!!

Shawn G

[54ny77]

Ditto.



Wife and I are a few years or so overdue for a vacation.

Having spent a little time in that region, I am definitely intrigued. How about a picture of the villa to wet the appetite?

[robin3mj]

What size is the bike?
;)

[Too Tall]

Fantastic. Thanks for doing this.

[justinf]

camp cornissimo.

[echelon_john]

Thanks for your notes! I thought this might strike a chord with some folks here; the combination of great riding and great food is strong! I'm notta so good at attaching photos; here's a list that corresponds with the photos below:

1. Interior shot.
2. Great seafood everywhere, in addition to pasta, grilled meats, stews...
3. Echelon_jr about to hit the water after a hard day of 3 hr. lunch
4. La piscina
5. View of the back of the house
6. View of the village nearby
7. Our italian 'nonna' sharing her meat sauce secrets!
8. One of the bedrooms
9. Kitchen
10. Outside table where we eat 90% of the time in spring, summer, fall
11. Back of the house again
12. Another bedroom
13. This is where great italian barbers come from! Who knew?
14. House & pool
15. More sea critters
16. That hedge is ROSEMARY. Imagine the smell. I do, most days.



Guests get a very detailed 17-page guide to the house, the area, restaurants, beaches, places to buy wine, etc. My Father in Law is a big food and wine guy and has put a lot of work into helping guests get past the tourist crap to the good stuff.

The link for the cooking school I mentioned is here:
Toscana Saporita

As I said, if you'd like to pursue this, shoot me a PM or an Email. I try not to get in the middle in terms of $, etc. but can give you some rough ideas, and put you in touch with my F-I-L. I can also give you a direct link to the website for the house, which I prefer not to post here to keep my F-I-L from getting bombarded with spambot-mail.

Thanks a lot--hope some of y'all can benefit from this!
Best,
John
Ask away with any questions.

[znfdl]

Any interest in one or more people wanting to share the villa in July?

[alexstar]

Looks great. Does the Giro come anywhere close this year? (edit: looks like the answer is yes!)

(Giro VS party?)

[ThasFACE]

So ridiculously awesome.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

Any interest in one or more people wanting to share the villa in July?

I'd be interested in sharing the place in July 2012. Plans for this summer already. Lucca was my favorite place in Italy on our trip in 2009. It is my intention to go back there (or near there, where this place is located) someday.

[54ny77]

HOLY SMOKES that's nice.

does he do long term rentals, like 40-50 years or so?

dang, those photos are going to cause serious daydreaming/brain drift for today....

thanks for posting.

[JBLANDE]

if there will be a few people staying in july, my wife and i would seriously consider coming from basel.

cannot afford and have no need for the entire house,
but a shared rental would probably be of interest to us.

[BicycleTricycle]

I have spent two weeks the last 2 summers in almost this exact location and it is very nice. Hour bus ride to Florence and another 2 hour ride to Rome on the train. Pisa is easy and pretty cheap to fly into as well.

[Greg Costello]

wow! Make this a sticky so we can all remember it!

[echelon_john]

All PMs replied to. Thanks everybody!

[sloji]

Visited a friend in Pietrasanta a few years ago, a sculptor, and toured the marble yards and was treated to some awesome home cooked meals...love to go back! I'm saving this one!

[Yodelinpol]

This classified could make me get a 4th or 5th job.

Best and worst classified ever.