Villas in Lucca, Pisa and surroundings

Lucca and Capannori suit city walkers, Peccioli and Palaia suit pool-and-hills stays, and the Garfagnana suits hikers. Most villas are farmhouses in the hills with a pool, so you will want a car, but Pisa airport is close to almost all of them.

Where

Villas: 376
From, per week: £68
Cheapest month: September
Nearest airports: Pisa Galileo Galilei is closest, around half an hour from Lucca and under an hour from most of the region. Florence is about an hour from Lucca and Pescia. Flights from London to Pisa take around two hours.

Where to stay in Lucca, Pisa and surroundings

Lucca, Capannori and the hills to the east (Lunata, Guamo, Ciciana, Colognora)

This is our biggest cluster. Lucca's Renaissance walls are wide enough to cycle around the whole old town on top, and the centre is flat and easy on foot. Capannori spreads across the plain east of the city, while Ciciana and Colognora are small hamlets in the olive-covered hills above it. Pisa airport is around half an hour from Lucca, Florence about an hour.

Best for: Couples and families who want a walled city within a short drive

Not for you if: You want countryside silence: the plain around Capannori is built up and busy with traffic.

Pescia, Montecarlo and Altopascio (towards the Valdinievole)

Pescia sits where the hills meet the plain, with a long river-side town and a large wholesale flower market. Collodi, just outside, has the Pinocchio park and the terraced Garzoni garden. Montecarlo is a small walled wine village with views over the plain, and Altopascio, Borgo a Buggiano and Orentano are working towns rather than sights. Pisa airport is around 45 minutes away.

Best for: Families with children who will enjoy the Pinocchio park at Collodi

Not for you if: You want to tour Lucca's sights every day: Pescia is a 30-minute drive back west.

Peccioli, Palaia and Terricciola (the Valdera hills)

Rolling farmland south-east of Pisa, much less visited than Chianti. Peccioli has kept its medieval centre and fills it with outdoor art installations, Palaia is a hilltop village above wheat fields, and Terricciola is surrounded by vineyards that sell wine at the farm gate. Montopoli in Valdarno, Lari (with its castle) and Fabbrica are nearby. Pisa airport is around 45 minutes, and San Gimignano or Volterra under an hour.

Best for: A quiet hill-village base with vineyards and good-sized pools

Not for you if: You want the sea every day: the nearest beach is around an hour away.

Lajatico, Chianni and Casciana Terme (the southern Pisan hills)

Emptier country with long views towards Volterra. Lajatico is Andrea Bocelli's home village, and its open-air Teatro del Silenzio stages his concert most summers. Orciatico is a tiny hamlet nearby. Casciana Terme has a thermal spa in the village centre, and Chianni and Fauglia are quiet farming villages. Expect around an hour to Pisa airport.

Best for: Space, long views and a thermal spa nearby

Not for you if: You want to walk to a bar or shop: villas here are far apart and villages are small.

Bagni di Lucca, Barga and Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (the Serchio valley)

North of Lucca the Serchio valley narrows into wooded mountains. Bagni di Lucca was a 19th-century spa that drew English writers, Barga is a small hilltop town with a cathedral and a strong Scottish connection, and Castelnuovo di Garfagnana is the market town for the Apuan Alps walking routes. Fabbriche di Vallico is a hamlet in the chestnut woods. Pisa airport is roughly an hour to an hour and a quarter away.

Best for: Walkers and anyone who wants cooler summer nights

Not for you if: You need a pool every day: some mountain houses don't have one, so check the listing.

Pisa, Buti and the Monte Pisano

Pisa has a handful of our villas and the airport is only a few minutes from the centre. Buti, on the far side of the Monte Pisano, is an olive-oil village with steep lanes and walking up through the woods. From Pisa, trains reach Lucca in about half an hour and Florence in around an hour, and the beaches at Marina di Pisa are 20 minutes away.

Best for: The shortest airport transfer and easy day trips by train

Not for you if: You want a rural farmhouse: choice near Pisa itself is limited.

When to go to Lucca, Pisa and surroundings

May, June and September suit most people: warm enough for the pool, with fewer coach parties at the Leaning Tower. July and August are hot inland and busy in Pisa and Lucca, though the Garfagnana stays a few degrees cooler. Lucca Comics and Games takes over the city around the start of November, so book early or avoid it. In winter many hill restaurants shut for a few weeks, and some villas only open from Easter.