We have been visiting Italy for nearly 20 years, and discovered Il Capriccio a couple of years ago. We fell in love with the place, so, for only the second time in our travels, we decided to go two years running! The village of Celle dei Puccini is a charming, very small village in the Tuscan hills, about half an hour from Lucca. It's the village where the famous composer, Puccini learnt to play the piano, and there is a small and intriguing museum in his honour. The village has just one restaurant which opens 'upon request', but is well worth a visit - both for the food and for the spellbinding views across the hills. Very few people in the village speak English, but are warm and friendly and appear to be welcoming to tourists. We really like the property Il Capriccio as it's a completely self-contained small house. It's spotlessly clean with a very well stocked kitchen, pretty bed-linen and stylish furniture. It's also wonderfully peaceful, with very friendly (non-English-speaking) neighbours right next door. Our Italian is pretty basic, but we managed to communicate quite well - even, on one occasion - having a chatty supper together! The owners of the property - Ken & Gill are a splendid couple who have brought new life to the upper part of Celle dei Puccini. Some Italian hill towns are starting to disintegrate slightly as young people move out to work in cities. Happily, Ken & Gill have ensured that this hasn't happened to this one.
We are a family of four with two girls aged 9 and 11. We spent a wonderful week in La Sinfonia in August 2009. We have stayed in a great variety of self catering accommodation and we thought La Sinfonia was outstanding. Beautiful living room, lovely bedrooms and bathroom and wonderful views. The kitchen was equipped with absolutely everything you could possibly need. It was truly a beautiful place to stay. Celle is a very special place and out of the ordinary, making the holiday a unique experience. Be aware that vehicle access to the property is difficult and, as the web site suggests, you need to be able to walk up steps but for a fit family or couple this shouldn't be a problem. There is a lovely restaurant in the village where you can eat if you don't want to drive or cook in the villa and there are lots of places nearby too. When we were there we were lucky enough to see an impromptu opera session too, fabulous! Our girls met up with another family and they enjoyed swimming in the pool every day and of course we were able to visit Lucca. This is a fantastic property in a wonderful spot. Irena, Mark, Sophie and Isabel Riggott - August 2009.
La Rondine was well appointed with everything we needed and was very comfortable. The whole renovation was beautifully and sympathetically done with the pool area especially nice with fine views. The private garden and terrace were excellent for sitting out from early morning to late evening with areas of both sun and shade always available. The village setting is pretty and tranquil but you need to be reasonably fit to get around - a car is essential for shopping and to enjoy the surrounding area. The locals are friendly and helpful - a phrasebook and a bit of "signing are all that is required for a great introduction to the Tuscan lifestyle. It is an ideal place to relax and "chill".