 |
L'ANGELO CUSTODE |
|
LUCCA, TUSCANY, ITALY
|
|
 | | | |
|
It's not a villa, it hasn't got a pool and Lucca is a town, not a village. But L'Angelo Custode, an elegant apartment on the ground floor of a grand palazzo, will satisfy any fantasist's dream of living the life of an Italian aristocrat within the famous old-town walls. From the street, guests pass through an unexpected courtyard (once used for storing horse carts, now bicycles) before entering the hall and grand, egg-yoke-yellow living room. The scale is imposing; the elaborate frescoes and oil paintings and gilt mirrors are all original; and the cavernous rooms run the entire length of the apartment through interlinking doors. But the centrepiece is a private internal garden, decorated with 16th-century mosaics and marble masks protected by the Italian Monuments and Fine Arts Office - a rare, peaceful retreat in the centre of Lucca. There are three bedrooms (one with twin beds and a cot) and two newly fitted bathrooms, one an en-suite shower, the other the size of a London studio flat. L'Angelo Custode is on a quiet street within sight of Lucca's most eccentric landmark, the extraordinary Torre Guinigi, which is attached to a 15th-century palazzo and surmounted by an ancient oak tree.
SLEEPS
Six; the twin-bedded room is ideal for children
PRICE
£1,995, including maid service
CONTACT
Wimco International (0870 850 1144; www.wimco.co.uk)
FLY
Ryanair (0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com) to Pisa (20km away)
|
|
|
|
|
|
