The city of Lucca for centuries has bewitched a vast and disparate array of poets, writers and historians from Edward Lear in his frivolous Lear Lucca limerick: (circa 1850)

There was a young lady of Lucca,

Whose lovers completely forsook her;

She ran up a tree

And said Fiddle-dee-dee

Which embarassed the people of Lucca

To the more austere expression of sentiment by John Ruskin (1819-1900) who was greatly influenced by his visits to Lucca which inspired his fascination with architecture. Describing the walls of Lucca he writes:

“There I have the Pisan mountains,the noble peaks of Carrara , and the Appenines towards Parma, all burning in the sunset , or purple and dark against it , and the olive wood towards Massa, and the wide, rich viny plain towards Florence – the Apennines still loaded with snow , and purple in green sky , and the clearness of the sky here is something miraculous. No romance can be too high flown for it – it passes fable”

We at Villa Michaela cannot match the literary expressions of Lear, Ruskin, Goethe, Shelley, or Tolstoys opening sentence in his great masterpiece “War and Peace”

“Well Prince, Genoa and Lucca are now no more than private estates of the Bonaparte family”

But we can lead you through our favourite magic kingdom, the Lucchesia and show you the beauty and charm of the most special small city in all Italy. Lucca is a jewel: a city of marble churches, of beautiful palaces and piazzas, slender bell towers, magnificent glowing walls, festivals, markets, processions and concerts. Music runs strongly and deeply in the veins of the city with a winter music festival at the Teatro del Giglio and the summer opera festival in nearby Torre del Lago with Puccini, Boccherini and Catalani being the city’s most famous musical sons.

Come and stay with us for a week at Villa Michaela and let us formally introduce you to Lucca and her immediate surroundings.

A TUSCAN EXPERIENCE THE CULINARY ART, CULTURE, HISTORY AND MUSIC OF ITALY.

WITHIN THE SPIRIT OF THE SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT

These weeks run from Saturday to Saturday from Saturday September 5th 2009 to  Saturday  May  22nd 2010  .

Easter week which is  April 3rd 2010 to April 10th 2010 is excluded from the above . 

Why not spend a Tuscan Thanksgiving with us? 

All flights to Pisa and all trains to Lucca will be met by us .For our American guests we have the great new flight from New York to Pisa  direct  which has completely changed the previous rather painful journey via London , Rome or Milan.

 We  hope you will be able to arrive by late afternoon on the

SATURDAY

in time to settle in, unpack, meet your fellow guests, explore the villa and be ready to enjoy a welcome Tuscan buffet dinner prepared by your resident chef  with an introduction by your hostess for the week .

 

SUNDAY

After breakfast leave for Lucca (ten minute drive) for a guided visit of the city with a qualified bilingual guide – duration approx 3 hours.

This will include the house where Giacomo Pucccini was born, now a museum, the Cathedral, many of the Romanesque churches , the fabled walls,  Palazzo Mansi , Palazzo Pfanner etc

Lunch in Lucca, after which we head for the hills to visit the famous Rennaissance villa – Villa Torrigiani in the rococo style with its wonderful garden attributed to le Notre. Guided tour in English of   Villa Torrigiani.

Dinner at Villa Michaela – guests are welcome to join our chef  in preparing dinner in our vast demonstration Tuscan kitchen or those wishing to shop can be dropped in Lucca and take a taxi back to the villa in time for dinner. Shops shut at 7pm.

 

MONDAY

After breakfast leave for Guided tour of the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles) and the Duomo (cathedral) in Pisa - - one of the finest buildings in Italy . There will also be an opportunity to climb the recently restored Torre Pendente (Leaning Tower of Pisa.) This is entirely optional as it is quite a pull up and not perfect for people inclined to vertigo!

2pm Buffet lunch at Villa Michaela.

5.30 Cooking lesson with Luca Treu and Giuseppe

Dinner at Villa Michaela.

 

TUESDAY

After breakfast leave for Florence (55 mins) for a 3 hour guided tour of the Uffizi and the Accademia and other notable landmarks .

Lunch at Il Cibreo.

Shopping and free time.

Return to villa for dinner.

 

WEDNESDAY

Today we will visit Pistoia market – one of the best food markets in Italy. Make sure you bring your camera!

Lunch in a local trattoria – back to the villa for a lecture and presentation on the Slow Food Movement -

Dinner - Slow food Banquet at Villa Michaela.

 

THURSDAY

Visit to San Gimignano and Siena.

(one hour 30 mins drive).

Lunch in Siena.

Back to villa for cooking lesson and dinner at Villa Michaela.

 

FRIDAY

Visit and tasting to Fattoria Colleverde famous for its red and white wines and the extra virgin olive oil.

Lunch at Colleverde. 

6 pm Leave for Lucca for an opera recital of arias by Verdi and Puccini

in the Church of San Giovanni.

Dinner in Lucca.

 

SATURDAY

Breakfast and departure by 1pm.

Large groups may choose other itineraries other than those described above. Other suggestions would be:

A visit to the Chianti area – Tavernelle Val di Pesa with a visit to the mediaeval castle of Passignano famous for its Antinori cellar plus lunch in the Osteria di Passignano  (2 hour drive)

OR

A visit to Carrara where Michel Angelo found his marble for David with lunch at the Locanda dei Fortini in Solaio village and an afternoon visit to Pietrasanta , the source of  Italys finest stone.

All trips are in air-conditioned buses – all tours are with English speaking guides.

This is an action packed week and of course all activities are optional. Some guests may prefer to paint, walk, or even shop!

Please look under Activities and Events in case you think you might be at a loose end!

 

All transfers will be in an air-conditioned bus which seats 18. The week runs from Saturday to Saturday and all flights to Pisa and all trains to Lucca will be met by our staff. We hope you will be able to arrive by late afternoon at the latest on the Saturday in time to settle in, unpack, explore the villa and be ready to enjoy a welcoming Tuscan buffet dinner with an introduction by  your hostess for the week.