Thinking ahead ? looking to rent a villa in Tuscany or checking out the Holiday villas in Lucca are there children or grandchildren in the party? do you wonder what they might like to do at the villas for rent in Tuscany ? Well at La Collina del Sole they have come up with a few ideas while you relax and enjoy Lucca Villa Rental and make the most of a break at Villa rentals in Tuscany - La Collina del Sole has a long list of “only in Italy” experiences, and a well-researched list of favourite Restaurants and Pizza places as well as a favourite food and Ice Cream shops and recreational activities.
First up anytime is good to visit La Collina del Sole, whether winter, spring, summer or autumn there is a huge variety of activities in winter sledging, snowman building and toasting marshmallows in the fireplace, at Lucca Villa Rental there is no television, which to many might seem a hindrance however once the abundance of activities is discovered the annoying intrusion of the television is gladly left at home, and the fun begins !
First call is what can be done at the villa which is in 2 acres of fenced and terraced vineyards, so ideal to play hide and seek, cowboys and Indians or even “battle” games there are water guns available upon request other suggestions are:
o Swimming & pool based activities like playing ball, diving etc
o Ball games in the flat parts of the vineyard
o Badminton rackets available upon request
o Hide & seek as mentioned above it has provided with endless hours of fun for young ones of all ages
o Learning how to make a Pizza from scratch
o Learning Italian as a second language
o Having a Pic Nic within the grounds
o Learning how to make Italian pasta from scratch
o Having al fresco meals with outside catering
o Watching the swallows dive in the pool to have baths and a drink
o BBQ evenings - there is a wood burning BBQ in the terrace
o Ca
mping (bring your own tent) the older young quite like to stay out and camp with the option of coming indoors if it gets too scary !
• Activities in the neighbourhood without using a car
o Exploring ruined mill which was a WWII bunker and headquarters within the Gothic Line
o Exploring the walkways from La Collina del Sole to La Villa and then onto the medieval fortress church of Ceserana and walking back up to La Colllina del Sole
o Walking to Maria Chiaras bar 20 -30 minutes’ walk they have a lovely veranda sitting area they also do lovely Coffee. Ice creams and drinks and of course sweets !
o Exploring Fosciandora the local village village, going to the swings and climbing frame plus discovering the tame goats ! Such FUN
o Green lane wal
k to a second café in Riana
• Day trips
o Beach at Forte di Marmi
o Fortezza hunting there are marvellous restored Medieval fortresses at Cartelnuovo de Grafagnana the local town and the Verrucole which is impressive
o Abandoned village & lake (swimming, boating & fishing) about 40 minutes drive there is also THE most amazing restaurant it is La Casa del Pescatore they serve truffles and Funghi Porcini at crazily low prices so adults can enjoy the outing too !
o Visiting an abandoned Marble quarry
o Visiting Bears at the Orecchiella Natural Park
o Eco Refugio Il Robbio for lunch after a 30 minute walk which is in the Carrara Marble Hills
o For a longer walk you can visit the Gothic Line bunkers and look out posts [ 30 minute drive and 2 hour walk]
o Grotta del Vento caves with Stalagmites and Stalactites and different length of visits with an intriguing shop with semiprecious stones and fossils that can be bought very reasonably , the owner has written several guide books of the area.
o Longer walks to see the Monte Forato
• Sports
o Tennis (open and covered courts)
o Riding (paddock & trekking)
• Night life
o Italians love the pasegiatta so nightlife is for the whole family, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana has wonderful cafes and pizzerias which are buzzing in the cool evening air. During the late Spring through to early autumn there is an explosion of street parties and dances for the whole family, evenings with banner throwing demonstrations, dancing displays, art and hand-craft displays and even cheese round throwing competitions!
o Medieval themed evenings in at least 3 local towns held throughout the summer
o Jazz festivals in local towns 25 and 65 minutes’ drive away
So what are you waiting for??? Visit La Collina del Sole for a well deserved holiday Garfagnana is still unspoilt by tourism and Italians LOVE children.
Italy and Good Food are synonymous … Such a bonus if you are planning to rent a villa in Tuscany Italians know how to live well and eat well! As we chose the location to be among the Holiday villas in Lucca one of the main considerations was an abundant choice of Truffles, Funghi Porcini and fresh pasta all of which are super abundant in the area around Lucca Villa Rental another consideration was award winning restaurants that are reasonably priced … think fresh sliced truffle topped fresh angel hair pasta for £15, or an amazing grilled steak, thankfully the Villas for rent in Tuscany that we chose had a comprehensive list of recommended restaurants Our favourites in the area of Villa rentals in Tuscany were casa 
del Pescatore, Boninis, Il Ponte di Ceserana with a fabulous fish menu on fridays and Pozzo, others in the villa handbook of La Collina del Sole were Butterfly , Triti, Aia di Piero whcih is also the best Italian speciality delicatessen in the entire region, La Bottega del Fattore, Osteria Vecchio Mulino where they also do Olive Oil and wine tasting sessions, La Ceragetta, Antica Locanda di Sesto where Pavarotti was a frequent diner, Trattoria 4 Leoni where Al Pacino likes to hang out when in Forence.La Collina del Sole also has a FABULOUS catering team that either bring you a feast from 
their suggested menu to eat so all you have to enjoy no washing up either! or they can leave you a ready prepared meal, with freshly picked ingredients and freshly cooked for you to enjoy at your leisure, they can teach to you cook “ a la Italiana” or they can show you how to prepare and cook a true Italian Pizza from scratch which is a real Pizza Experience !
