8/10 Good
stephen b.
14 Raj., 2023
A Nice Bit of History
The property goes back to the 1400's. I base this on the fact that a lintel to the "new" addition of the tower has a date of 1519. Much of the property retains its original character, and beams, portions of flooring, doorways, and other features have not been touched or altered. I enjoyed this, but several in the party did not, and thought some modernizing touches would have been appropriate. That's simply a matter of preference, in my view.
The garden and pool were quite enjoyable, as was the general location in the mountains. While central Tuscany was experiencing heat in the high 80 and 90F range, in Sillicano it was in the 70F during the day and even a bit chilly at night. But it made sleeping with the windows open wonderful!
The village of Sillicano is approximately 100 souls, and is a rather typical old rural place. This means that the road to the village is narrow, twisting, and needs to be carefully navigated. But the village does have a wonderful little grocery store, with a very helpful proprietress, Andrea. This is a great feature.
This is not a place where you'll be close to many of the tourist attractions to which summer visitors flock. Lucca is an hour away, and Pisa and Viareggio are at least a half hour further. But there are some nice, smaller towns and villages that have their attractions, among them being Barga, that are quite pleasant.
All in all, it was a comfortable place, quite relaxing, and nicely away from touristic pretensions.
stephen b.
Stayed 29 nights in Jun 2023