One home, all of Tuscany
There’s a way of experiencing Tuscany that doesn’t force you to choose. Not either the sea or the hills, not either art or the mountains: everything, even in the same day, setting out from and returning to the same place. That place is Relais del Lago — a farmhouse in the hills of Lucca, at Gragnano di Capannori, with the sea on one side and the Apuan Alps on the other. From here Tuscany opens like a fan: an hour’s drive and you’ve already changed worlds.
An hour from everything
Real distances from the Relais, by car (Florence by train).
Your days, each one different
A day at the sea
Two seas in one. To the north, Versilia: the orderly sand of Viareggio and its Liberty style, the beach clubs of Forte dei Marmi, lunch by the sea. To the south, the wilder Livorno coast — the sheer cliffs of Romito and Calafuria, the ochre sandstone, water so clear you dive straight in from the rocks.
Versilia ~35′ · Livorno ~1 hA day in the mountains
Follow the Serchio up towards the Garfagnana and the Apuans: paths through chestnut woods, forest air, the Grotta del Vento, the Devil’s Bridge. Higher up, the thermal waters of Bagni di Lucca, known since Roman times. Barely an hour, and the summer heat turns into mountain cool.
~50–60 minA day of art
Lucca is fifteen minutes away: the walls to cycle round, the Amphitheatre, San Martino, Puccini’s places. Pisa and its Tower half an hour away. And Florence in a day, easy by train: from Altopascio station — closer than Lucca — Santa Maria Novella is little more than an hour away, with no parking worries.
Lucca 15′ · Pisa 30′ · Florence ~1 hA day of wine
Here the wine begins at the gate: Gragnano is one of the historic hamlets of the Colline Lucchesi DOC. Wineries at Matraia, Valgiano, Segromigno and San Gennaro, all just minutes away; a little further, the hills of Montecarlo and the Wine & Oil Road, with tastings, new-pressed oil and country trattorias.
From 5 to 20 minSport, villas and culture
Sport & activities
Horse riding at a partner stables a few kilometres away, tennis courts, golf at Montecatini and in Versilia, and the walls of Lucca to walk or cycle.
Villas, villages & culture
The monumental Lucca villas — Mansi, Torrigiani, Grabau — along the Wine Road, the Via Francigena and Collodi with its Pinocchio park; in town, the Teatro del Giglio and the museums, from the Comics Museum to the Lu.C.C.A. contemporary art museum.
Warm water, in every season
Half an hour from the Relais lie some of the best-known thermal baths in Tuscany: the Liberty-style park of Montecatini, the waters of San Giuliano and Uliveto at the foot of Monte Pisano and — towards the mountains — Bagni di Lucca, frequented since Roman times. Half a day of wellbeing, even when the weather doesn’t call for the sea.
All summer long, music in the squares and festivals in the villages
Lucca Summer Festival
Every July, Piazza Napoleone, inside the walls, becomes the stage for great international names. In summer 2026, among others, Pet Shop Boys, Jennifer Lopez and Bryan Adams.
Puccini Festival
At Torre del Lago, on Lake Massaciuccoli, opera takes the stage under the stars from July to September. The 2026 season celebrates the centenary of Turandot. The 2026 programme
Antiques Market
On the third Sunday of the month — and the Saturday before — the historic centre of Lucca fills with over two hundred stalls across its squares and streets.
Arts & Crafts Market
In the heart of Lucca, potters, glassmakers, painters and goldsmiths show their one-of-a-kind pieces: Tuscan craftsmanship to admire and take home.
Village sagre
In summer the surrounding villages come alive with sagre: under leafy canopies, the typical dishes of the Lucca area are enjoyed at tables, in the open air.
Luminara di Santa Croce
On 13 September Lucca lives its most beautiful night: the procession of the Volto Santo crosses the historic centre lit only by thousands of small lights and candles.
When the heat fades, Tuscany finds another voice
The summer crowds leave, but the land stays alive: between October and February come some of the finest moments of the year — from comics to truffles, from the new olive oil to the Christmas lights.
Lucca Comics & Games
Between late October and early November, Lucca becomes Europe’s capital of comics, gaming and imagination. The 2026 edition celebrates its sixtieth anniversary: the walled city is never as alive as in those days.
The white truffle of San Miniato
For three weekends in November, less than an hour from the Relais, San Miniato celebrates its white truffle with one of Italy’s most renowned market fairs: stalls, tastings and seasonal cooking.
The new olive oil
It is olive-harvest time on the Lucca hills. In the mills you taste the new oil — green and peppery, freshly pressed: one of the truest flavours of the Tuscan autumn.
Lucca at Christmas
From late November to Epiphany the city lights up: the Christmas village in Piazza Napoleone, the markets along the streets, and the ice rink on the city walls overlooking the illuminated centre.
The Viareggio Carnival
In February, half an hour away on the coast, giant allegorical papier-mâché floats parade along the Versilia seafront: one of Europe’s most famous carnivals.
Chestnuts and the Garfagnana
In autumn the mountains above Lucca smell of chestnuts: in the villages of the Garfagnana they grind neccio (chestnut) flour and warm themselves by the fire, among beech woods and old mills.
To come back, in the evening, to the silence of the hills
Whatever you’ve done — the salt of the sea on your skin or the dust of the trails on your shoes — in the end only one thing matters: returning to the silence of the Lucca hills and pouring yourself a last glass of wine under the Relais pergola. The day fades slowly over the lake; the crickets remain, and little else. And that’s where you understand why there was no need to choose: here you have it all. And you have peace, too.
A home to explore all of Tuscany from
The experience of having a place of your own in the hills of Lucca: to set out and discover Tuscany in all its beauty, and to return to each evening.
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