Farmhouse Living in Tuscany

After being introduced to the idea of staying on a working farm while in Tuscany, I spent hours researching my options. We decided to take a chance on a tiny place called La Torre in an area known as Bagni di Lucca. Owners Paolo and Laura quit their 9-5 office jobs, bought a run-down property in the middle of the Tuscan countryside, and spent years restoring the property to its present state. As if the whole quit-your-job-and-start-a-bed-and-breakfast part of the story wasn’t romantic enough, they were actually married in the small ancient chapel on the property in 2005.

At La Torre you have the option of staying in either an apartment or a room. We stayed in a small room, accessed by a steep set of stairs with a thick rope as a guardrail, and a bathroom set up with everything you need (toiletries and hairdryer). This is the kind of place you go to relax and drink in nature. We even did some light hiking and exploring at a nearby cave!

Along with the breathtaking views we had two of the best dinners of my life. Paolo acts as waiter, giving several choices for each course prepared downstairs. Highlights include the porcini mushroom pasta, salumi, spinach and cheese ravioli with butter sage sauce, and the panna cotta with fruit. If the panna cotta with fruit is available, don’t pass it up! Dinner is 20 euros per person, but it is worth much more.

La Torre
55022 Bagni di Lucca (LU), Italy
39-0583-805-297
[email protected]

Jenna Andersen is a photographer and blogger living in California with her husband and two children. She loves that she can drive to the city of San Francisco on Saturday and the beach on Sunday.