Welcome to the web-site for Casa Clara, a wonderful vacation rental in the hills of Tuscany near Lucca. Susanne and I purchased Casa Clara in 2004. The 300 year old house had been deserted for 10 years and had never been "modernized". We had the house totally gutted, new wiring, water, heat and plaster but retaining the traditional Tuscan flavor with terra cotta floors, ceilings and chestnut beams.
A NOTE ABOUT THE EURO! We are aware that many of you think that it is currently too expensive to visit Italy. It can be if you stay in hotels and eat out all the time. But as we have recently seen (when the Euro was $1.48) that if you cook most of your meals at home, food is no more expensive and usually of better quality than we are used to in Virginia. Car rental rates are not that different either, because the cars will get twice the mileage and you actually travel very small distances to see the things you came to Tuscany to see.

.

We are excited with the house and its location in the idyllic village of Gromignana. Casa Clara is in a good location to do day trips to Cinque Terra, Pisa, Florence, Lucca and our local art and music town of Barga. Take the local train from the bottom of the hill. Leaving at 7:30 AM will permit you to see all you care to in a day in Florence and return home to cook a meal of fine local products by 8:30 PM. If you enjoy hectic traffic of course you can drive but train travel is so reliable and inexpensive, why not enjoy your visit to the fullest?

We fell in love with northern Tuscany because its marvellous possiblities for outdoor activities. If you enjoy mountain walks and scenery, the possibilities start at our door. Many trails and paths exist and inevitably, there will be a nice restaurant at the end of the trail, no matter how remote. The Apuan Alps are just across the valley and the Apennines behind us. Many of the trails take you through small mountain villages where life continues as for the last several hundred years. We were inspired to search out this area after reading the books of Eric Newby (Love and War in the Apennines, A Small Place in Italy (available from LONELY PLANET BOOKS)

Hiking on the ridge line of the Appenines a 40 minute drive from Casa Clara.
Best is a day of relaxation- visiting the street market in the morning to purchase of fresh ripe vegetables, cheeses, meats and wine for a wonderful lunch starting with antipasto plate- ravioli in sage butter- rabbit with rosemary....(we will leave you good recipies) accompanied by local wine bought by the liter. After lunch (4pm) take a walk in the nearby medieval villages of Coreglia, Ghivizzano, or Tereglio.

The view from the dinner table at sunset.

Barga, (our favorite) is a classic medieval town, famous for it's summer Jazz and Opera Festivals. A number of world reknown painters have their studios there and their art available for purchase. Along the narrow streets you also find some exellent restaurants serving local dishes including farro soup, risottos, peccorino cheeses and chestnut pancakes.

Rentals will be for a two week minimum period from Saturday to Saturday except under special considerations. In order for us to provide someone to give you the key, you also will have to arrive before 5 PM. The rate for 2008 is $1000 /week, (payable in euros) for 2-4 people and there is a $500 refundable damage deposit. At this stage, we cannot anticipate all your questions so please ask and we will incorporate them into the site. We still have rental time available for May through October 2008 (see the Calendar below). We do request that if you are interested that you plan to drop by the winery first so we can talk about staying at Casa Clara. We want to make sure the place is right for you.

GETTING TO THE HOUSE

FROM PISA AIRPORT. The easiest entry to Italy is via Pisa. Munich to Pisa is a very convenient connection. We routinely drive from the airport to the house in less than 1.25 hrs. It is a very small airport, an easy, direct drive to the Autostrada and even has a local train service hourly to Lucca. From Lucca there is steady stream of trains that stop at our local stop, Ghivizzano. The train can be useful if friends are arriving at a different times. The station is at the bottom of the hill from Casa Clara. You cannot walk up to the house. A car is required. Casa Clara is situated in the small hamlet of Gromignana which is located at the top of a 1600 ft hill and has amazing views of the Apuan and Apennine Alps. Driving in Italy, especially around Lucca/Pisa is more pleasant than most US urban locations.

LOTS MORE ABOUT THE HOUSE: CLICK HERE

SUGGESTIONS FOR WEEKEND OUTDOOR ACTIVITES

THAT INCLUDE LOCAL FOOD AND GREAT SCENERY:CLICK HERE

For more info and reservations please e-mail us at the following address. PLEASE cut out the address inside the * * and paste into your mail program!!

*chianti@swva.net*

AVAILABLE DATES IN 2008

April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 
 

  

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 
                9 10 
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 
18 19 20 21 22 23 24 
25 26 27 28 29 30 31 

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 
1  2  3  4  5  6  7 
8  9 10 11 12 13 14 
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 
29 30
   
July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 
       1  2  3  4  5 
 6  7  8  9 10 11 12 
13 14 15 16 17 18 19 
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 
27 28 29 30 31 

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 
                1  2 
 3  4  5  6  7  8  9 
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 
31 

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 
    1  2  3  4  5  6 
 7  8  9 10 11 12 13 
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 
28 29 30
October 2008 
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 
          1  2  3  4 
         15 16 17 18 
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 
26 27 28 29 30 31