Locanda al Colle

Not only are the Italians experts at living the good life, they’re also quite well versed in extracting maximum luxury from relatively humble means. Locanda al Colle is little more than a guesthouse in a village in coastal Tuscany, a short distance from Pisa and Lucca, whose nine rooms look out over forested hillsides through huge picture windows — but despite the lack of big-resort bells and whistles, you’d be hard pressed to catch guests wishing for much more than this.

There’s no television, but it’ll likely be the last thing on your mind; the heated swimming pool and the nearby beach club are much more suitable diversions. Some rooms have balconies looking out into the countryside, some have massive soaking tubs, and all are suitable for a pretty solid bout of lounging, if you’re in a mood to hide away.

And while there are plenty of reasons to prowl the Tuscan countryside in search of fine food and wine, Locanda al Colle makes a strong case for staying in. Here the in-house chef prepares lunch on request, and serves dinner for guests six nights a week, with cooking classes offered in its place on Wednesdays. For an introduction to the local cuisine you could certainly do worse....

Please note: Locanda al Colle has a three-night minimum stay policy. The hotel is a seasonal property open from the end of March to the beginning of November.