Places to visit

Lucca. A stunning jewel of a walled city, you can walk and cycle around the tops of the defensive walls, takes about 40 minutes. Glorious architecture inside, super shops; a great day out.

Florence. If you have not been there before, this is a must visit place. Definitely take the train from Pescia, trying to park in Florence is a sure way to a heart attack! It takes approximately 1 hour and costs about 6 euro return.

Collodi Gardens. As well as being the home of all things Pinocchio, there are some world famous gardens there which are open for visitors for a small entrance fee.
Bagni di Lucca. If you turn left at the end of the track, you drive for miles through woodlands with stunning views all the way to Bagni. It is a taxing drive with a million bends but worth it for everyone except the driver! Bagni is OK, but a bit further on is Barga which is lovely.
Pescia. Here is the centre of the flower growing area of Italy, and the town itself is quite spread out. However, in the old part, which is divided into two by the river there are some good shops, restaurants, interesting architecture and an open market every Saturday morning.
Siena. If you are at the house for longer than a week and fancy a night away somewhere else, you could do a lot worse than Siena. In the evening the campo is fantastically atmospheric and the tall narrow medieval streets quite moody. Hotels can be difficult to find with rooms available immediately and parking again is difficult.
Pistoia. Now that the centre has been pedestrianised, this is a lovely and interesting place to walk around. It is where pistols were first made (hence their name) and you may need one to find a parking space at busy times - but it is worth it. Superb market covering 5 squares on Saturdays mornings.
Pisa. The tower and surroundings are unmissable and central Pisa has good shops and restaurants. Possibly a visit when returning to the airport, flight times permitting, but beware of leaving items in the car in view.

We found the whole area really interesting and 100% nicer than central Tuscany from the tourism angle.