Sant' Andrea di Compito, Lucca
Villa Allegra is situated in the walled, protected village of Pieve Di Compito, where Prince William and Kate - the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - spent their honeymoon in 2011. Pieve and Sant Andrea di Compito are together known as the Borgo delle Camelie. The Borgo is home to several elegant villas built in the 17th and 18th Centuries by land-owning families of Lucca , who escaped the city's Summer heat in their carriages. to the cool of their gardens, where they cultivated what has become one of Europe's most unique and extensive collections of antique camelia trees. The first camelia plant was imported in the1500s from Japan and planted in the gardens of Villa Borrini .
Cooled in Summer by streams from the Pisan hills (Monte Pisano) and sheltered from the harshest sun by its location on the north side of this range, the Borgo delle Camelie has a unique micro-climate where camelias and indigenous flora and fauna thrive.
Pieve (Sant'Andrea) di Compito dates back to Medieval times and still has an ancient Tuscan look-out tower, an ancient, working olive press, with traditional stone grinders. Each Spring the owners of Pieve di Compito's ancient camellia collections open their doors to welcome visitors during the annual village camelia exhibition. Attractions in recent years have included tea ceremony performances by a Japanese delegation, visits to the camellia nursery, with its ever-growing range of rare cultivars, and wine and soup tastings at the village olive press.
The village is 10 km from Lucca and a 35-minute drive from Pisa Airport and the nearest beaches.
VILLA ALLEGRA AMENITIES
Free resident car parking
Free high speed internet
Two self-contained, private buildings
Pool, restful gardens and recreational lower lawn
Dining room and living room
Ensuite bathrooms
Private alfresco dining terrace
Tennis courts 5 minutes on foot
Touring bikes available on request
Local village shop and local bar at 200 metres
Closest restaurant at 450 metres.