Al Tondone

Me and my girlfriend visited Lucca for six nights this June and decided to stay at Al Tondone. Little did we know that it's a tad far away from the train station and for some reason we couldn't find any taxis. So luckily the owners daughter picked us up so we didn't have to walk there with our bags. Our first night we walked to a nearby steakhouse Macceleria Pucci and had an excellent steak. The second day we decided to ride the bicycle to lucca, which you can borrow for free at Al Tondone. The trip was pleasant with the drivers showing care to us in traffic and giving us ample space and slowing down, we were initially a bit worried about the traffic before discovering the Italian behaviour towards cyclists. We parked on the backside of the train station every day, and walked into town from there, I'm attaching directions. But you can easily ride the bikes inside the city centre if you like. The owners are extremely kind and helpful. Sara is proficient in English and is so nice you can ask her anything. Her husband does not speak very good English, but is also very kind and helpful. The locale is nice, but there can be a lot of mosquitoes, so get some spray for that. We saw a lot of mosquitoes in Italy in general so it's not just the bed and breakfast and sourronding area. Otherwise the rooms are clean and our room had an air conditioning unit, be aware to not use the timer function, this turns the unit off in the middle of your sleep. The only complaint about the room was the hard mattress on the bed, since I cannot sleep on my back because I snore. The breakfast was nice and had plenty of options of foods to choose from. I am a Norwegian and like milk to my breakfast and was startled after discovering that I had poured milk, that turned out to be warm, into a bawl of cornflakes. Had some laughs about that. If you drive or don't mind cycling 5-6 minutes to get to lucca, staying at Al Tondone is an excellent choice.

A reasonable way to judge a 'bed and breakfast' might be the quality of the bed and the quality of the breakfast. By this simple standard, Al Tondone easily wins five stars. The bed we slept in was extraordinarily comfortable and came with some of the best pillows we have found in Italy. The breakfasts were also superb. Serving guests in the lovely conservatory, Anna provides a wealth of choices: meat, cheese, egg, pastries, cereals, fruit, juices, coffee, tea, etc. This is a great start if, like some Italians, you believe it is best to: "Have breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper." Beyond these key elements, Al Tondone has other qualities that make it a very fine place to stay while visiting Lucca or the region. Anna and Benito have a beautiful house and garden, they are friendly and gracious hosts, and they have many good suggestions for places to eat and things to do. We will certainly be back!

The B&B is close to an industrial area, but once you get there you will love her gardens and different sitting areas to relax. She has bikes free of charge to get around and gives very good advise of how to get around. Very accommodating for breakfast with great coffee. Thank you Anna for a wonderful experience!