In the north west corner of Tuscany the green valley of the Garfagnana shelters nature reserves, ancient castles, hill-top villages, lakes, caves and a whole lot of peace and quiet. At the entrance to this forgotten valley is a land of hot springs and rolling hills, peppered with the many villages that make up Bagni di Lucca. Once people flooded here from all over Europe: Russian princes, Victorian poets, French emperors. They came for the waters, and the gambling. Now, grandeur faded, the old town and its villages welcome the curious, seekers of spa cures, walkers, riders and those who like to draw, paint and write. And, high above the river, close to the facilities but apart from them, at the end of a private lane, your hideaway awaits.