Frequently Asked Questions:

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Q: How do I make a booking for La Torretta?

A: Check out the availability page to make sure the house isn't already taken and then fill in the form on the bookings page. You can also send a mail directly to Merrick Fall, who will try and respond promptly to all your queries.

Q: What's the best way to travel to La Torretta?

A: Previous visitors have flown into Zurich (Switzerland), Nice (France), Milan, Florence and Pisa from the US or the UK. We then recommend renting a car and driving to La Torretta.

The Galileo Galilei airport in Pisa is the closest to La Torretta. It has several rent-a-car desks open 24 hours day (including Europcar, Hertz, Liberty Rent, and AVIS). It is usually cheaper to book your car in advance through the main office before you travel to Italy.

From Pisa, there are regular flights by British Airways (London Gatwick), Alitalia (Rome, Milan, Paris), and Ryanair. In the summer, there are charters to a number of other European destinations.

Q: How long does it take to drive to La Torretta from ...?

A: La Torretta is centrally located with respect to a number of airports. In each case, driving to La Torretta is entirely by motorway to Lucca, after which more detailed instructions are provided. Here are some distance and time estimations from several airports to Barga and La Torretta:

The distance from Milan refers to the Milano Malpensa international airport.

Q: What are the local events?

A: Be sure to buy a copy of the Grapevine in any local newsagent. This magazine details in English all the monthly cultural events in the Barga-Lucca region, including festivals, exhibitions, theatre and music.

Q: What's the phone number of La Torretta?

A: La Torretta currently does not have a phone line installed. We have no plans to change this. It gives everyone the chance to get away from business pressures for a while. However, if you feel you must stay in contact with the rest of the world, and have a Euro-compatible GSM mobile phone, we encourage you to take it with you. Even if you haven't subscribed to a global roaming package, it is a simple procedure to get a temporary phone number from Vodafone. We have tested this procedure and found it very convenient, particularly since they offer a special deal for international calls.

Q: Where can I send and receive my e-mails?

A: There is an internet café, the Osteria Angelio, in the Piazza Angelio, in Barga Old Town, where there is usually somebody who speaks English.

Q: Why don't any of my old Italian phone numbers work?

A: Italy has changed its phone numbering system. Within Italy, you must now always dial the area code, even for local calls. If you are calling Italy from Switzerland (and probably from most other countries), you must include the zero that prefixes the area code. You should thus be dialling: 0039 0xxx yyy yyy. However this last rule doesn't apply if you're calling an Italian mobile phone from abroad. Then the number is just: 0039 zzz yyy yyy.

Q: How can I receive postal mail at La Torretta?

A: The postman delivers to the door daily, when necessary. La Torretta's address is:

La Torretta
1, alle Capannelle
Albiano
I - 55051 Barga
ITALY

Q: What's the weather like at La Torretta?

Here are some statistics we have found on the web:

and here are some more: