La Mandolata Lido di Camaiore

The charm of simple things, of a welcoming smile and the scent of freshly baked cakes prepared according to old family recipes: when holidaymakers arrive at Bed & Breakfast La Mandolata, a small Tuscan guest house close to the fashionable beaches of Lido di Camaiore, they know they have found a very special home-from-home.

The interiors of the B&B, created in a carefully restored farmhouse, are those of a typical country residence. La Mandolata's five, beautifully furnished studio flats, all of which has a veranda looking out over the garden or the Apuan Alps, feature floors in age-old Tuscan terracotta and magnificent wooden ceiling beams.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, no more so than at B&B La Mandolata, where guests are treated to a veritable feast of homemade biscuits, cakes and jams, local cheeses, freshly squeezed juices, seasonal fruit and, of course, plenty of Italian coffee. In the hottest months of the year, breakfast is served, al fresco, by the pool.

La Mandolata is only a ten minute drive away from the beaches of Camaiore and the glamorous Tuscan seaside resorts of Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio. The pretty little town of Pietrasanta, famous for its art galleries and the studios where the area's highly prized marble is sculpted, lies within easy reach of the B&B.