"La Casa di Carla", Lucca countryside, with private swimming pool and garden

Haus, Pool, Besitzer die nebenan wohnen alles nahezu perfekt. Zimmern großzügig, Küche sehr gut. Badezimmer sauber. Hausbesitzer hat nach einem schlimmen Gewitter alles sofort zusammengeräumt und den Pool gesäubert.

Typical Italian home. Large 3 story building

There is no Air Conditioning. We had a heatwave and it was uncomfortable. It would be a fantastic upgrade if they added AC

The location was great, the pool and garden was nice and the house was definitely neat and large. The owner baked a nice welcome cake for us.

Our stay started well and turned sour due to communication difficulties, as the owners only spoke Italian while we spoke English, French, Dutch, German and a bit of Italian. We booked the accommodation with 2 friends, our 2 children, and ourselves, confirming that the number of guests wouldn't affect the price. We later informed the agency employee that 2 more friends would visit for 3 days, not stay overnight, which was approved. Upon arrival, we found that the "room" for our kids was actually an open hallway with 4 beds, compromising privacy and safety for our toddler. We adjusted, and everyone was fine. We were also unexpectedly asked to pay a 250 EUR cash deposit, which the agency employee reassured us would be returned. Our friends joined us for dinner 2 evenings and on Saturday, we planned to relax at the pool. Later, we received a message and a call saying that our friends weren't allowed in the house or pool due to security concerns because of "strict Italian laws" related to municipality registration. We clarified with the agency employee that our friends were staying elsewhere, that the pool use was our liability (such sign was at the pool) and that we were responsible for any fines, which seemed to resolve the issue. On our last day, Sunday, the owner apologized via Google Translate, explaining that the real issue was the commission they had to pay to booking.com since we didn't book directly. We thought the matter was resolved. We left early on Monday, and our friend who can speak Italian did the check out. The owner complained about stains on a sheet and a towel (which were there already when we arrived) and wanted to keep the deposit. My friend even called her mum who is fluent in Italian to understand what the real problem is. It turned out that she was unhappy about the booking.com commission. In the end she kept 100 EUR.