We stayed at Il Ciocco, due to its close vacinity to Barga, in August 2005. Got a good price through the Expedia website and definitely felt that we got our money's worth in terms of the location and views.

Our room was in an older block but the bathroom was new with a fantastic shower, although no bath which might be an issue for some people. Our room looked out over the valley and nobody looked on to us room so judging by some reviews it seems we were lucky.

The hotel was pretty full, as there were a couple of large groups there but parking was always possible near to the main entrance and the grounds didn't feel busy. The pool is particularly clean with plenty of deck chairs and umbrellas, however it is worth noting that all bathers muts wear swimming caps, which can be purchased for a three euros fifty from the attendant, so take some cash with you as this is not highlighted when checking in.

The food that we had was fine, but nothing to write home about and the pizzeria food looked pretty grim when we ventured in there one lunchtime. We walked out again without dining! There is, however, a lovely pizzeria just outside the entrance from the main road into the hotel grounds which has not only great food, but also some very nice wine and friendly staff.

We didn't have a problem getting some great cocktails at the American Bar in the hotel - perhaps the grumpy barman no longer works there. What we didn't enjoy however was the apalling entertainment staff, who "entertained" the families enjoying a quiet drink on the terrace one evening with their apalling singing and inability to set their amp and speakers at any level other than too loud. There was a fantastic piano player in the bar inside who was drowned out by them and eventually gave up until their "performance" was finished.

The same staff were in charge of the pool the following morning and managed to destroy some nice background music with their own singing. However, they eventually blew their amp and the microphone stopped working, much to the delite of all the bathers!

In general. staff are not overly-friendly but are perfectly polite and efficient.

Views across the valley are amazing and the hotel's location makes it ideal for exploring villages round about. We will definitely stay at Il Ciocco again in the future - and will dine at the Pizzeria outside the complex!

I recently returned from a week at this resort, and have a variety of mixed emotions about this hotel.

It lies about an hour from Lucca, and 90 minutes from Pisa airport through some of the most beautiful countryside in Tuscany (with the most frightening roads). Keep an eye out for the Fiat dealership 30 miles from Lucca, called "Lunatica". It's the best description of the driving I've found. You can get the hotel helicopter to the resort, but I suspect that might be expensive!

The hotel is very remote, lying at the top of a hill at the end of a winding road. It's resembles a cross between a hunting lodge, the hotel from the Shining, and something you'd see in a war movie from the 50s.

To continue the theme, the rooms were less than luxurious, and I'd recommend the superior rooms if given the choice. A double consists of two single beds, with no extra pillows or blankets. The rooms were tiny, and resembled a barracks. There was no shower, and the television was dreadful with only two English channels (both news)

The reception staff are well worth the visit alone however. I think they were trained in the art of resisting interrogation, because they seemed very reluctant to divulge any information, including how to find our room, details of mealtimes, and other basics. They also seemed to delight in ignoring people waiting for assistance, which got a little annoying. The other staff in the resort were excellent though, and I can't fault anyone in the restaurant, bar or any of the maids.

The food was okay, but bizarrely, the waiting staff seemed to give you what they liked, rahter than your actual order. I got a nasty shock when I saw baby octopi in my ravioli (I was expecting beef).

There is a small grocery store on site, which is very affordable, but we couldn't find any other restaurants within easy walking distance.

General facilites are good, with wireless IT access (for a price) and a central internet point. There's also a fitness centre, football pitch, and pool. They also offer dirt biking on site, and optional horseriding elsewhere in the valley.

Without a doubt, the best part of this hotel is the view though, which is absolutely incredible and we spent many afternoons just admiring the view.

Overall, our visit was ok, but the other reviews are correct - this place is getting dated and is in need of major renovation - better rooms, and new reception staff would be a good start.

Spectacularly placed in a beautiful mountain, Il Ciocco is a conference center. The location and the views, if you have a nice hotel room with a balcony (we did but understood from others that not all Il Ciocco's rooms are equal!), are stunning. But you scratch your head and wonder why there is such an absence of charm in the midst of such glory. The hotel has great walking paths, a decent swimming pool, pretty gardens and a nice terrace bar looking out at that great view, but the food and service are so resolutely mediocre that you know the dominant theme is "we're a convention center and serve mass mode so if you chose to come as an individual, you're on your own." Nothing is absolutely terrible but nothing is stellar either, except, of course, that great location.

We stayed here for four days in late August. We chose this resort for its out of the way location, as we were at the end of a month long 5-country tour of Europe, and we were looking for a place to rest and recuperate after the heat and crowds of Rome and Florence. It took us about 3 hours from Florence by train to reach Barga-Gallicano. We then had to wait at the train station for 20 minutes for a cab (15 Euros) to take us waaaaaay up the mountain to Il Ciocco. The resort is nestled in the middle of a sort of nature preserve/provincial park. The grounds are large, but some of the features the hotel advertises as its own (horseback riding, tennis) are actually elsewhere in the vicinity. The hotel complex is quite attractive- cobblestone walkways wind past some high end shops, a little market/convenience store- and the lobby is elegant, if a little faded. We arrived at 3:45pm, and were kept waiting until 4:40 when our room was finally ready. I think a large conference group had just left that day, but regardless, no effort was made by the icy front desk staff to make our wait more comfortable (a complimentary drink at the bar, perhaps?). When we finally got to our room, we were a little disappointed. We had booked a "standard" through Expedia. It was average in size, very elegantly decorated with a large marble bathroom and a chandelier over the beds, but we were very disappointed with the twin beds and the view of a rear building on the property (once you see the view you're missing, you couldn't possible settle for anything else). So, we called downstairs to the front desk to ask about the possibility of paying for an upgrade. We lucked out in getting one of the few friendly front desk women on the phone, who personally came upstairs to show us "the room of your dreams". Well, she didn't oversell it, that's for sure. She brought us to a top floor corner suite, with a huge l-shaped terrace with stunning views of the valley and mountains beyond. We were sold! We ate in all three restaurants during our stay, and found the food very good, and the service.... well, it's not the Four Seasons! Overall, we enjoyed our stay because we pretty much holed up in our suite for much of the time (the pool was too crowded with children, and other than that, there's not much else to do), but the hotel needs a gentle facelift to restore its lustre, and the staff needs some retraining to make their guests feel welcome.