The Rise of Multigenerational Travel: Why Families Are Trading Hotels for Private Estates in Tuscany
The landscape of American leisure travel is shifting. In 2025, the solo backpacker and the romantic couple are being outpaced by a more robust demographic: the extended family. “Multigenerational travel”—trips involving grandparents, parents, and grandchildren—has become the dominant trend in the luxury sector. As families increasingly prioritize privacy and space over hotel amenities, the search for exclusive Lucca villas to rent has become the starting point for planning these large-scale reunions in Tuscany.
The landscape of American leisure travel is shifting. In 2025, the solo backpacker and the romantic couple are being outpaced by a more robust demographic: the extended family. “Multigenerational travel”—trips involving grandparents, parents, and grandchildren—has become the dominant trend in the luxury sector. As families increasingly prioritize privacy and space over hotel amenities, the search for exclusive Lucca villas to rent has become the starting point for planning these large-scale reunions in Tuscany.
This surge isn’t just about pooling vacation days; it is a response to a fragmented world. Families are geographically dispersed more than ever, and the annual vacation has evolved from a simple getaway into a critical reunion event. However, as families attempt to coordinate these gatherings, they are hitting a logistical wall with traditional hospitality models. Booking five hotel rooms, coordinating reservations for twelve people at crowded restaurants, and managing different sleep schedules in thin-walled corridors is often a recipe for stress.
The solution for many savvy travelers lies in the hills of Tuscany. Among the region’s famed destinations, the city of Lucca has emerged as the quiet favorite for these clan-style gatherings, offering a blend of logistics, luxury, and lifestyle that hotels simply cannot match.
The Logistics of “Togethering”
The travel industry has coined the term “togethering” to describe this desire for shared experiences. But successful togethering requires space—something hotels charge a premium for.
In a hotel scenario, the family dynamic is fractured. You meet in the lobby, you separate for sleep, and you struggle to find communal areas that feel private. A villa flips this dynamic. It offers a “home base” where the environment adapts to the family, not the other way around.
For a group ranging from age 8 to 80, the architecture of the property matters. The historic villas of the Lucca area were originally designed for noble families who lived in multi-family units. Today, this translates into layouts that are perfect for modern privacy. It is common to find estates with a main villa and a restored limonaia (lemon house) or guest annex.
This separation is crucial. It allows the grandparents to retreat to a quiet annex for an early night while the teenagers play cards or listen to music by the pool in the main house. The “togethering” happens in the common spaces—the vast kitchens, the shaded pergolas, and the pool decks—but the friction of living on top of one another is removed.
Why Lucca Wins for All Ages
Tuscany is beautiful everywhere, but not every town is built for a multigenerational cohort. Hilltop towns like Montepulciano or Volterra are stunning, but their steep inclines are a nightmare for seniors with mobility issues or parents with strollers.
Lucca offers a unique geographic advantage: it is flat.
The Walls: A Unifying Experience
The defining feature of Lucca is its Renaissance walls. Unlike defensive fortresses elsewhere, Lucca’s walls were converted into a public park centuries ago. They form a wide, tree-lined, four-kilometer loop encircling the city.
For a family group, this is a logistical dream. It is a safe, car-free zone. The active adults can run the loop in the morning. Grandparents can enjoy a leisurely walk on flat terrain in the shade of plane trees. The kids can run ahead without the danger of traffic. Renting bikes for the whole group—including tandem bikes and four-seater rickshaws—turns a sightseeing trip into a shared physical activity that everyone can participate in, regardless of fitness level.
Accessibility and Safety
Inside the walls, the historic center is largely pedestrian. The pace is slower than Florence or Rome. It feels manageable and safe. This allows for a degree of independence that is rare in major cities. Teenagers can be given the freedom to explore the comic book shops or grab a gelato in Piazza dell’Anfiteatro on their own, giving parents a much-needed break to enjoy an aperitivo.
Curating the Experience: The Search for the Perfect Base
The shift from hotel to villa is also a shift from “service” to “experience.” When you book a hotel, you book a room. When you rent a villa, you are curating a lifestyle.
This puts a premium on finding the right property. The market has moved beyond simple Airbnb listings to professionally managed portfolios that offer hotel-grade services—private chefs, daily housekeeping, and concierge support—within a private home.
For families planning their 2026 reunions, the selection process is critical. You aren’t just looking for beds; you are looking for specific amenities that solve family friction points. Does the property have a ground-floor bedroom for members who can’t do stairs? Is the pool fenced for toddler safety? Is there high-speed Wi-Fi in the annex for the family member who needs to take a Zoom call?
By securing a property that aligns with the specific demographics of the group, the vacation transforms from a logistical challenge into a seamless experience.
Activities That Bridge the Generation Gap
Once the base is secured, the itinerary must cater to diverse interests. Lucca’s location in northwestern Tuscany makes it a strategic hub.
- The Beach Day: Just 20 minutes away lies the Versilia coast. Unlike the rocky, inaccessible beaches of the south, Versilia offers wide, sandy beaches with established beach clubs (bagni). These clubs offer tents, chairs, changing rooms, and restaurants right on the sand. It is “easy” beach-going, accessible for the elderly and safe for children.
- The Cooking Class: Perhaps the most popular activity for multigenerational groups is the in-villa cooking class. Bringing a local chef to the estate to teach the family how to make pasta from scratch is an equalizer. It is messy, fun, and tactile. It engages the 7-year-old and the 70-year-old equally, culminating in a dinner that the family prepared together.
- Wineries with a Twist: The wine region of Montecarlo di Lucca is just a few miles away. Many estates now cater to families, offering tastings for the adults and grape juice or farm animal interactions for the children, ensuring no one is bored.
The Value of Slow Travel
Ultimately, the move toward villa rentals reflects a broader desire for “Slow Travel.” In a post-pandemic world, the checklist style of tourism—hitting five cities in seven days—feels exhausting.
Families want to linger. They want to shop at the local market for fresh pecorino and honey. They want to spend an entire afternoon just sitting by the pool, talking.
A private estate grants permission to slow down. There is no breakfast buffet closing time to rush for. There is no housekeeping knocking on the door at 9 AM. The rhythm of the day is dictated solely by the family’s mood.
In this environment, the true value of the vacation emerges. It isn’t found in the monuments visited or the museums toured, but in the unscripted moments between them: the late-night conversations over a bottle of Chianti, the laughter echoing from the pool, the quiet morning coffee shared on a terrace overlooking the olive groves.
For the modern American family, time is the ultimate luxury. And nowhere is that time better spent than behind the gates of a Tuscan villa, where the world slows down enough for you to truly enjoy it together.
Key Takeaways for Planning Your Trip
- Book Early: Large villas (5+ bedrooms) are in high demand for the 2026 season. Aim to book 9-12 months in advance.
- Consider Shoulder Season: May and September offer the best balance of weather and crowd levels for seniors and young children.
- Hire a Driver: While you can rent cars, hiring a van service for airport transfers and dinner outings eliminates the stress of navigating Italian roads at night.
