Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco, a hotel in Tuscany with a pool open all year

Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco is a hotel in Tuscany with a pool for every season: a heated indoor pool beneath the arches, open all year, and an outdoor one facing the valley from May to September. As for your room, 8 of the 12 types look over the valley.

Updated 13 October 202617 min readHow we write the guide

The outdoor pool at Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco: white sun loungers on the wooden deck, and Barga on the hill across the valley

Slow days in the hills, a pool in any season

Why choose Il Ciocco

You want to swim in November, drift between pool, spa and a terrace over the valley, and use the car only for Barga, Lucca or the Garfagnana.

See the pool hours

When to look elsewhere

You want hot thermal water in winter, or a base for the cities: Lucca is 53 minutes by car, Florence 1 hr 43 min and La Spezia, for the Cinque Terre trains, 1 hr 46 min.

Compare the other hotels

The hill facing Barga, the Serchio Valley and a musical past

Barga stays put on the hill facing the hotel, in August as in January. Around it the air, the water you swim in and the light all change with the season; the valley holds the stay together.

The Renaissance is a large building on the hill of Castelvecchio Pascoli, 4 km from Barga cathedral, with the Serchio Valley below. Barga faces it from the hill opposite: you have it in front of you from the outdoor pool, from La Veranda’s terrace and from the valley-view rooms, and even more so at night, when the old town lights up.

Around it spreads the Il Ciocco estate, climbing through the woods from 280 metres in the valley to 1,100. The hotel sits inside it but does not run it: 3 small hotels, the chalets, 2 restaurants, the trails and the bike park belong to Il Ciocco Estate and Park, a separate operator whose hotels trade as Il Ciocco Hotels. The Renaissance is a Marriott hotel, managed by Shaner Hotel Group.

The hill has a loud past, in the best sense. In 1984 Videomusic, a music channel the estate calls Europe’s first, went on air from here, and its studios are still on the estate. Marriott presented the Renaissance in 2011 as its first hotel in Tuscany; in 2020 the Top Chef contestants slept here, and in August 2026 it was the base camp for Jacob Collier’s Hideaway.

And then there is Pascoli, more or less everywhere. The poet lived here, in Castelvecchio Pascoli, and the hotel’s address is Via Giovanni Pascoli; 2 of its meeting rooms, L’Ora di Barga and Il Croco, are named after poems in his Canti di Castelvecchio. The same collection holds one called Il ciocco: the great oak log a father lays on the embers.

There is no need to drive down for dinner. La Veranda, with its terrace, opens at 7am and closes at 10.30pm; Le Salette hosts the cooking classes, the Nour Lounge pours cocktails and tasting wines until midnight (2am at weekends), and by the water the Pool Bar keeps going from 11am to 7.30pm.

9 pages of Marriott’s website, the hotel’s replies to reviewers, 2 videos, one for each pool, and the 806 Google reviews with text, sorted by the month they were written: that is how we followed Il Ciocco’s pools through the year. The seasons show. Of the 21 guests who tie the pool to the view over the valley, 16 wrote between June and September. Of the 26 pool reviews written from November to March, just one mentions the valley, while 7 talk about warm or heated water.

Swimming, dining and waking up above the Serchio Valley

The resort’s two pools: the outdoor one on a sunny morning, the indoor one beneath its arched windows.

**The valley, the rooms, both pools and the evening at the Nour Lounge, in 99 seconds**Overlook · 27 September 2026Watch on YouTube

**The outdoor pool in the morning, with Barga on the hill opposite**from 6:06 · Josie Duda · 8 June 2025Watch on YouTube

**The indoor pool, with arched windows and loungers along the water**from 8:54 · Travel check · 27 October 2025Watch on YouTube

The 2 pools, month by month

Here the water follows the calendar: outdoors from May to September, indoors and warm for the rest of the year. The outdoor dates, 1 May to 30 September, are the ones on the hotel’s website on 26 September 2026; if they change, the hotel decides.

Winter in warm water
The outdoor pool rests; the indoor one carries on, heated, from 7.30am to 7.30pm, with a lifeguard. Winter reviewers remember it warm: one called it ‘nice and warm’ in a Google review in mid-December. Of the 119 reviews that mention the pools, 12 were written between December and February.
Still only the indoor pool
The terrace is back in use; the outdoor pool holds out until 1 May. A guest in early April 2025 found it shut and still called the view from the pool deck unmatched. For now, swimming means the indoor pool, with the whirlpool alongside.
The pool above the valley opens
On 1 May the valley pool opens: every day from 9.30am to 8pm, unheated, with a lifeguard and towels. The Pool Bar next to it serves from 11am to 7.30pm.
Claim a sunbed early
August is sunbed season. In 2023 one guest noticed they stayed free until 10.30am, and then the deck filled up: anyone who wants a lounger goes down before then. And on summer event nights, the website warns, the music can play until midnight.
The outdoor pool closes on the 30th
Last swim outdoors: 30 September. Meanwhile, from 10 September to 23 December 2026, the hotel’s Wellness offer adds €100 of spa credit a day, a guaranteed upgrade to a Deluxe Room and check-out at 4pm.
Swimming indoors
From 1 October the swimming moves indoors, to the heated pool, open daily from 7.30am to 7.30pm with a lifeguard. October reviewers are a contented lot: of the 75 Google reviews posted in an October, from 2016 to 2025, 10 mention the pools and 9 praise them.
Woods outside, warm water inside
Now the indoor pool earns its keep. The estate’s woods are outside; inside are the heated pool from 7.30am, and the spa and steam room by appointment from 10.30am to 7.30pm.

Where the 2 pools are

The indoor pool sits inside the hotel, between the spa and the whirlpool; the outdoor pool is out on the terrace, with the Pool Bar beside it and Barga on the hill opposite.

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Indoor poolAll year, from 7.30am to 7.30pm
Outdoor poolMay to September, from 9.30am to 8pm
Pool BarDaily, from 11am to 7.30pm

Pools, spa and gym: hours and services

The hours come from Marriott’s website as of 26 September 2026; the rest the hotel has told guests in its replies to their reviews.

On the official website

A heated indoor pool, open daily from 7.30am to 7.30pm, with a lifeguard and towels
An indoor whirlpool beside the pool
An outdoor pool from 1 May to 30 September, 9.30am to 8pm, unheated, with a lifeguard
An outdoor Pool Bar, open daily from 11am to 7.30pm
The Beauty Spa, by appointment, daily from 10.30am to 7.30pm, with a steam room and couples massages
A gym open 24 hours a day
An accessible entrance to the pool

Prices and rules for the 2 pools

Costs and rules as of 26 September 2026, from Marriott, Expedia and the hotel’s replies to reviews: the small print before you dive in.

Indoor pool	Heated, daily from 7.30am to 7.30pm
Outdoor pool	1 May to 30 September, 9.30am to 8pm, unheated
Temperature	32°C in the indoor pool, the hotel said in August 2026
Lifeguard	On duty at both pools, throughout opening hours
Families	In the indoor pool, 10.30am to 12pm and 3.30pm to 5pm, according to the Gordon Research Conferences guide of January 2024
Who can swim	The outdoor pool is for hotel guests only; no source offers a day pass to the spa for anyone not staying
Cost	No separate charge: the pools are covered by the resort fee of €15 per person per night
Pets	Welcome in the hotel, up to 2 per room; not allowed in the pools, the spa, the restaurants or the bar
Towels	Provided at both pools
Accessibility	An accessible entrance to the pool; guests say the building is very spread out

Rooms with a balcony and a valley view

The valley you see from the pool can follow you to your room: 8 of the 12 room types look over it, and the ones named Balcony add a balcony.

A Junior Suite Valley View: a king-size bed, a sofa on a terracotta floor and French windows onto a balcony facing the mountains

A Balcony King Deluxe View room: a king-size bed, a round table and French windows onto the balcony, with the hills beyond

The Deluxe Room, 22 m², has the valley at the window but no balcony. At 21 m², the Balcony King Deluxe View and Balcony Twin Deluxe View rooms have both, and so do the Junior Suite Valley View (42 m², with a sitting room and a dining area), the Balcony Deluxe Suites (39 m²) and the Penthouse, at 53 m² the largest. At the other end, the Classic and the Superior come in at 16 m²; the Classic has a balcony, the Superior does not. Sizes are Marriott’s own, and approximate.

The rooms and suites, with photographs

Other hotels in Tuscany with a pool

6 Tuscan resorts with a pool, from Saturnia’s hot springs to a summer-only pool 42 minutes’ drive away.

Hotels in Tuscany with a pool differ above all in the water. If you want it thermal and warm all year, Saturnia’s spring holds a constant 37.5°C and Il Ciocco cannot compete; if heated and indoors will do, or outdoors in summer only, the table below gets much closer.

Hotel	The pool, from its page	Water	Families	Accessibility	Meetings	From Il Ciocco
Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco, Barga (Lucca)	Indoor and heated all year, 7.30am–7.30pm; outdoor from 1 May to 30 September, 9.30am–8pm	Not thermal; the indoor pool is 32°C, the hotel says	No kids’ club or children’s pool; family hours in the indoor pool	Marriott lists step-free routes to the pool and spa, and pool access for guests with a disability	11 rooms; the largest, the Salone Pascoli, is 675 m²	You are here
ADLER Spa Resort Thermae, Bagno Vignoni (Siena)	One indoor and 2 outdoor pools: thermal water at 36°C and a 25-metre sports pool heated to 26°C, daily from 8am to 8pm	Thermal, sulphate-bicarbonate-alkaline-ferrous	Children from 4; AKI Kids Club from 4; no children’s pool, children use all the pools; extra beds according to the resort, none according to Booking.com	Not published by the resort; Booking.com lists facilities for disabled guests, a lift and parking, with no detail on rooms or pools	No meeting rooms published	3 hr 21 min by car
Terme di Saturnia (Grosseto)	Outdoor thermal pools and a children’s pool, fed by the spring, in a park open all year	Thermal and sulphurous	No kids’ club; 2 thermal pools for children up to 1 m tall; under 1.50 m no waterfalls; cots €30 a night	Accessible rooms according to Booking.com; reduced thermal-park rates for guests with a disability; no hoist or step-free pool entry published	3 rooms: the Saturnia, 250 m², and 2 of 90 m²	3 hr 52 min by car
Castello di Spaltenna, Gaiole in Chianti (Siena)	A heated indoor pool, which the hotel calls the only one in Chianti, and an outdoor infinity pool	Not thermal	No kids’ club or children’s pool; one Family Suite for 4; free cots up to 3 according to Booking.com	Not published	No meeting rooms published; weddings for up to 90	2 hr 27 min by car
Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino (Siena)	2 heated pools in the borgo, one of them an infinity pool of 10 by 20 metres; pool service from 9.30am to 6pm	Not thermal; salt water in the villas’ private pools	Kids’ Club for ages 3 to 11, 10.30 am to 6.30 pm; babysitting; children use both pools; sauna from 16	Ramps and ground-floor bedrooms in some villas; pool access for guests with a disability is not published	Up to 150 standing at Campo del Drago, 200 outdoors; meetings in the villas too	3 hr 26 min by car
Riva Toscana Golf Resort & Spa, Follonica (Grosseto)	2 outdoor pools on 2 levels, unheated and open in the summer months only, from 10am to 8pm	Not thermal	No kids’ club; a shallow pool with a whirlpool suited to children; a family offer from June to September; spa and gym from 16	Not published by the resort; wheelchair accessible, with a lift, according to Booking.com; the pool is not described	2 rooms: the Louisiana, 70 theatre-style, and the Greensome, 50	2 hr 16 min by car
Hotel Ristorante Belvedere, Passo dei Carpinelli (Lucca)	One pool for adults and one for children, open from 1 June to 15 September, weather permitting	Not thermal	A children’s pool beside the adults’ one, a fenced park with a playground, 2 family rooms for up to 5; Booking.com lists no cots or extra beds	3 floors and no lift; no accessible room or pool entry published	One room for up to 45; receptions for up to 200	42 min by car

Driving times from Il Ciocco calculated from OpenStreetMap on 26 September 2026; the hotels’ pages checked again on 27 September 2026: ‘not thermal’ where they describe their pools without thermal water. The Families, Accessibility and Meetings columns come from each resort’s own pages, from Booking.com and, for Spaltenna, from a Tripadvisor review, read on 27 September 2026. Of the other 6 resorts, none publishes how a guest with a disability gets into the pool; for Il Ciocco, Marriott states that pool access is accessible.

What guests say about the pools
Of the 806 Google reviews with written comments, 119 mention the pools and rate the hotel 4.4 on average: 32 name the indoor pool, 29 the outdoor one. Of those, 73 praise them and 12 describe the water as warm or heated; in August, they add, the sunbeds go early. Those who say who they travelled with are mostly couples (15) or families (13).

Questions about the pools and the resort

Pools, children, dogs, costs and the road: what people want to know before they book.

Can dogs come to the pool?

No. The hotel accepts up to 2 pets per room, of up to 35 kg each, but keeps them out of the pools, the spa, the restaurants and the bar. The best-supported fee is €35 a night: Marriott’s FAQs for the hotel, Hotels.com and Expedia all give it, and a guest paid it for one night in July 2026; the pet policy on the same Marriott page says “per stay”, and Trip.com “free”. Read on 27 September 2026.

Is the indoor pool heated?

Yes. The official website lists it as heated, open daily from 7.30am to 7.30pm with a lifeguard, and the hotel puts it at 32°C, replying to a review on 24 August 2026. Guests who write about it found it warm (December and April 2024).

When is the outdoor pool open?

From 1 May to 30 September, daily from 9.30am to 8pm, and it is unheated. From October to April you can swim only in the indoor pool.

Can children use the pools?

Yes, and there is a lifeguard at both. In the indoor pool children swim during family hours, 10.30am to 12pm and 3.30pm to 5pm according to the Gordon Research Conferences guide (January 2024), and the hotel confirmed those hours in August 2026. Marriott lists neither a children’s pool nor a kids’ club, and FamilyVacationist wrote in 2024 that the hotel has no kids’ club. Read on 27 September 2026.

Do I pay extra for the pool?

Only through the resort fee of €15 per person per night, which covers the pools and comes on top of the city tax: allow for it when you compare rates. The sauna, steam room and sensory shower are included too, according to Agoda and to the hotel, which wrote in August 2026 that the fee covers access to all the resort’s amenities; Booking.com lists the spa as extra without separating treatments, and Marriott’s site does not say. Read on 27 September 2026.

Which rooms have a valley view?

8 of the 12 room types, according to Marriott: the Deluxe Room, the Balcony King and Balcony Twin Deluxe View, the Junior Suite Valley View, the 2 Balcony Deluxe Suites, the Presidential Suite and the Penthouse. Marriott gives no view for the Classic, Superior, Executive and Suite.

How do I get to Il Ciocco?

By car, mostly: 10 minutes to Barga cathedral, 53 to Lucca and 79 to Pisa airport, calculated on OpenStreetMap’s roads, although the hotel’s Italian website says 30 minutes to Lucca. Florence airport is 104 km and 94 minutes away. By train, the nearest station is Castelvecchio Pascoli, about 3 km by road, but more trains stop at Barga-Gallicano, about 6 km away; from either you need a taxi or a transfer.

Is Il Ciocco Hotels the same as the Renaissance?

No, although they share the hill. The Renaissance is the Marriott hotel, the one with the 2 pools; Il Ciocco Hotels belongs to a different operator, Il Ciocco Estate and Park, which runs 3 small hotels, chalets, apartments, 2 restaurants, the trails and the estate’s bike park.

2 pools from May to September, then one, indoors and warm

The pools on the official website

Written and checked by Lumina, independently of Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa. Lumina sells no rooms or tickets: every link leads to its source.

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