Bagnone holiday villa rental with walking, beach/lake nearby, balcony/terrace, rural retreat, TV, DVD

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Casa dell'Olivo (villa)

Home description

The house is immaculate, uncluttered, light and airy with a mix of contemporary and antique furniture, retaining the character of a grand old rural Italian villa.

We are ideally placed for hiking in the Appenines, visiting the ancient villages, castles and churches of Lunigiana, the world famous Carrara marble quarries, the cities of Lucca, Parma or Pisa, or the magnificent Ligurian and Tuscan coast line with their beaches, fishing villages and walking paths.

As well as restaurants and shops, within 5 minutes is a 50 metre outdoor pool with mountain views, river swimming in the one of the beautiful local river pools, and tennis courts.

the house	Sitting room
Living area	cinque terre

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/95622

The Tuscany region

"The far north of Tuscany is so beautiful and so untouristy it's almost impossible not to spend your whole time there house hunting"

So says the Sunday Times 21st June 2009.

As well as the castles, churches and ancient hilltowns described below, there is easy access to some of the most beautiful cities in Italy.
Pisa, needing no introduction, is an hour away.
Lucca, a tiny walled 12th century city with a magnificent duomo, palaces and piazzas is an hour away. You can wander through the small, mostly pedestrian streets to the oval piazza, built on a Roman collisium. Or you can hire bikes and cycle the 3 kms on top of the city walls.
Parma, home to prosciutto and parmesan is remarkabley quiet, even in summer. The pink, 15th century baptistery is magnificent, as are the cafes near by selling their most famous produce.

Near to Lucca is the Torre Del Lago, the lake where Puccini lived. Every summer concerts are held on the lake during the music festival of Puccini. Booking in advance is necessary.
Moderna,another beautiful medieval walled city, and home to balsamic vinigar, is an hour and a half away, .
Genoa, with its wonderful, huge daily market is also an easy day trip. On the way back you can wander the tiny streets of Portofino.

The coast offering a wealth of activities is 30 minutes drive away. Lerici, once home to Shelley and Byron is the nearest, a pretty fishing town with a beach where you can get a boat ( leaving hourly) to Portovenere, a colourful fishing village, or to the magnificent Cinque Terre.

The World Heritage Site, the Cinque Terre, with its medieval villages clinging to the cliffs and high jagged coastline is wonderful for swimming, walking, lunching, or boating between the villages. A little train from La Spezia ( 25 minutes from the house) chugs up and down the coast.

There are 40 km of pristine beaches, from Lerici, south to Pisa, with cafes, shops and restaurants. Forti dei Marmi, Viareggio and Versilla are just 3. All are easily reached for a day trip.

A visit to the magnificent Carrara Marble Mines, 40 minutes away (featured in the latest James Bond film) can involve a trip in a small minibus right into the heart of the mountain lined in white marble, then lunch in one of the high mountain villages with local specialities and fabulous views.

Distances/Timings:
Shopping, restaurants, swimming pool, river swimming, all 5-10 minutes.
Autostrada, 12 minutes (at Aulla, on the La Spezia-Parma autostrada).
17 minutes to the main coastal Autostrada linking Genoa with Rome.
Lucca 1 hour.
Pisa 1 hour
Parma 1 hour
Florence and Moderna 1½ hour.
Bologna and Siena 2 hours.






Thare are 3 ski resorts within a 45 minute drive, Zum Zeri, Ceretto and Prato Spilla. They are small resorts and are suitable for beginners, young children, or for just a couple of days skiing.

Bagnone area

Lunigiana, in the northern most corner of Tuscany is an extraordinary area, and little known to tourists. Through its woods and hills, along the great River Magra valley, runs the oldest pilgrim route in Europe: the Francigena Way. This means the area has a particularly rich culture, with many beautiful churches, castles, towers and walled villages, some dating back to the 11th century. Our hamlet, Corvarola, for example, housed soldiers in the 12th century, stationed there to protect nearyby Villafranca. Corvarola has a cluster of tiny houses accessed through 2 metre wide roads, and a surprisingly large church. Several times a week the fishmonger and the grocer visit in their mobile shops.

Eric Newby described his War time experiences in the hills above the house in " Love and War in the Appenines".
Dante stayed in the nearby Castle at Fostinovo. You can look out of his bedroom window over the hills to the sea below.

Wander through any of the small towns, Pontremoli perhaps, or Bagnone, stop to pick up fresh local produce from the market, pop into the church to see a medieval wood carved crusafix, catch a view from the ramparts of a castle then return home and enjoy lunch under the pergola, looking out at the marble tipped Apli Apuane.

You can swim in either the scenic 50 metre outdoor pool at Villafranca, or there is river bathing 5 minutes drive away, at one of the deep rock pools, popular with local people.

There are medieval fairs held in several of the local towns in the summer, with outdoor theatre performances,craft markets, and regional food. Nearby Sarzana holds an annual, 2 week nationally famous antiques fair. Several of the villages hold recitals and concerts in the piazza throughout the summer.

The local restaurants cater mostly for Italians and serve regional specialities: parmesan and prosciutto from nearby Parma, home made ravioli, wild boar, porcini, tagliata, a fabulous sliced roast beef, and home made pesto from nearby Genoa.

Lunigiana is a walker's paradise. You can chose between the great Appenine Ridge ( 30 minutes away) or the Alpi Apuane, with its marble slopes ( 40 minutes) or the Cinque Terre National park. You can use our local guide, Franco Ressa who lives in the hamlet and speaks English, and we have comprehensive maps and information at the house for several day and half day walks.


There is also a Go Ape tree top assault course park for the more adventurous.

How to get there

Airports:
Pisa and Parma 1 hour both served by Ryanair and BA.
Genoa 1½ hour served by BA, Easyjet and Ryan Air.

A bargain can alawys be found between the 3 accessible airports.

The train stations at Villafranca and Aulla can take you to, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, La Spezia, Parma and Bologna, and are a nice change from driving.

Activities near Bagnone

Facilities

Further details indoors:
Bedrooms:
Master room with Queen bed, original tiled floor. En-suite. beautiful view.
Bedroom 2 with twin. Oak beamed ceiling. En-suite. Own terrace.
Bedroom 3 large twin. Original tiled floor. Fabulous view
Bedroom 4 with double bed. Next door to bathroom.

Bathrooms:
En-suite to bedroom 1. Shower, marble top with bowl wash basin and WC
En-suite to bedroom 2. Shower, WC, marble wash stand with bowl wash basin.
Large family bathroom with bath, old white marble wash basin from the original kitchen, WC and shower.

Kitchen:
High ceiling kitchen with seating for 6/8 under the large window looking onto the Alps. Range cooker 90cms, 2 ovens, 5 burners. Fridge, freezer, dishwasher toaster. Large range of chef's equipment.

Utility Room:
Washing machine. Ironing board. Clothes drying rack.

Living Rooms:
Living room. 2 sofas, 2 armchairs, 2 coffee tables, wood burning stove, TV, DVD, large stack of DVDs. CD player with iPod connection. Cosy in winter, cool and comfortable in summer. Dining room. Large oak table, seating for 10.

Other:
Cantina (store room) with 2 bikes, helmets and lock. BBQ

No air conditioning necessary, as the metre thick walls keep the house cool in summer. The grounds are not secure so care must be taken with children. The heating was installed with the new renovation in 2008 and is very efficient, but the wood-burning stove is cosy and cuts the cost of gas.

Further details outdoors:
The house is set in an acre of private land including a large garden, all overlooking the mountains. There are several beautiful outdoor spaces for eating/dining/relaxing: a partly covered terrace attached to the house, a 6x4m traditionally built tiled pergola for dining and lounging, and a terrace outside the twin en-suite bedroom.

All areas overlook the rolling hills and the white capped Carrara marble mountains beyond. There are any number of spots around the grounds under olive trees for your sun lounger. A large Weber BBQ is available.

Further details

Contact by email or phone.
A 25% deposit will be required to secure the booking. The balance, along with a damage deposit of £250, is due 8 weeks before the holiday.

Rent includes bed linen, towels and cleaning.

Gas for central heating is charged at cost.

Conditions

Towels and bed linen included. Changed weekly.


There are 10 steps to the front door, and 10 steps down from the kitchen to the garden. Not suitable for wheelchair users. Medieval hamlets were not built with cars in mind. The streets are really just paths, so you must park on the edge of the village and walk 50 metres.

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
July - August	16 Jul 09	1 Sep 09	850£ 850	0-	0-	1 Week
September - October	1 Sep 09	1 Nov 09	750£ 750	0-	0-	1 Week
November - February	1 Nov 09	1 Mar 10	600£ 600	0-	0-	1 Week
March - April	1 Mar 10	1 May 10	700£ 700	0-	0-	1 Week
May - June	1 May 10	1 Jul 10	750£ 750	0-	0-	1 Week
July - August	1 Jul 10	1 Sep 10	850£ 850	0-	0-	1 Week

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.

Please note that Christmas will be priced at £700 for a week.

Rental includes bed linen and towels

Rental includes cleaning

Prices are for the property per week in UK pounds. Ask about lower prices for fewer people off season.

Changeover day is flexible. Arrival not before 4pm, departure by 10am.

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Guestbook for Casa dell'Olivo

"This is a lovely house in a spectacular hilltop setting, right in the middle of a very interesting and little visited part of Italy. The cosy hamlet is picture book lovely. The walks and drives are wonderful - mountains medieval towns, castles. "
Brian Cathcart 2008

"We have just spent a wonderful week at Corvarola. The days out were great and there were plenty of lovely places to visit but just as enjoyable were the days spent in the comfortable house and garden, admiring the fantastic view while reading, sleeping, eating and drinking. You can't get much closer to perfection than this!"
nicky gill 2009

Availability

See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here

Send Enquiry

To contact this advertiser please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/95622

Contact details for the advertiser of home 95622
Name:	Sally Barrett
Tel:	+44 (0)208 4420371
Mobile:	+44 771 3159046
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Advertiser joined: Jul 2009