May take pets - please enquire Suitable for children No smoking at this property Self-catering
Home description
Casa dell'Ava a lovely three-bedroom holiday home set in the Alps, on the Swiss-Italian border. We are about halfway between Lake Como and St. Moritz - at the end of Engadina, a beautiful valley that gets 320 days of sunshine a year and is surrounded by some of the most dramatic mountains in the Alps. The house itself is about 300 years old and built from stone. It is perched on a sunny hillside 10mins above Chiavenna, with a splendid view over the mountains. The house and area offers an unbeatable location for mountain holidays, whether you want to walk, ski or just relax. This comes partly from the sunshine and the lovely mountains of the central Alps, partly from the charm of the house and village, and partly from eating out in some of the very many outstanding local restaurants.
The Times Ecotourism choice - Nov 2006 "Alpine Dolce Vita" - The Daily Mail - February 2007 "A lovely house in the breathtaking Engadine valley" - The Italian Magazine - March 2007
WINTER ACTIVITIES + SKIING We ski from the house at either St Moritz or Madesimo - 45mins and 15mins from Chiavenna. For full list of winter activities see below
Village views
Pianazzola village (left) and Engadina
To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/16033
The Lombardy / Bergamo Alps/Sondrio region
The House is situated in an area of outstanding beauty close to three of the largest National Parks in the Alps, covering a massive 2000Km2 - these are the Swiss National Park (www.nationalpark.ch), Stelvio National Park (www.stelviopark.it), and Orobie Valtellinesi Park (www.parcorobievalt.com)
The area is rich in wildlife and has some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the Alps. The parks contain many protected species of wildlife including Golden Eagles, Ibex, Bearded Vultures, Capercaille and Fire Salamanders. There is talk of Lynx and wolves arriving back into the area and famously Brown Bears have recently been reintroduced into the Adamello Brenta National Park which adjoins the Stelvio National Park
Chiavenna / Engadina area
Pianazzola is a charming mountain village perched on the mountainside above Chiavenna. There are about 60 stone-built houses, and while you can reach the village by car, you can only enter on foot, which makes it a peaceful spot. It sits on a south facing hill above a large zone of vineyards and below a large forest of chestnut. Pianazzola has a panoramic view across Engadina, which stretches from the top of Lake Como, into Switzerland. Since ancient times, these valleys were an important route between Northern Italy and central Europe. Fortunately Valchiavenna has not remained a major arterial route, but it is relatively easy to get here from Milan (90mins from Linate, Bergamo or Malpensa airports) of Zurich (2h30min). High above are some of the most spectacular mountains in the Alps, where famous Italian mountaineers like Cassin pioneered routes. Some of the mountains like Pizzo Cengalo and Piz Badile have granite spires and rock faces over a kilometre high
ACTIVITIES Here are some suggestions of what to do (for more details see our website)
WINTER/SPRING - 1 week - 2/3 days skiing at Madesimo and a day in St Moritz - A day exploring Pianazzola and Chiavenna, walking up to Crotto Belvedere for lunch in a 'cave restaurant' in front of their roaring fire - A wintery walk past the ice falls of Val Febbraro - Lunch in Soglio (CH) and a walk up the dizzy granite peaks in Val Bondasca - A day on Lake Como - wander through the narrow streets of Varenna, before having a lakeside pizza
WINTER SPRING - 2 weeks. The ideas above plus - Back to the ski slopes for a day or two. - Walk up the spectacular gorge to Codera, staying overnight in the rifugio. Spend the evening drinking wine and roasting chestnuts on the fire using their special chestnut pan - Curl up on the sofa in front of our wood burning stove and catch up on all those books you wanted to read. Nip down for a swim and a sauna in the afternoon in Chiavenna, before a meal at the excellent Trattoria Uomo Selvatico - Visit Val di Mello to see if you agree that it looks like Yosemite National Park
SUMMER/AUTUMN - 1 week - A day exploring Pianazzola and Chiavenna, walking up to Crotto Belvedere for lunch - Lunch in Soglio (CH) and a wander up Val Bondasca to see the dizzy granite peaks - A spectacular day canyoning in Val Bodengo - A day on lake Como - take the car ferry from Bellano to Menaggio and then wander around the lovely gardens of Villa Carlotta
SUMMER/AUTUMN - 2 weeks. The ideas above plus - Walk or ride following the old route of the spectacular "tracciolino" mountain railway near Val Codera - Lie in the sunshine and read in the meadows at Val di Mello and gawp at the scenery in Europes 'Yosemite' national park - Ask in the tourist office where the mountain 'festa' is. Each weekend, locals in one of the villages celebrate the summer with a barbecue and wine - open to all. Make a day walk to the village and help them celebrate! - Take the lift up to Albigna to see the high mountains the easy way. Walk 45mins to Rifugio Albigna for lunch at the end of a glacier - For the ultimate mountain experience, make the two day walk up Val Bondasca to see the stunning Piz Badile, Sciora spires, and the kilometre high rock face of Pizzo Cengalo. Stay in Rifugio Sciora overnight.
How to get there
The house is situated in the mountains halfway between lake Como and St Moritz in Switzerland. It is 90mins by car from Milan or Linate, Malpensa or Bergamo airports. For full travel details see our website
Nearest Travel Links
Airport:
Milan Linate, Malpensa or Bergamo airports: 110 km
Railway:
Chiavenna: 5 km
Activities near Chiavenna
Sports: Ski resort location Tennis in town Watersports Horse Riding
Great for: Walking holidays Rural / countryside retreats Cycling holidays
Sofabeds (1), Single beds (4), Double beds (1), Cots (1), Dining seating for 6, Lounge seating for 6, Sleeps maximum of 6
Other:
Linen provided, please check with the advertiser regarding towels. Highchair available.
Outdoors:
Balcony / Terrace
Further details indoors: The house has recently been completely restored in keeping with the local area
Further details
RESPONSIBLE TOURISM The house has been restored in a way sympathetic to its style and age, however where possible we have introduced ways to conserve energy and water
- Heating and hot water for the house is provided using a stove that runs on recycled paper pellets. We are intending to install solar panels which will link to our hot water system. All electricity for the house is provided from hydroelectric schemes via an electricity coop run from the local town. Double glazed windows have been fitted throughout the house - The house has a shower (a good one!) rather than a bath, in addition both toilets are new and have a reduced water flush - Split waste disposal is available in bins at the entrance to the village (paper, plastic, cardboard, glass) and further split waste disposal (organic, metal) is available 6 days a week in the local town
More details are available on our website
Conditions
You have to walk about 200m from the car down steps to the house so we recommend you bring suitcases that you can carry! We do not allow smoking in the house, but you can smoke on the terrace
Rental rates
Rental prices originally quoted in: British £
Convert to:
Period
From
To
Weekly
Nightly rate
Minimum stay
Weekday
Weekend
18 Feb 08
23 Feb 08
790£790
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1 Week
23 Feb 08
1 Mar 08
670£670
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1 Week
1 Mar 08
22 Mar 08
490£490
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1 Week
22 Mar 08
12 Apr 08
670£670
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0-
1 Week
12 Apr 08
19 Apr 08
540£540
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1 Week
19 Apr 08
24 May 08
490£490
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1 Week
24 May 08
31 May 08
670£670
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1 Week
31 May 08
21 Jun 08
570£570
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1 Week
21 Jun 08
12 Jul 08
730£730
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1 Week
12 Jul 08
1 Sep 08
770£770
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1 Week
1 Sep 08
15 Sep 08
660£660
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1 Week
15 Sep 08
29 Sep 08
580£580
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1 Week
29 Sep 08
28 Oct 08
550£550
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1 Week
28 Oct 08
2 Dec 08
390£390
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1 Week
2 Dec 08
23 Dec 08
509£509
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1 Week
23 Dec 08
5 Jan 09
790£790
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1 Week
151
NB: Prices may be subject to change at the advertiser's discretion.
Availability
See below for next 9 months' availability - to see the next 24 months click here
Key:
11
12
Booked
11
12
Available
11
12
Unknown
11
12
Arrival/Departure dates
Send Enquiry
To contact this advertiser please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/16033
Contact details for the advertiser of home 16033
Name:
Richard Pash
Tel:
+44 (0)1672 870665
Be aware of time-zones Please mention Holiday Lettings when contacting this advertiser
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