Lucca holiday farmhouse rental, Collodi with shared pool, walking, log fire, balcony/terrace, rural retreat

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San Moscato (farmhouse)

Home description

Peaceful and secluded farmhouse in hilly country with wonderful views of surrounding wooded hills. Around the house are the owner's terraced olive groves and pinewood, ensuring privacy (only other nearby building is owner's chestnut-dryer tower converted to 2 person house, 'Moscatino', which is also available to let - look under 'Tuscany, Pescia' on this website). This part of Tuscany is still relatively unaffected by tourism and in the village the rustic life goes on as it always has, with forestry and olive husbandry. The area is much more hilly than the more southerly parts of Tuscany - it is not so stiflingly hot as the plain and there is dramatic scenery all around, with direct access for walkers to pleasant hills and the Appennine mountains within easy reach. There is a spring near the house, though we are now on mains water.

San Moscato	Sitting area
dining area	Tea on the patio

To see more photos please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/20768

The Tuscany region

What can I say about Tuscany that has not been said already? Only that Tuscany north of the SS.435 Lucca-Pistoia-Florence road is very different from the south, with abrupt hills and deep well-watered valleys stretching north-east to the Appennines rising to 6000ft.+ at Abetone and elsewhere. San Moscato is still very much in the foothills (1500 ft), well within the area of olive + vine cultivation. The village, Pariana, is something of an 'eagles' nest' standing on a spur overlooking the valley which runs up from Collodi to the pass to Bagni di Lucca. Because of the plentiful water the valley bottom has long been used for paper-making and there are still some mills in operation there, though others are being converted into apartments. In the hills the traditional rural pursuits were, and still are, olive, vine and vegetable cultivation, honey, chestnuts, forestry and boar-hunting. As you might expect from such a list, the locals take their cuisine seriously and there are a couple of excellent country restaurants in the valley with a vast selection of eateries further afield between Pescia and Lucca. Wild boar (cinghiale) stewed with olives is a local delicacy, as are funghi, and figs with dried meats, and vin santo with cantucci biscuits - I could go on. In Pariana, a steep 10-minutes' walk from San Moscato, is a bakery which also sells staple foodstuffs, and there is a bigger shop at Biecina, at the junction with the main road (3 kms) and supermarkets, banks, speciality pasta shops, market etc at Collodi & Pescia, 20 mins drive away. Climate is normal Italian, with long hot sunny spells, and very pleasant in spring and autumn, but can be less settled than in the plain.

Lucca / Collodi area

Collodi (10 kms south) is of some note, first as the place where Pinocchio was written, so it has its Parco di Pinocchio, and secondly for its recently restored Villa Garzoni with famous formal garden. The old village of Collodi is also very picturesque, as are the other villages on the flanks of the valley - Villa Basilica, Boveglio, Colognora, all 'eagles' nests' like Pariana itself. There are footpaths linking all these.

The road north up the valley goes over a pass with spectacular views to the Appennines and down to Bagni di Lucca, a nineteenth-century spa-town (still, of course, a spa with swimming etc) once home to the poet Shelley. This is also where the Linea Gotica passed in 1944 and there are memorials to the Italian resistance.

On the other side of the hills on which San Moscato stands, facing Lucca, are the Colline Lucchese doc vineyards and just the other side of the Lucca road are the Montecarlo doc vineyards.

I will not go into detail here over the cultural, shopping, promenading and other attractions of Lucca, our nearest substantial town, beyond saying that we never tire of visiting it. Its big festival is the Volto Santo, mid September. Pescia, which is closer, is smaller but has a lot to offer, as does the smart modern spa-town Montecatini Terme. Pisa, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano etc are within easy reach, some by rail.

There are coastal resorts all along the magnificent sandy beaches stretching north from Viareggio. Slightly further away there are dramatic rocky coasts starting at Bocca di Magra south of la Spezia which lead on to the Cinque Terre and Ligurian Riviera.

For swimming closer at hand there is a good pool at the Country Club Hotel 15 minutes away on the Lucca road and it is possible to paddle/dangle feet in the stream at the foot of our property which works the chestnut-mill.

For dramatic scenery/mountain walking there is the Garfagnana valley, accessible via Bagni di Lucca, with Appennines and Apuan Alps (marble quarries): for sea views there are the Pisan hills between Lucca and Pisa and for coastal walking the Bocca di Magra peninsula and Cinque Terre. There are shady forest walks from the house and in the adjacent hills. On our website is a detailed guide to local walking.

Puccini came from Lucca and there is a Puccini festival in Viareggio in July/August but advisable to book on-line. Theatre and concerts at Lucca etc. Various village 'festas' especially the one in Pariana in early August when they dance in the piazza.

Otherwise just lie in the sun (or shade)!

How to get there

San Moscato is at Pariana, a village in the hills about 15 kms. east of Lucca. From Lucca take the main road, turning left at Collodi onto the Collodi-Bagni di Lucca road, and Pariana is on a spur off that road. Alternatively reach Collodi from the Pisa-Lucca-Firenze autostrada. The most convenient airport is Pisa, to which budget airlines fly from Stansted, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds and many other airports. It is also accessible from Bologna or Genova airports. Cars may be hired from all these - we find best thing is to compare prices on-line. There is a daily bus-service to Pariana but not very frequent.

www.easyjet.com
www.ryanair.com
www.jet2.com

Activities near Lucca

Facilities

Further details indoors:
The house is light and airy and furnished for comfortable family holidays. The large bedroom is a magnificent room and easily accommodates up to 5 children. The master bedroom has a double bed and the third bedroom has two singles (which can be pushed together). There is sufficient garden furniture for whole days, including meals, to be spent outside in fine weather. There is a large open-hearth fire in the sitting/dining room & this + central heating make the house cosy and comfortable all the year round. Cooking, water heating & central heating by gas. Water used to come from the spring, but is now from the mains. Paved area in front of house may be used for (rather crude) badminton.

Further details outdoors:
Immediately around the house is garden/orchard, and beyond that the owner's terraced olive groves. The lower part of the property is steep wooded hillside, not cultivated, at the foot of which is a stream with a picturesque chestnut-grinding mill (not part of the property). Above the house is a small pine-wood (also belonging to the owners) screening the house from the village. Below the house, on the south side, is a terra-cotta paved patio giving wonderful views over the valley.
June 2008: We have just installed a 4.5 x 4.5metre pool which is in use for the use of occupants of this house and Moscatino which takes a maximum of 3 people.

Further details

San Moscato is looked after by a multi-generational family (grandparents, parents, grown-up daughters) in the village who are extremely helpful and obliging. The younger daughter speaks good English and cleans the house/changes linen weekly. Keys are generally to be collected from/returned to the family.

Conditions

Booking form with conditions may be downloaded from owner's website but basically:
- 25% deposit on booking, balance at least 6 wks before letting commences.
- £40 damage deposit.
- fixed £10 charge for services, central heating charged at £3 per day if used.
- changeover normally on Saturday.

Rental rates

Period	From	To	Weekly	Nightly rate		Minimum  stay
				Weekday	Weekend
Off peak	10 Nov 07	28 Jun 08	440£  440	7575	7575	4 Nights
Peak	28 Jun 08	6 Sep 08	580£  580	9595	9595	4 Nights
Off peak	6 Sep 08	27 Dec 08	440£  440	7575	7575	4 Nights

The owner's weekend rates apply to: Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights

NB: Prices may be subject to change at the owner's discretion.
Discount will be given of £100/wk (peak) & £50/wk (off-peak) for parties of 5 or fewer.
Special offer from 1st May 2008: If you book a full peak week, additional days up to a further week will be charged at half price. This can run in conjunction with the above discount.
£40 damage deposit required for each booking from which we take £10 for services and return balance at end of stay providing there are no significant breakages. In cooler months £3 per day charged for use of central heating.

Guestbook

"No rain - no noise - no problems - just fabulous weather, wonderul bread, incredible views - in short, a great holiday!" Oct 2006

"Lovely week staying here - beautiful countryside and views." Aug 2006

"Thank you Judy & Tony for providing such an enjoyable place to stay and enabling us to have a holiday which lived up to our greatest expectations." Sept 2005.

Availability notes

To see availability please visit http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/20768

Contact owner

To contact this owner please visit: http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/20768

Contact details for home 20768 Please mention Holiday Lettings
Name:	Tony Ridge
Tel:	+44 (0)1904 798190
Mobile:	+44 (0)7753 840178
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Languages:
Contact Notes: Phone all day
Advertiser joined: 7 Feb 2007 This property added: 7 Feb 2007

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