Traditional Villa with Private Pool In A Tiny Village Above Bagnone, Lunigiana, Northern Tuscany
Beautifully Restored, Fully Equipped, Views, Landscaped Gardens, Private Pool, Guides to the Area
Sleeps up to 6 (3 Bedrooms)
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Al Palazz is part of a centuries-old group of houses, church and farm, set on a square. Staying here offers a real taste of rural Italian life. Sleeping up to six in great comfort, it's spacious for sharing with friends/family, and a romantic retreat for two (reduced prices for 2 or 3/4 guests). The market town of Bagnone (1.5km) has all services and restaurants. Kitchen, dining area, snug on first floor; two double bedrooms/bathrooms, large sitting room with heavenly views on second floor. Option to add ground floor cantina (not let separately) with shower-room, galley kitchen, sitting & bedroom areas. Private pool & changing rooms set in landscaped hillside gardens. Sunbathe & swim, sit & read, laze & gaze at the view, barbeque & watch the stars. Sample superb local food & wine; explore streams, woods, hill towns & castles. The Cinque Terre and Italian Riviera are an hour away; Lucca, Parma, Genoa, Pisa, Florence easy day trips. Our House Books help you make the most of your stay.
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| Rental Period | Per Night | Per Week | Per Month | Min. Stay (Nights) |
| 18 May 2012 - 6 July 2012 | £1650 | 7 | ||
| 6 July 2012 - 31 August 2012 | £2100 | 7 | ||
| 31 August 2012 - 28 September 2012 | £1650 | 7 | ||
| 28 September 2012 - 24 May 2013 | £1260 | 7 | ||
| 24 May 2013 - 12 July 2013 | £1650 | - | ||
| 12 July 2013 - 6 September 2013 | £2100 | - | ||
| 6 September 2013 - 27 September 2013 | £1650 | - | ||
| 27 September 2013 - 3 January 2014 | £1260 | - |
Notes on prices
10% DISCOUNT for fortnight bookings (or longer).
REDUCED RATES for 2-4 GUESTS, for villa without groundfloor cantina:
* Two guests: £750 low season/£990 mid season/ £1,260 high season
* Three-four guests: £1,070 low season/£1,400 mid season/£1,800 high season
Long Weekend Rate in low or mid season weeks: Book Friday-Monday (4 nights) and enjoy a relaxing long weekend before heading off to Lucca, Parma, Genoa, Florence, Siena ... or home. Cost is 60% of weekly prices. Simple.
Changeover day
Change over day is fixed as Friday during April to October inclusive. This ensures that house, garden and pool cleaning services can be provided, and gives you the full weekend to enjoy.
Flexible changeovers available November to March.
Accommodation
| Bedrooms: | Bedroom 1 - luxury super-kingsize bed, which can also be two singles, views over valley. Bedroom 2 – luxury kingsize bed, which can also be two singles, views over the square. Bedroom 3 in cantina - luxury kingsize bed, contemporary furnishing. |
| Bathrooms: | Bathroom 1 whirlpool bath, shower, bidet, basin, WC, shaver point, heated towel rail. Bathroom 2 shower, bidet, WC, basin, shaver point, heated rail. Bathroom 3 (in ground floor cantina apartment) shower, bidet, WC, basin, shaver point, heated rail. |
| Kitchen: | Steps up to main door into kitchen. Two-seat terrace overlooking square. Gas hob/electric oven, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, traditional units. Cooking equipment, basic ingredients, cookbooks, cleaning materials. Marble table seats six. |
| Living Rooms: | Two arches from kitchen into dining/sitting areas. Antique table opens for eight. Two sofas in snug. Satellite TV, videos, DVDs, CD player, cards, games, maps, guidebooks. Stone stairs up to large sitting room, seating eight, heavenly views. Wi-fi. |
| Other: | Internal stairs lead down to the cantina. Once a storeroom, the cantina has been converted into a separate stylish modern apartment, beautifully cool in summer (galley kitchen, sofa, king-size bed, shower-room. For renting only with the main villa. |
| Cleaning/towels/ linen/maid service: |
Weekly change of linen and bathroom towels, and weekly basic cleaning, are included. The villa is well-stocked with cleaning materials and cooking items. Guests are expected to clean the villa before they leave and replace any items they finish. |
| Amenities/Facilities: | hob/stove oven fridge/freezer fridge dishwasher washing machine iron/ironing board satellite tv telephone internet access central heating room fans cot high chair barbecue private pool (for sole use of guests) pool heating |
| Location Type: | rural village |
Notes on accommodation
In hillside villages, houses are close together on flat outcrops, with gardens on surrounding slopes. You’ll have Italian neighbours - Al Palazz (‘the big house’ in dialect) fronts onto the square, the farm and its kitchen garden, and adjoins the church tower (chimes midday, early evening, and Mass), a small B&B, and a neighbour's house. As is usual in old houses, the main entrance is on the first floor, with a cantina (storeroom) below. The cantina door is under the arch, and the gate to the gardens & pool is just round the corner on a public alleyway (see photos). There are hairdryers in all bathrooms, Wi-fi, iPod docking station, CD players, English & Italian books, DVDs, games. Satellite TV - Italian channels, CNN, BBC World. Cot & booster seats for babies.
Large rooms, tiled floors & shutters keep the villa cool in summer. Central heating & wood-burning stoves for cooler months. Duvets and bedcovers for all seasons, and bedroom fans. No smoking, no pets.
Accessibility
There are two flights of stairs in the villa and three flights in the hillside gardens, where some drops are unfenced to preserve the views. There are handrails on the staircases and low safety rails for the second floor sitting room windows. We do not recommend the property for children under-eight, or for people who are infirm or who might have difficulty on old stone staircases. Note also: the cantina bed is a double, so the villa is only suitable for families with up to three children.
Outside
The gardens are south-facing and landscaped. Cross the alleyway, go through the gate, and down the first stairs to reach the top terrace, next to the farmhouse kitchen garden. Laze on the swing seat or lunch at a shaded table for six.
Down the next stairs you reach the extensive main gardens (1 acre). A terrace shaded by a grape vine leads through rose arches overlooking flowerbeds and a small lawn to a large covered terrace overlooking the pool, with gas barbeque, dining table and chairs, table tennis,.
The pool on the lower level is solar heated (late May to late Sep). It’s 11m x 4m x 1.4m, with steps. Swim looking east to the gardens, south to the castle, west to the hills. Changing rooms, showers, WC, comfortable loungers, fridge, outdoor tableware. Gardens can be lit at night, or sit by candlelight and watch the fireflies.
From the pool, a path through an orchard in the making leads to our off-road parking space. There is also parking on-road and in the square by the house.
Coast/Beach
The picturesque port and beaches of Lerici are just 45 minutes/40km away. Portovenere and the Cinque Terre, tiny villages clinging to a rocky coastline, are an hour/50km away and can also be reached by train or boat. The full Italian beach experience – sun loungers, umbrellas, all facilities - can be found at Marina di Massa (about an hour) and beyond. There are also many local crystal-clear streams for paddling, dam-building and swimming locally. Full details in our detailed out & about book.
Travel
Nearest airports are Pisa (1 hour), Genoa or Parma (1.5 hours). All have car hire. You can also get here in a few hours from cities with airports and stations throughout northern and central Italy, including Bologna, Rome, Milan, Turin, Venice. Nearest stations are Aulla, Villafranca-Bagnone, Pontremoli. The villa is 20 minutes from the A15 motorway exit and railway stations. A car gets you round more easily, but guests have also managed on foot and with trains, taxis, buses.
Distances
A short drive, or a 20-minute walk down the hill on a track through the woods, takes you to Bagnone - a lovely small town with bars, restaurants, all shops, doctors, pharmacy, post office, banks, play park.
15-30 mins driving takes you to many villages, Villafranca, historic Pontremoli and modern Aulla. There are good restaurants, excellent markets and specialist food shops.
30-60 mins lets you explore Lunigiana (see below). Pisa, Lucca, Parma are 75 mins away, Genoa 90 mins, Florence 2 hour
Further details
The villa is most suitable for people who are looking for a peaceful holiday in a family home, who will enjoy the chance to live in a village and explore an unspoilt part of Tuscany with deep-rooted values and many local traditions. Our detailed House Books, rated highly by guests, cover the property, the area, and eating out. We are also available by phone for queries on arrival and for any issues during your stay.
The towns and villages of Lunigiana are small gems - wander cobbled streets and squares, historic castles, churches, houses, museums. Go north up the Magra valley to Mulazzo, which has a wonderful castle and main square, and on to Zeri where there’s a stone 'sheep village'. Go east up the Taverone valley to the villages of Licciana Nardi and Tavernelle, and the national park with dozens of lakes. Or take the hill road to Fivizzano, a walled town at the head of a golden valley, with botanical gardens at Frignoli, and a thermal spa and caves at Equi Terme. Go south to Fosdinovo, with its medieval castle and modern Resistance Museum, to Carrara, old Luni, and elegant Sarzana, near the coast.
Many guests mix days at the villa and by the pool with days in the valleys, at the seaside, in the mountains, seeing city sights, or going to the opera (Puccini & Verdi are local). Wherever you go, we can signpost you to good local food and wine - Parma ham, Parmesan, pecorino, chestnuts, porcini mushrooms, lamb and wild boar are specialties.
Spring brings the first visitors, flowers and food festivals. It’s a good time for walking in the valleys and on moorland meadows. In summer the area bustles with a sagra (food festival), fair, dance or concert at every turn, and you can sometimes see shooting stars. In the autumn you can swim till late September, when it's time for the grape harvest; in October there are chestnut festivals and wonderful walking as the woods turn golden. Winters are mostly mild with some sunny days for walking and evenings by warm fires.
Booking notes
Rentals run 4pm Friday - 10am Friday to allow for turn-round cleaning.
Long weekends (4pm Friday – 10am Tuesday) are available in Low and Mid Season (see Pricing).
We ask you to complete a form with our terms & conditions and pay a non-refundable deposit of £200 to secure your booking. The outstanding payment, and refundable £100 breakages deposit is due six weeks before your stay. On receipt we send you full arrival instructions.
Guest comments
“Al Palazz is situated in the most breath-taking location, a place of total peace with views like something in a fairy-tale. A breath of fresh air to stay in a house so obviously loved. Absolutely everything had been thought of, clearly explained and easy to find. Perfect for exploring the mountains, the valleys and the coast.” (SP, 2011, rebooked 2012)
“The web information is very good but even the photos don't do justice to the view! We have rented many properties, and this was probably the best, certainly the best equipped. The pool was very impressive. Your arrival instructions and the written material at the house were excellent. The family were impressed with your DVD collection; I enjoyed the Italian histories!” (MS, 2010)
“We had one of the most relaxing and enjoyable holidays we can remember. We loved the stunning views, exceptionally comfortable beds and chairs, glorious outside areas, great pool, cooking on the BBQ and eating on the large terrace.” (JD, 2009)
Owner profile
David and Jane Wolfson, owners of Al Palazz
About the owner
We fell in love with Italian cities in the 1990s, and wanted to get to know Italy better. We chanced on Lunigiana through a rental agency, and three summers later fell in love again with our own Italian ruin. The house is now fully restored and the gardens and pool have turned out better than our wildest dreams! People sometimes ask why we rent our Italian home, which is very special to us. Simple. Old houses like light and air, and renting to careful guests when we are not in Italy means that it is lived in more and we can maintain it in great condition. We rented holiday houses ourselves for 25 years, and have drawn on that experience – that’s why beds and armchairs are comfortable, the kitchen is fully equipped, there are lots of household basics and no hidden extras in the price.
Year purchased: 2001
Why the owner chose a home in this location
Lunigiana is ‘undiscovered Tuscany’. It is very rural, authentic, with little tourism (and relatively little English). It's the land of a million stars and a hundred castles, of small towns and villages in valleys which lead from the mountains to the sea. We like being close to the rhythm of the year - what's on, what's available to eat, depends on the weather and the season. We find it a great place to relax, on our own or with friends or family. Guests agree: “Nothing can beat the view from the sitting room and the garden and the sound of church bells. It really does refresh the soul!” (MK 2009) “We had a wonderful two weeks doing nothing. We planned to go to Florence, but downgraded this to Lucca and then abandoned even that! Mochignano clearly exists in its own time zone.” (BD, 2009)
Unique benefits of the property
Guests rate the villa, gardens & pool highly. We price rentals flexibly, so that Al Palazz can be a romantic retreat, a family holiday home, or a place to stay with friends. Guests say our House Books covering the property, the area, and eating out, are very helpful. We know the area well, and are happy to answer any questions, before or during your stay. “We were bowled over by your beautifully restored home high amongst the Tuscan hills. The view from the sitting room was a little taste of heaven, scented with a gentle breeze that flowed up the valley. It had everything we could wish for. Our friends commented that you could tell a lot about people by what fills their home, and they thought you would be easy to befriend!” (CP, 2008). We look forward to having you to stay as guests too.
For booking and further information
Property Ref IT4479
(UNITED KINGDOM) +44 7770571902
Owners Website: Click here
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Property Ref IT4479
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