Villa à Fivizzano

Country estate with a large six bedroom villa, outbuilding, swimming pool, tennis court and land.

The property is situated on a sunny hillside just out of the medieval market town of Fivizzano in a quiet location. A gated paved drive leads to the main house with ample parking.

The villa (370 sqm) is entered to an entrance hall, cloakroom with WC, and into a very large living room/dining room with a huge fireplace, opening onto large terrace with superb views over the vineyard and olive groves. There is a farmhouse style kitchen with feature fireplace and a larder. Upstairs is an original, wide, stone staircase which leads to the landing with six bedrooms and four bathrooms. The first bedroom has an ensuite bathroom with shower, there is a second large bedroom with rose marble bathroom with bath, a third bedroom, a bathroom with shower, and a fourth bedroom. A door off the landing leads to two double bedrooms and bathroom with shower. On the ground floor is a large basement room opening onto covered portico and garden and a cantina/laundry room.

The large outbuilding (77 sqm) comprises an entrance hall to living room with fireplace, nicely fitted kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a lovely covered porch in stone with wood beams with a large wooden table shaded area with a wood fired pizza oven/barbecue, just perfect for socialising with friends.

The large swimming pool (16m x 6m) with outbuilding with kitchen, bathroom with shower and store rooms and shaded porch. The swimming pool terracing was fully retiled in 2022. To complete the estate is a tennis court which requires some restoration work. The land extends to around 2.7 hectares (or around 6 acres) and is of some fruit orchards, meadows and woodlands. Further land available of 20 hectares (50 acres).

Central heating with gas. New double glazed windows. New insulated roof (2022).

The property is in the heart of beautiful countryside with the larger town of Fivizzano just on the doorstep. Often referred to as the Florence of Lunigiana, this medieval walled town is both beautiful and practical with supermarkets, restaurants and coffee bars. The bustling town hosts many cultural events over the summer with concerts in the piazza and reenactments of medieval parades and with its musical heritage the town also attracts international musicians during its annual folk music festival. There is a hospital, shops and restaurants in the town.

There are many great day trips to explore. Lucca is a beautiful Tuscan town protected by massively thick 16th-century walls, featuring some of Italy’s finest medieval and Renaissance architecture, superb dining, antique markets, classical and rock music at the Lucca Summer Festival and with easy access to stunning nearby villas in the surrounding hills. The central Piazza dell’Anfiteatro in the centre is stunning. Pietrasanta is a historic medieval and artistic town in northern Tuscany sometimes called the City of the Artists or Small Athens for its marble studios and monuments. It is an important centre for working marble and was used as a marble source by Michelangelo. And, of course, the art and architectural treasures of Florence are a must.

The Ligurian coastline is within easy reach. The Cinque Terre (UNESCO World Heritage site) is made up of the five fishing villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore and the 18km of coastal walks along the old mule-tracks between them, the most famous of which is the Via dell’Amore. Just south of the Cinque Terre is Portovenere where you can catch a ferry to the Cinque Terre or to Lerici, swim at Byron’s Bay or visit one of the islands Palmaria, Tino or Tinetto. The villages of Lerici and San Terenzo, each with impressive castles, face each other across the Gulf of the Poets and Tellaro has been named as one of the top 100 most beautiful hamlets in Italy. Neighbouring Fiascherino is just as beautiful. In addition to being known as a seaside tourist town, Viareggio is famous for its Carnival in February and the Puccini Festival during July and August. So the Ligurian coastline offers endless possibilities for days swimming or sailing, or for catching a boat trip or for simply taking a ’passeggiata al mare’ and sipping an aperitivo.

The Ligurian coastline is special and Lunigiana, the northernmost part of Tuscany, is magical. The rolling landscape is liberally sprinkled with castles of Medici or Malaspina vintage and the year round calendar of festivals offer wonderful local specialities to try in each of the ancient towns and villages. The airports of Pisa, Parma and Genova are all just over an hour away.

Distances: Fivizzano on the doorstep, Aulla (motorway and trains) 15 km, Lerici (beaches) 30 km, Cinque Terre 40 km, Lucca 90 km, Pisa (airport) 95 km.