Albiano Il Castello

This villa is a wonderful newly refurbished 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom Villa, which has been renovated, and equipped with quality and care to give a truly relaxing holiday!

The villa sleeps 6 guests plus 1 child on a pull out bed.

The property has been designed to take full advantage of the wonderful views of Barga and the mountains beyond, seen from the house, gardens and private solar heated pool.

This gorgeous house has been fully modernised, but has not lost its rustic charm, with traditional cotto floors, beamed ceilings, barn style windows in some rooms, and character features throughout. This all blends seamlessly with the modern comforts of brand new fully equipped kitchen, and the new bathrooms....

The property is just a stone's throw froma popular restaurant, a short walk from a bar and there is a daily bread and pastry delivery van in the piazza below at 9:30 in the mornings (not Sunday). The villa is just a 5 minute drive from the wonderful mediaeval town of Barga, which is known for its great food, music, art and stunning views.

There are 3 bedrooms, and 4 bathrooms, 2 of which are en-suite . One of the bathrooms has the benefit of a bath tub.

There is a welcoming open plan living/diner with fireplace, TV, WIFI , and a brand new fully equipped modern kitchen. Each of the living areas has doors leading out to the terrace, making the most of the amazing views.

Outside, there is a covered loggia area leading from the kitchen, for al fresco dining with a mountain backdrop.

There is a further pergola area providing shade to the side of the house, and also there will be a gazebo by the pool with furniture for relaxing.

The pool is brand new, and is 10M x 5M . It is fully surrounded by sunbathing terraces from which one can relax and enjoy the countryside and the views, and there are lights for nocturnal swims.

Ground floor:

• Enter property via double doors into the open plan living diner with comfy seating, flat screen TV, and fireplace.
• Dining table with plenty of dining for 6.
• Both rooms have doors leading out to terrace.
• Kitchen - wonderful spacious kitchen again with doors leading outside to outdoor living area, fully equipped with oven, hob, fridge/freezer, microwave,and dishwasher. Washing machine. Breakfast bar
• Ground floor shower room.

First floor:

• Double bedroom with king size bed - spacious room with en suite shower room.
• Double bedroom with king size bed- pull out single bed under which is suitable for a child to sleep on. En-suite shower room .
• Bunk bed room sleeping 2 - short beds
• Family bathroom with bathtub and shower.

Outside:

• Fully fenced and gated garden with outstanding mountain views and a wonderful vista of Barga too.
• Covered dining area leading from kitchen for al fresco treats.
• Further covered relaxing area to side and front of house.
• BBQ.
• Private pool - fully surrounded with tiled sunbathing area complete with sunbeds and umbrellas. Pool is 10M x 5M with internal steps and is lit at night for nocturnal swims. The pool is solar heated, and there is also a night cover to keep in temperature.
• Parking
• Laundry room 

 Heating, if required is Eu 15/day.

A little about the area

Situated in Albiano, with stunning views of Barga, and the mountains beyond, this property is a perfect retreat, less than a 5 minute drive from the Mediaeval town of Barga, with its hilly windy cobbled streets, duomos, 10th Century cathedral and ancient architecture. Barga is also renowned in the area for its good quality, but reasonably priced restaurants. There are often outdoor concerts/plays performed many times free of charge with performances ranging from Rock and Pop, to Jazz and the Classics.

The property is within a stone's throw of a good restaurant, a short walk to the village bar, and just above where the bread van arrives each morning with bread and pastries (9:30 am, and no delivery Sundays). This is a rare advantage in this rural area.

Places to visit:

• Castelnuovo - local market town - 15 mins 
• Lucca - beautiful fully walled mediaeval city, the birthplace of Puccini - 50 mins 
• Verrucole - 35 mins - local fortress with stunning views and interactive tour/museum good for children
• Adventure park Levegliese - 25 mins - rock climbing, river canyoning, canoeing and some zip wires. 
• Buffardello park - 30 mins - zip wire and tree climbing adventure park. Ideal forsmall children, right up to the most adventurous of adults - many different courses to choose from.
• Grotta del Vento - 30 mins - massive wind cave system and tours
• Pisa - 1 hr 15 mins
• Florence 1 hr 40 mins
• The coast - the Versilian coast is a 1 hr 20 min drive away either via motorway, or via the stunning Apuane mountains
• Strada del Vino - 50 mins - wine roads of Lucca 
• National Park of Orecchiella - 45 mins 
• Vagli 

These are just some suggestions since hilltop villages abound, and exploring can be either townie or totally rural - the choice is yours, if you can tear yourselves away from the house and the pool area.

 NB - final part of access is via a narrow road. Access is passable even with a large car, with care. If guests have concerns, car can be left in village car park 100M away but walk back up to house is very steep.