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Property |
Location |
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Casa A Corte |
Near Lucca, Tuscany, Italy |
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One-off feature |
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A Corte is a beautiful, restored villa in Tuscany of Roman origin with private pool, near the hamlet of Gugliano in the foothills of the beautiful Garfagnana mountains. The house is on a hillside within a valley and offers unimaginable views & tranquility to those seeking total relaxation. Distant church bells and choirs can even be heard from the valley... |
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Property Info |
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Accommodation Type:
| Farmhouse |
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Property Setting:
| Rural |
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Holiday Type:
| Relaxing / Family / Sports & activity / Culture |
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Bedrooms:
| 4 |
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Guests:
| 8 |
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Catering:
| self-catering |
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General Info |
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The house is encircled by lawns, vineyards, olive groves, pasture, mountain streams and chestnut woodland. However, the lively city of Lucca is only 20 mins away by car & offers everything one could wish for,whether it be fine dining, shopping, sight-seeing or cycling around the ancient walls during the 'passegiata' at sunset.
The house is well situated to visit Florence & Siena, the seaside resorts of Forti di Marmi & Viareggio, walks and boat trips along the stunning Cinque Terra & the beautiful mountains of the Garfagnana.
Set in a 30 acre estate, producing wine and olive oil, the house has 3 large terraces and private swimming pool to unwind and enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. There is a well maintained garden and the lovely pool enjoys sunshine throughout the day. |
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Details on the area surrounding the property/accommodation |
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A Corte is in a quiet,lovely farming hamlet of Gulgiano, 15 minutes north of Lucca in the foothills of the Garfagnana mountains. This is a beautiful area full of charm and history. The climate allows outdoor eating generally from Easter to the Olive harvest in November. |
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Getting there & away/local amenities |
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Getting There:
| Nearest airport to this villa in Tuscany is Pisa (40km) which has flights with BA, Easy Jet & RyanAir. Genoa, Forli & Bologna airports are about 2 hours away.
Train service to Lucca (15km) from Rome, Genoa, Florence, and Ponte A Moriano.(7km)
Lucca has a good local bus service to Gugliano twice a day
Motorway at Lucca- 15km |
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Nearest airports:
| Pisa 40 km |
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Nearest train station:
| Ponte A Moriano 7 km |
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Nearest ferry terminal:
| Livorno |
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Nearest bus stop:
| 800m |
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Car Hire:
| Advised |
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Nearest restaurant:
| Walk Pizzeria/Bar 25 mins. Restaurants 8 mins/car |
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Nearest beach:
| Viareggio & Forti di Marmi - 30 km |
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Nearest shop:
| Deli at bar 25 mins walk. Town/market 7km |
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Nearest market:
| Ponte A Moriano has a good local market 7km |
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More Info |
Owner Info |
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Name |
Hugh Johnson |
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Contact Phone No. |
0039 0583 353 125 |
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Accommodation details |
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Activities Nearby |
Art & Craft / Birdwatching / Climbing / Cooking / Cycling / Fishing / Horse Riding / Skiing / Tennis / Walking
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Interior Facilities |
CD Player / Cot / Dishwasher / DVD player / Highchair / Internet Access / Linen provided / Maid Service / Satellite TV / Television / Washing Machine
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Interior Details |
The property has been sympathetically restored retaining original beamed ceilings and antique cotto floors. The interior is comfortable and stylish benefiting from central heating, dish washer, washing machine, fully equipped kitchen, satellite tv, unlimited broadband, exterior and pool lighting, mosquito blinds, plus antique Tuscan furniture, paintings and photographs.
The house is set out on three floors. The ground floor has a kitchen, dining room, both with access to the kitchen terrace, toilet & shower room with washing machine. The first floor has a comfortable sitting room which is exceptionally well equipped for families who enjoy books and board games, plus satellite tv,dvd, hi-fi & broadband. There is also a airy twin bedroom with comfortable traditional iron beds (100cm wide) with steps down to the west terrace. Upstairs there are 3 further bedrooms - a double bedroom, 2 twin bedrooms, chestnut armoires and original features including chestnut beams.
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Exterior Facilities |
BBQ / Garden / Garden Furniture / Parking / Swimming Pool / Terrace
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Exterior Details |
The property is superb for outdoor living as it enjoys sunshine from dawn to dusk. The gardens provide perfect areas for relaxation and for children to play. The house has 3 large terraces. The east terrace is accessed from both the kitchen and dining room and has views through the olive trees to the pool 40m away.A pergola of climbing jasmine, wisteria and passion fruit provides dappled shade. Lighting above the large stone table allows for 'al fresco' dining.
The large terracotta tiled south terrace is a sun worshippers dream. It also benefits from a dining table, lemon trees and chairs to relax.
The west terrace enjoys a well established garden of lavender, roses, mimosa and fig trees. All terraces have fabulous views across the vineyards and valley. The area is full of wild flowers, and Casa A Corte has appeared in the TV program "A House in Tuscany" as well as several magazines.
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Further Details |
Lucca is a beautiful medieval city, which is the birthplace of Puccini. The city is pedestrianised, which is fantastic for cycling (bikes available to hire for all ages) & walking through the cool narrow streets. The shops too are wonderful and designer outlets nearby attract clients from throughout Europe.
The countryside north of Lucca is breathtaking with many medieval towns perched on wooded hillsides. There are beautiful palazzos, spas, vineyards to visit in the area & Florence, Sienna & Pisa, the beach resorts of Forti di Marmi & Viareggio are all within a short distance.
In the summer there are many musical events: Puccini opera on the lake at Torre del Lago, during July & August, several of the world’s best musicians perform in the amphi-theatre. There are also many Jazz festivals, choirs and orchestras in the local churches.
The area has many excellent restaurants to suit all budgets. Fungi & truffles are some of the local specialities and olive oil from Lucca is one of the best in the world.
An hours drive from the house is the lovely ski resort of Abetone, which was voted one of the best 10 ski resorts in the world. It is very beautiful & has good facilities.
Walks near the house and in the Garfagnana are wonderful including the Orrido di Botri, a narrow canyon with clear water and waterfall,and along the stunning Cinque Terra. Cross the Serchio river on the wonderful 800 year old Devils Bridge.
The home town of Leonardo da Vinci has many museums and the tour of Carrera is where Michael Angelo's 'David' was carved.
Pinocchio originate from the wonderful house and garden at Collodi.
Churches, Memorials, Villas, Palazzos, including Palazzo Pfanner as seen in Jane Campion's 'Portrait of a Lady' are also stunning.
Wine lovers may like to taste wine at the cavernous wine cellars beneath the city or Lucca or travel along the Strada del vino.
To be really Italian, during the summer there are many Sagras where one can eat and then ball room dance under the stars.
Motor enthusiasts may like to visit the the Ferrari factory at Marinello, Modena (also famous for Balsamic vinegar & Pavarotti).
Cooking can be arranged in the house with prior notice.
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Conditions of Rental |
Rentals for the villa in Tuscany are for a minimum of a week although out of seasons we are more flexible with 10 days accepted etc. Rentals are from Saturday to Saturday with guests departing at 10 am and arriving at 4pm.
Once the booking form is completed and e-mailed to Michael a 50% deposit is required paid in Euros by Bankers draft and sent to Michael.
The final 50% is due and given to Michael (the local agent) prior to entering the property with a Euros Bankers draft.
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Other Information |
Child Friendly / Cook available / No Smoking
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What visitors have said about Casa A Corte |
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A Corte has given our family 5 wonderful holidays since 1999. It is such a beautiful tranquil location and we really appreciate it being a family home with books and games and a very well equipped kitchen.
This year we helped with the grape harvest, the children loved it!
We made several trips to the beach, Florence, Lucca and really appreciate agent, Michael's excellent recommendations. Michael has lived in the area for 20 years and is a brilliant help and has a great sense of humour.
The views are as spectacular as ever. We did more walking this year in the mountains and around the house.
Once again the weather was fantastic, and we ate every meal outside, picking figs from the trees etc. The figs are so sweet a family of badgers passed by onto the south terrace to eat all the dropped fruit!
Hope to see you next year
Simon & Frances.
Lee family,
London,
Sep 2008 
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You have another family as part of your (no doubt) large fan club. Having Michael up the road, and such a welcoming, friendly and helpful presence was a true delight and added so much to our Italian holiday. Thanks again and we truly appreciate everything and you are fortunate to have such a wonderful spot.
Burch family,
New York,
Jul 2008
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Fantastico!
We loved it - fantastic house, garden & pool. We had fantastic walks around the estate, met some lovely local Italians, ate & drunk some wonderful food. The location is beautiful.
We have booked again for 2010
Ingrid,
Finland,
Jul 2009
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We celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary at A Corte with our family & friends & had a wonderful 1 month stay.
We ate out, hiked in the most stunningly beautiful countryside, explored the towns and our grand children never turned on the tv.
The house and grounds were a perfect retreat, positioned in a lovely part of Tuscany, near the charming town of Lucca & Michael was so helpful.
Christine ,
California,
May 2009
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