5 bedrooms house, 250 m²

Follo, La Spezia (province)

Spacious detached villa with five bedrooms, on two levels, set in a panoramic position with views to both mountains and sea. The villa is currently arranged as two independent units with good cantina (store rooms) and a large garage. Ideal for a large home or holiday home or this would lend itself to a business for home and rental options.

The main level is accessed to a large living room with glass doors to a wide balcony and views to the sea, dining room with fireplace, spacious fitted kitchen. Also on this level is the master bedroom with a balcony and en suite bathroom, a second bedroom with a balcony, another bedroom, a good store room and family bathroom. On the ground floor is a separate apartment with a corner kitchen, small living room with doors to the garden, two bedrooms and bathroom. Additionally on the ground floor is also the integral garage, laundry room with bathroom and a taverna room.

The house has central heating and all modern services. Large lawned garden which is mostly level, surrounds the villa. Easy car access and plenty of private parking.

The views are stunning and the property offers easy access to beaches yet in a quiet and tranquil location. The location is quiet and tranquil, within walking distance to the village of Tivegna and with open, panoramic views. On the border of Liguria and Tuscany with easy access to the Cinque Terre (UNESCO World Heritage Site), the beautiful beaches and the exceptional coastline where it is wonderful to explore the region on the excellent walking trails all around.

The village is set in the Ligurian hills above the sea with foot paths which meander all the way to the to the Cinque Terre. The village is a huddle of pastel coloured houses with green shutters and the cobbled lanes lead off the main piazza. In September there is a wine festival in the village with local food and live music and dancing in the square. The community is friendly and just in Liguria on the border with Tuscany, and has easy access to the sea and the beaches, and also to the mountains. The view is special. There are numerous country farm restaurants to discover nearby, serving local specialties and excellent walking trails abound. The large port of La Spezia is just down the hill, with a new marina full of impressive yachts where it is easy to hire a boat for a day trip around the Gulf of the Poets. There are excellent shops and restaurants, schools, banks and a huge, bustling market every Saturday morning.

Sarzana, too, is close by, a vibrant medieval market town with large elegant central piazzas and cobbled lanes meandering through the town flanked with coffee shops and antique stores. During the summer months Sarzana often hosts festivals from dining in the piazza to concerts to open air events along the lanes. There is a wonderful atmosphere on summer evenings when there are many street antique markets throughout the town, often with musicians playing and the castle is open. Sarzana also has a station with direct trains to Pisa, Florence and the Cinque Terre and a general market takes over the town each Thursday.

Both the coastal areas of Versilia and the Gulf of the Poets are easily accessible. The golden sandy beaches look out to the islands, to Portovenere and the castles of San Terenzo and Lerici. The Gulf of The Poets, a pearl of the Mediterranean, with character villages, craggy coves and sandy beaches, is enchanting. It has been home to many poets and writers over the years including Shelley, Byron and DH Lawrence. There is great sailing around this coastline, with the Cinque Terre, Elba and the Tuscan islands all within easy reach. Both Lerici and San Terenzo are dominated by the castle with the old villages of pastel coloured buildings huddled on the steep hills dropping down to the sea and the marina. There are many colourful shops and restaurants and it is an ideal place to relax and explore. The easiest way to get around the gulf is by boat which run between Lerici, La Spezia, Portovenere and on to The Cinque Terre. These five villages are strung along the terraced cliffs and form a UNESCO World Heritage site which, until recently, could only be reached by boat or by train. Anyone visiting the Cinque Terre should take a walk along the cliff paths which link one village to the next, stop in one of the bars or restaurants and try the anchovies marinated in olive oil and garlic, served with bread and delicate white wine made from the grapes which grow up the steep terraces above the villages. The airports of Pisa, Parma and Genova are each just over an hour away.

Distances: Baia Blu (beaches) 15 km, La Spezia 20 km, Brugnato (outlet village) 20 km, Sarzana 25 km, Monterosso (Cinque Terre) 30 km, Forte dei Marmi 45 km, Pietrasanta 50 km, Lucca 80 km, Pisa (airport) 90 km.