The apartment at Villa Terroni has one double bedroom is fully self-contained and is on the ground floor of a fine contemporary Villa in the hills north of Lucca . The newly built swimming pool is shared with its welcoming English/Italian owners - Paolo and Varinia Terroni.

We completed the purchase of Villa Terroni in the Spring of 2004 and since then have commenced work on bringing the Villa back to its original glory. The Villa has 20 rooms in total on three floors and was previously owned by the local Doctor and his family. When we acquired ‘Villa Frascaroli' as it was originally known, it was in a poor state of repair and lacked some ‘TLC'. We started with the outside giving the house a fresh coat of paint in typical Tuscan style and rendering the columns and flower boxes and then started on the ground floor apartment adding modern conveniences such as the taverna style kitchen, shower room, satellite TV etc.

The apartment has its own independent entrance to the side of the house with easy access via stone steps leading to the newly built swimming pool. There is also ample parking with an ‘In and Out' driveway at the front of the Villa.

At the back of the house and with double French doors leading to a private terrace on the edge of the pool is the main bedroom. This room has a king-size bed, two bedside cabinets (each with three drawers), and a new cherry wood wardrobe consisting of double hanging space with shelves above and large drawer below plus single longer length hanging space and full-length mirror. There is also a sink with glass shelf and large mirror above.

The bathroom comprises of a large walk-in shower, sink with mirrored cabinet above, WC and bidet.

The most striking feature is the swimming pool . It measures 5m x 10m and is 1.5m deep with a ‘Roman End' and is set in lawn surrounded by mature fruit and olive trees. For guests' convenience there is also an outdoor solar-panelled shower with hot and cold water. There is also garden and terrace lighting to enjoy the warm summer evenings on the terrace over a glass of ‘Chianti' or chilled ‘Prosecco'.

The apartment at Villa Terroni is located in the quiet village of Villa Collemandina in the hills above Castelnuovo di Garfagnana. It is 550m above sea level and in the hot summer months enjoys a temperature some 2-3 degrees C lower than the town below. It is a hilly region with winding roads to explore among the pine and chestnut forests from its river terraces to Appenine water reserves presenting an area of extraordinary natural interest and landscapes which appear within the Parco dell'Appennino and gateway to the Orechiella Nature Reserve and Botanic Garden which has breathtaking panoramic terraces which overlook the entire valley.

You will find many restaurants and bars to enjoy in the many surrounding villages such as Castiglione, San Pelegrino, Pieve Fosciana, San Romano, Scilicagnana, Camporgiano, Bagni di Lucca and Barga. There are also numerous woodland trails to wander along which makes Villa Terroni the ideal base for walking holidays.

Driving time to Castelnuovo is 15 minutes down a picturesque, well made but winding road. Driving times to popular tourist destinations :

• Mediterranean coast e.g. Viareggio or Forte dei Marmi approx. 55 minutes
• Lucca approx. 1 hour
• Pisa Airport approx. 1.5 hours
• Florence approx. 2 hours

Castelnuovo (pronounced cas-tel-no-wo-vo) is a typical Italian town that is important for local farming & agriculture and famous for local produce including pecorino cheese, farro, porcini mushrooms and polenta) and is located at a height of approx. 300 metres above sea level. The wider area of Castelnuovo di Garfagnana is known as the ‘Valle del Serchio' or Serchio Valley and has 6,150 inhabitants including numerous smaller towns and villages just waiting to be explored from Bagni di Lucca and Barga to the South to Castiglione and San Pelegrino to the North.

The following items are included in the price :

• Bed linen
• Pool/Beach towels
• Tea towels
• Welcome pack
• Electricity
• Ironing board / iron / clothes airer
• Hairdryer
• Gas for cooking
• Pool maintenance
• Final clean at the end of your stay.

The following items are not included in the price :

• Central heating (gasolio) – when required. Charged at a standard rate of 50 euro per week.
• Transport to and from Villa Terroni.

We are Paolo and Varinia Terroni from North London. Paolo's parents were both Italian, his mother was born in the nearby village of Camporgiano and his father was from Borgo Val di Taro, near Parma .

After many wonderful summers in Tuscany, we decided to make Italy our home for good and left our respective jobs to start our new business venture Terroni Villas. Paul's background is the casino/slot industry and Varinia's was with Marriott Hotels/KPMG.

A new addition to the family arrived in February 2006 - ‘Millie' our little tan/black Yorkshire terrier who always makes guests welcome and provides hours of amusement.