Rifugio: A romantic mountain retreat with the sea on a distant horizon

Property summary

Sleeps 2

1 double bedroom and 1 bathroom

Location: Pisa and Lucca

This property rents from Saturday to Saturday

Surrounding Region

Restaurants and shops in the Camaiore 5 km

Seaside at Lido di Camaiore 15 km, Viareggio 17 km, and Forte dei Marmi 27 km

Lerici 30 km, Lucca 40 km

Pisa (closest airport) 48 km, Florence 130 km

High on a hillside, Rifugio is a small converted building set in an olive grove, with wonderful views over the plains of Versilia and towards the Mediterranean sea. Just below it is a similar, small converted building (Sognatrice, Ref. #175), the 2 buildings are otherwise alone. From the small town of Camaiore, ideally placed between both the seaside and the mountains, Rifugio is reached by leaving the calm streets of the historical centre and driving up a bendy mountain road, through woods and around curves, until, just after a marvellous romanesque church, one must leave the car and walk up a stone path that weaves among olive trees that leads to this tiny house. When you first arrive at the house, the owners guarantee baggage service at arrival and departure.

The walk is worth it and the little house is built into the hillside, with a small pergola in front and views that never end out towards the sea.

Accommodation

After a climb the path levels out and coming round a corner, Rifugio is revealed to you, with a small patio, equipped with table, chairs, and deckchairs to enjoy long summer evenings or unforgettable mornings. At the ground floor of the house there is a comfortable living room with sofa and chairs and a nice coloured kitchen. Behind the house there is a cupboard with a washing machine. Some steps divide the living room from the bathroom which has a curious floor of multicoloured tiles, where drawings and colours create a real work of art.

A narrow circular staircase leads to the first floor that can also be reached from the outside, through a glass door. The floor, the simple furniture, the fittings are all done in a warm wood and give this little house the feeling of a mountain hut, a warm and cosy refuge high above the plains below.

Local area

Rifugio is an ideal solution for those who seek an interlude from the frenetic life of the city, giving the chance to the body and the soul to enjoy nature, with long walks, slow rhythms, deep sleep healing both body and soul.
Around the house the hills offer a wide choice of path for walking enthusiasts. The nearest village is Buchignano, a hamlet more than a village that does offer however the chance to eat in a simple restaurant or to buy food and drinks. Camaiore is a strategic venue, since it is placed between different landscapes, offering easy access to the sea, the mountains and to many of the historic cities of Tuscany.

Many will not want to leave the house and can simply enjoy the wind, the sun and all the countryside has to offer. The more energetic amongst us can choose among trekking, nordic walking, climbing or mountain biking on the hills or on the Apuan Alps; the local area is particularly well known for some excellent climbing crags, bolted and trad. Art lovers can visit Lucca or Pisa or the beautiful small villages of the area and the marvellous churches hidden in the woods.

Those who wish to live, even just for one day, the warm embrace of the sea, can arrive in about 10 minutes to the beautiful and famous Versilia coast, where art nouveau buildings are the leading peculiarity of the wide boulevards full of shops, boutiques, restaurants running along the wonderful beaches.