The Region

Bordered by the forested Apennines to the east and the Apuan Alps to the west, the area north of Lucca is one of alpine meadows, lush, green hills, rivers and gorges. Dolcevento is located high above the village of Borgo a Mozzano, near to the famous Ponte della Maddalena. 

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The Property

Dolcevento is a charming stone property with gardens, an olive grove and orchard, and stunning views across the valley.  The property is cool and welcoming with stone flagged floors, subtle colours and original features such as beamed ceilings and a lovely corner fireplace.  Comfortable furnishings and antiques blend harmoniously with the Tuscan architecture which reflects the origins of the building. All the bedrooms have en suite facilities, making Dolcevento suitable for groups of friends or a multi-generational family holidaying together.  

 

Pathways lead through the garden to the pool. From here, the panoramic vista is one to be appreciated, stretching across towards the little village of Lugliano perched on top of the hill opposite with the mountains beyond.

 

The interior layout of the house offers great flexibility and can be adapted to suit different requirements. There are 5 bathrooms en suite with 5 rooms which, if used as bedrooms, can therefore sleep up to 10 persons – an attractive feature for holiday rental purposes. 3 bedrooms are upstairs and the other two downstairs. One of the latter can be a living room while the other – a room large enough to be a garage with suitable access for a car – has been designed to enable handicapped visitors to reach it and its associated very fully equipped bathroom in a wheelchair. Again, a very attractive feature in a rental property which can also be used as a summer sitting room overlooking the formal garden when not needed as a bedroom. This room has recently been refurbished so as to be principally a recreation room with television (although it can be used as a double bedroom); we now refer to it as The Garden Room.

The kitchen has been divided into a main cooking area with a sink; an adjacent scullery, suitable for food preparation and storage,is equipped with a large American refrigerator/freezer with ice-maker, a dishwasher and two further sinks.

Other utilities are located in a back room in which are the washing machine, hot water tanks and broom cupboard, as well as space for an office, workshop and storage. The bedrooms all have attic space for storage of rarely needed items.

Outdoors there are 3½ acres of land. The garden around the house has been laid out to provide different zones of activity: a formal garden with a fountain on the east side of the house to provide an attractive frontage; patio area on the west side where an enormous solid wood table and a purpose-built barbecue provide the right setting for al fresco lunches, dinners and parties; a games lawn (with an in ground irrigation system) which can be adapted for croquet or tennis; a large car park; a utilitarian area, sheltered from view, on which are 30 photovoltaic panels, six solar panels, a 1.5 metre wide satellite dish for television and an area equipped for drying laundry in the sun; and the very private pool area which has magnificent views of the surrounding scenery.

The pool is fully automated and very easy to maintain and keep clean. Length 14.5 m, width 5.5 m, depth between 2.4 and 1.2 m. An electro-hydraulic cover which can be drawn over the pool in 40 seconds by merely pressing a switch ensures safety, cleanliness and retention of absorbed heat. There are underwater lights and the pool is flanked by three palm trees which can be illuminated by spotlights at night.

General amenities and restaurants can be found in Borgo a Mozzano (10 minute drive) whilst the magnificent walled Renaissance town of Lucca is only 23km away. The region is ideal for walkers and for those who prefer the seaside, Viareggio, a popular beach resort, is an hour away by car. Barga (20km) and Torre del Lago (50km) have wonderful music and opera festivals throughout the summer.

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Fractional ownership arrangements

This is an opportunity to purchase a one-eighth share of Dolcevento, which you will co-own, entitling you to at least 6 weeks exclusive usage per year, whilst all running costs are equally shared between the owners. The detailed usage rights, rental options and property management arrangements will be discussed as a group of owners is formed.

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Getting to Dolcevento

The region has 4 international airports, all served by regular flights from the UK and the rest of Europe - Pisa (65 minutes), Florence (80 minutes), Bologna (130 minutes) and Genoa (150 minutes).