Exceptional 2/3 bed property, just a few steps from the 'centro storico', the historical centre, of the lovely town of Sarzana. Set in an unassuming building the contemporary, clean lines of the interior are striking.

The entrance is onto a hallway with marble staircase to a beautifully designed, open kitchen/ living room with a fireplace and with door to the balcony, then to a study/bedroom and bathroom. The master bedroom has a luxury en-suite with a sunken bath, shower and twin black stone basins. Marble stairs lead up to a tower room, currently used as a living room (but could easily be a bedroom) with windows with fabulous views on all sides, and this opens onto another terrace with a marble sink and a barbecue. The apartment has been designed with a quiet confidence, with fitted cupboards throughout and clean, contemporary features married with local, organic materials of stone, wood and marble giving a warm, soft character.

There is a 'cantina', storeroom on the ground floor.

Sarzana is 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, just a few mins from this apartment, with direct trains to Pisa, Florence, the Cinque Terre and Genova (Genoa) and a general market takes over the town each Thursday.

Both the coastal areas of Versilia and the Gulf of the Poets are 7 km away with good public transport connections. 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.


Distances: Sarzana (trains, shops, restaurants) a few steps, Lerici (beaches) 7 km, Cinque Terre 35 kms, Forte dei Marmi 35 km, Viareggio 40 km, Lucca 65 km, Pisa (airport) 65 km, Florence 130 km.