Cottage San Michele *
Description
This truly is an alternative holiday choice of yesteryear, but with modern comforts! WIFI. Private Gated Pool. Ping Pong.
Stay in a riverside cottage originally built in the 1700's, and recently authentically renovated, to provide a comfortable holiday home with private gated pool, full of olde worlde charm….
Filled with original features including beamed ceilings, traditional flooring, lintels over windows, original stone staircases and flagstone courtyard, this 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom property has been recently renovated using traditional, and where possible the original materials to create just the right ambience, for a different holiday!
Situated in perfect peace next to a trout stream this private cottage is ideal for those seeking a truly different holiday. Whilst there is a private pool, there is also the river which is a great adventure for children to play in if they bring their wellies/jellies. The grounds are perfect for secluded picnics, with just the sounds of the river. It is extremely difficult to gain permission for a pool beside such an historic building, and in a riverside location so this property is quite unique..
This is a perfect choice for a totally ‘alternative’ holiday, staying away from it all in authentic, but comfortable accommodation, beside the river, and with great opportunity for walking. This would be a wonderful family holiday, and I imagine it would be impossible to tear children away from all this outdoor experience
Additional property information
Ground floor :
Enter into hallway, with original stone stair case
The hallway leads on the left to a dining room, with plenty of
room for all to dine in comfort, and this room leads through to a
utility room with washing machine, freezer and downstairs wc
.
To the right of the hallway is a traditional style kitchen, with
counter top oven, hob, dishwasher and fridge, and an orginal
'vetrina' for housing crockery . The kitchen has two windows.
Through the kitchen and into the living room with original
fireplace, 2 fireside chairs and a corner sofa. original
vetrina,tv/dvd/cd, and door leading out to courtyard. Wifi
First floor:
Up the traditional stone stairs to:
Two double bedrooms, both with two windows
One twin bedroom
Two brand new shower rooms, each with shower cubicle, bidet, wc
and sink.
Second floor:
Into 'quiet room' - a loft style room with conservatory style
furniture, ideal for relaxing away from the rest of the group, or
for use as a 'den' for older children
Quiet room leads into twin bedroom - ideal for teenagers and older
children.
Nb - head height in this room is full height in places but beams
do come down as low as 1.5m in some areas.
All rooms have beamed ceilings and some exposed stonework.
Outside:
the house is surrounded by a traditional style courtyard with original feel stones. This area is ideal for dining al fresco and has a bbq.
Further covered eating area.
The courtyard leads to the garden where there is a private gated saline water swimming pool of 10m x 4m.
Ping pong.
The garden is edged by some woodland on one side, and the trout stream on the other.
There is parking under the garden for when guests use 'river road' which is pretty steep but quite navigable, or over the mediaeval bridge when coming on foot (200m away) .
A little about the area
San Michele is situated in the heart of the Garfagnana hills approximately 1 hour north of Lucca.
The village is split into two by the River Serchio which is a
trout stream, with the 'historic village' on one side, and the 'new
village' on the other. The 'historic village', which is where the
cottage is located, is best described as a small medieaval hamlet,
and consists of only a handful of houses, and a 'castle' which is
still inhabited by locals in the summer. Properties are reached on
foot, via original mule track style 'roads'.
This olde worlde hamlet is accessible only on foot, over a
mediaeval bridge, although in the summer the cottage itself is also
accessible by driving over the 'river road'. There is a free (and
cleverly hidden from view) car park just before the footbrige if
you dont want to take your car over the 'river road'
Staying here, is pure peace, with only the sound of the river
running, and the occasional church bell to accompany your thoughts.
It is also a unique experience, staying in a peaceful hamlet that
has not changed for hundreds of years, and a great adventure for
children.
The house itself is surrounded on one side by an ample garden with pool , a small woodland, and is bordered by the beautiful trout stream.
Whilst set in the middle of a time warp, one can walk to the local village of Piazza al Serchio for provisions, a couple of bars, a couple of restaurants, and a train station for easy exploring. There is also a pizzeria a 10 minute walk or so away, ran by the owners of the house, where you will receive preferential treatment - if you can tear yourselves away from the house!
For days further afield, Lucca is one hour, Barga 35 minutes, Pisa 1 hr 30 mins; Florence 2 hrs. The local market town of Castelnuovo is just a 20 minute drive, and there are plenty of hill top villages to visit, as well as the National Parks....
Amenities
| Property Type |
Villa |
|
| Swimming Pool |
Private |
Fenced Pool |
| Bedrooms |
4 |
|
| Bathrooms |
2 |
|
| Sleeps |
9 |
|
| Kitchen Facilities |
Cooker and Hob Dishwasher Iron and Ironing Board Oven Washing machine |
Cooking Utensils and Cutlery Fridge Freezer Microwave Toaster and Kettle |
| Entertainment |
DVD Player Internet |
Ping Pong |
| Amenities |
Bathroom Towels Bed Linen is provided Central Heating Garden Massage can be booked Terrace |
BBQ Car Parking Fire Place Hair Dryer Pizza/bread oven |
| Distances |
Walking Distance to Bars and Restaurants Walking Distance to Town Centre Walk to restaurant |
Walking Distance to Supermarket Walk to bar Walk to shop |
| Suitability |
Children Welcome |
|
| Nearest Airport |
Pisa |
|
| Activities |
Cycling Horse riding Tennis |
Hiking/Walking Places of Interest |
| Landing Pages |
Garfagnana |
|
| Dogs |
2 |
touristicLicenceLabel
Rates
| Start Date | Weekly Rate (€) | Minimum Stay | Arrival Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Mar 2025 | 1,512 | 4+ Nights | Flexible |
| 31 May 2025 | 1,680 | 4+ Nights | Flexible |
| 28 Jun 2025 | 2,430 | 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 Nights | Saturday |
| 30 Aug 2025 | 1,512 | 4+ Nights | Flexible |
| 28 Mar 2026 | 1,512 | 4+ Nights | Flexible |
| 30 May 2026 | 1,680 | 4+ Nights | Flexible |
| 27 Jun 2026 | 2,430 | 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 Nights | Saturday |
| 29 Aug 2026 | 1,512 | 4+ Nights | Flexible |
Rental & Booking Information
- Pool Private
Availability
Map
Local Amenities Nearby
Reviews
The holiday home is great! The landlord is really nice. The
access to the house is difficult. A steep dirt road with a stream
crossing. But otherwise: highly recommended!!!
Arrival 11th May 2024
Lovely stay, came by train, without a car which we thought might
be a bit of a gamble, but worked perfectly. Marco and Claudio were
great and helpful at all times. Train service to lucca and pisa was
great shops in the town all we needed. Lazy days by the pool and
some trips out. Nicely rested!
Arrival date: 7 September, 2024
We were travelling with 4 children, mother-in-law, mum, dad and
dog. When we arrived (in a small car park), the landlord came and
showed us to the property. He drove up in his car and we followed
behind with our two children. You drive over hill and dale, through
a stream (shallow water) and finally up a really steep incline to
the property. But the drive up is worth it! During the two weeks we
looked for a car park down in the town and then always walked 2
minutes to the house via a small romantic path and the old stone
bridge. The property is an absolute dream! The pool is perfect, the
view is gigantic and the property is really big. We were allowed to
help ourselves to the fruit trees on the property as much as we
wanted. My husband took care of the communication with the
landlords as he speaks a little Italian - that really made it
easier. The house is an old farmhouse. As it is surrounded by
nature, animals sometimes come to visit. We had dormice under the
roof. The landlords were right there and set up a trap to catch the
little rodents. Everyone - no matter where you go - is super
helpful and friendly. The weather is wonderful! The landlords'
pizzeria is also great. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is
great. It was a DREAM holiday for us - one we will never
forget!
Arrival date: 20 July, 2024
We wanted to be among ourselves and still be within walking
distance of shops and restaurants. This is exactly what the
accommodation offers: everything can be reached in 15 minutes once
you have found the right paths through the village and you are
still in the middle of nature with a great view. The
often-mentioned approach: we followed the directions exactly on the
outward journey (note: Google would lead a different route). The
last 1 hour with lots of bends is a bit tiring. We received a very
friendly welcome at the pizzeria in the village and the boss drove
his car to the house in front of us, which was a great help. There
are good dirt roads, a river crossing without a bridge and the last
"steep bit" ~45° is a paved road. It was a bit of a challenge the
first time, but then no problem. The property is very nicely
prepared, the pool is great, the furnishings are complete and
everything is lovingly prepared. The support is friendly,
accommodating and deserves 5 stars. So don't complain, just a quick
WhatsUp message and help arrives immediately. The village has
everything you need. Very good food and all the necessary
shops.
Arrival date: 4 July, 2024.
Lovely!
Date of arrival: 19 June, 2024
We were 6 people for a week and had a nice vacation in this
spacious house. We had no car and the walking path to Piazza Al
Serchio was beautiful but a little tiring.
Arrival 05/08/23
We were with 2 families in Marco's house. The house and the complex are really beautiful, even more beautiful than in the pictures. The only downside is the very adventurous driveway to the house!
Arrival 16 July 2022
Beautiful house, location, pool, reception, environment just
great
Arrival 23/07/2022
This house is very pleasant to live in. Impeccably clean. A very beautiful plot of land exactly in line with the photos and a splendid view from the land and the swimming pool over the valley with a very beautiful village opposite. The house has access by a stone path which is a bit difficult but doable, the passage by the river just below the house is very original! The kids loved the 2 minute walk to the river to fish. Very pleasant swimming pool. Sufficient kitchen equipment. The only more complicated point is that the house is "far" from the major sites to visit in Tuscany or from the sea because it takes at least an hour and a half on slightly winding roads to access the major local tourist sites, but we knew that before to go. The house and its garden are so pleasant that we stayed there often with just walks to the village passing by the pretty bridge and medieval village right next to the house, to have a coffee and to do some shopping, there is everything necessary. We were two families with two children and all delighted with our stay.
5 stars
We came to Piazza al Serchio with two families (4 adults, 4 children aged 4-12 and 1 dog). The old stone house offers enough space and especially the top floor with its cozy sloping turned out to be a practical retreat for the older children. The original prayer house is rented by the brothers Marco and Claudio, who only speak Italian, which made communication a bit more complicated at one point or another, but who were incredibly nice and helpful. No matter what your concern was, it was taken care of immediately and on top of that you were generously supplied with vegetables from your own garden. The property is spacious and fenced so that we could let our dog run around freely the entire time. We used the salt water pool and the table tennis table with enthusiasm every day. In the pool area we would have preferred shady areas, as outside the pool you could hardly stand it in the sun and the existing awning was by far not enough. In Piazza al Serchio there is a supermarket, butcher, confectioner, baker and the landlord's pizzeria (highly recommended), but not much more. The house with the well-tended garden was enough for us and we were able to relax there without the hustle and bustle. This atmosphere together with the great and personable hosts made it possible for us to have a wonderful stay.
Arrived 17 July 2021
5 stars
Great house, great plot, nice location. If you are looking for peace, ambience and Tuscan mountain scenery, you are in the right place. Surrounded by almost 2000 m high peaks, the house is secluded and very quiet. Nevertheless, you can walk in 15 minutes to the supermarket, bakery or pizzeria. The local hosts Marco and Claudio welcome a very friendly and take care of everything: a carefree holiday ideal for 2 families with children. Thank you
Date of arrival - 29 May 2021
