Farmhouse Rental in Liguria, La Spezia
Casa Elena
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AboutTheExperience
This Italian villa rental in Liguria, near La Spezia, is great for couples or families and friends traveling together, especially with children. Here you will find plenty of garden space for recreation, lounging, or dining, and a pool within sight of the house and the outdoor dining terrace. Comfortably furnished in traditional Provencal style, you will find enjoyment both indoors and out at this northern Italy vacation villa in Liguria. The area around this Italian riviera rental villa is also great for exploration, whether you are using the mountain bikes to pick up fresh vegetables in the local village, or driving to La Spezia and the Cinque Terre.
LocationDescription
The farmhouse is located 12 km from La Spezia in Canevolivo, near Beverino. It enjoys a convenient location for day trips to Portofino, Lucca, Firenze, the marble quarries of Carrara, Pisa, and the entire Ligurian coast (including the famous towns of the Cinque Terre). The autostrada is only a fifteen-minute drive from the property. There is a stable offering riding nearby.
ExteriorDescription
Recently restored, this charming farmhouse dates back to the 1700's. It features attractive country decor, including French fabrics and handmade linens in the bedrooms. Entering the villa’s private gates, there is a beautiful outdoor area equipped with garden furniture. There is also a lovely swimming pool. The entire property is surrounded by tall hedges and the house is 300 meters away from the nearest neighbor, providing complete privacy. For children there is a small playground area and plenty of room for running around. The outdoor dining area is covered and perfect for entertaining near the pool.
InteriorDescription
Ground floor: Just beyond the entrance gate there is a separate indoor dining/entertaining area with a bar, focaccia and pizza oven, fireplace, and a table for up to 10 people. In this room there are two antique motorcycles along with many other memorabilia and a small bathroom. The entrance to the house proper leads into the new, fully equipped country kitchen and a living room with fireplace. There is also a large bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub.
First floor: Here you will find a game room with a pool table and three bedrooms. The master bedroom has a queen-size bed and an en suite bathroom with a hydro-shower. There is also a twin-bedded room (can be joined upon request) and a double bedroom. They share a bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower. Above the game room there is also beautiful loft with two single beds (can be pushed together upon request) and a small gym with weights. Upon request, a crib, high chair, and stroller are available.
FeaturesDescription
Available Amenities: Washing machine, private swimming pool, billiard table, 4 mountain bikes, and garden/pool maintenance. From April through October 3 hours of housekeeping 3 days per week are included in the rental price.
Extra Services: The following are listed as an aid for trip planning; the services and prices are approximate and cannot be guaranteed by Rentvillas. All extra services are payable locally in cash.
Private chef: typically 35 euros per person for a full meal.
Nearby Attractions: La Spezia, Canevolivo, Cinque Terre
Arrival Times
Please note: Official Arrival Times:
Questions and Answers From Our Clients
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Q: Did you do a day trip to Florence from La Spezia?
A: We did not, because we started our trip in Florence. We actually flew into Milan, took a train to Florence (3 nights), went south toward Sienna (4 nights at Castellina in Chianti), then came back up to Casa Elena for a week. Then went to Lake Lugano for a few days. I would go to Florence and stay there at least two nights. It's a great city, and the city center in many of these walled cities block car access at night, so it turns into a wonderful evening stroll..... We tried not to do trips that required more than a one hour drive. What a trip it was, and we loved Casa Elena. It is in a remote area, but there are fairly easy day trips to make. I'd recommend Cinque Terre, going by boat from Porto Venere. Don't do the train to Cinque Terre, becuase it's mostly in tunnels, where the boat trip lets you see Cinque Terre from the ocean - spectacular. We went to dinner twice in Porto Venere. And did two day trips to Santa Margerita. We found the owners to be very accomodating, friendly, and the house was in spectacular shape. We have two small children and they loved the pool, and it allowed us to enjoy relaxing in the evening after a morning or day of adventures. Not too much in the village where this villa is, but that was great because having the peace and quiet was fabulous. I highly recommend it. I know you didn't ask all these questions, but I think it would be useful feedback.
A: No, we didn't. we took a day trip to Pisa and to Lucca. A day trip to Florence will be about 2 hours if you drive. But look into a train schedule, it will be better. We would have gone from LaSpezia, but we were going to Tuscany as well and it was closer from there.
Q: We will be traveling with our five children, ages 15-21. We want to stay in the Tuscany region, but would like to see the Cinque Terre. We bought a book on Italy and La Spezia is not even mentioned. Can you comment on the surrounding area?
A: Casa Elena is about a 10 min drive down to La Spezia ... La Spezia is a small port town that is closest to Cinque Terre and has boat excursions to lots of places on the Ligurian coast. We had a car but there was a public bus that went to La Spezia also. We drove into La Spezia for food supplies (coop) and to catch the train to Cinque Terre. That was a lot of fun. We have 2 children ages 13 and 6. We took the train to the first of the 5 towns and walked to the next town. the views were incredible ! we then caught the train to the last town and went down to the beach. we rented beach chairs and umbrellas and swam in the clear water. (I could go on and on and send pictures etc .... but i won't impose) We also took a short boat trip to Portovenere. This was also an incredibly beautiful place. Casa Elena was really beyond our expectations. i can go into detail about anything you need ...... i highly recommend this one!! La Spezia is mentioned in Fodors Italy but not much is said .. it's probably more of a hub for other things..... feel free to ask anything else you want .. i have so much insider info.
A: La Spezia is a large industrial type town- if you stay at Casa Elena (which is a lovely home-your kids would love the pool) it is a 30+ minute drive daily to/from the train station that takes you to the Cinque Terre villages. We found La Spezia to be nothing special - but the train station was the reason we stayed at Casa Elena. We never had to drive the highway- trains and country/town roads worked for us. You can buy a National Park pass and get to all the villages via the train. We went with our 4 grown kids (ages 21-26) - the pool was nice to have, but they would have prefered we rent a couple of apartments in a village. I'd be happy to answer any more questions you may have. Good luck!
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Conditions *
Security Deposit
- Upon arrival at the property you are required to pay to the property representative a security deposit payable in cash. The security deposit will be returned to you prior to your departure minus any extra charges or accidental damages to the property. The listed security deposit is: 700 EUR
Additional Expenses
- If available, telephone is extra and charged according to consumption.
- Mandatory final cleaning charge: 150 EUR
- Heating charged according to consumption.
Other Notes
- If available, heating is allowed by Italian law only from November 1 to April 1 with exceptions made for extreme weather.
- Upon request a cell phone is available for rent for 50 Euros a week with a 10 euro credit on the phone included.
- Clients are expected to depart the property by 10:00 am, unless otherwise indicated.
- If available, cook service must be arranged at least two months prior to arrival and is subject to the availability of the cook.
- CLIENTS ARE REQUIRED TO GIVE A PHOTOCOPY OF THEIR PASSPORT TO THE LOCAL MANAGER WHEN THEY ARRIVE AT THE PROPERTY.
* These prices and conditions may change based on your arrival date and length of stay. For exact conditions, please click on the View Availability button, enter your dates, and then click on View Pricing and Conditions.
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Outside the US: +1-805-880-1228
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Customer Ratings
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Based on 20 Reviews
Customer Reviews
Overall:
The villa is beautiful - this being our third stay, it was great to see that the villa was in excellent condition.
Enjoyed Most:
It is very well set up to accommodate family gatherings and entertaining.
Unpleasant Surprises:
The barking dogs in the area.
Surrounding Area:
The Val di Vara is simply beautiful.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Beverino - easy walk but not much to it.
Tips or Restaurants:
Claudia and the Cochinella - both a quick drive with exceptional local food.
Dale, August, 2010
Show All 20 Reviews
Overall:
Casa Elena is a slice of paradise!
Enjoyed Most:
This being our 2nd visit it was wonderful to find the garden even more estabished and the house and grounds in perfect condition. It's a credit to the owners and those who maintain the property - faultless.
Unpleasant Surprises:
Having to leave!
Surrounding Area:
The valley where the house is situated is simply beautiful. It's a very easy drive into La Spezia for shopping, Lerici for the beach or the Cinque Terre for some sightseeing. We enjoyed cycling around the area and found many trails of interest.
Nearby Events or Locales:
Canevolivo is tiny, it's not really a town but there is a lady who runs an extremely well stocked shop with all that you need. Rico Del Golfo is less than 10 mins in the car and they have a supermarket and fruit shop that sells wonderful wine by the gallon from the local vineyard, a great coffee bar, butcher, and playground for the kids.
Tips or Restaurants:
We found La Coccinella via Graveglia, a 5 min drive from house, did a wonderful antipasta, farinatta, scabai and spectacular pizza! It's a great restaurant. If you have children - there is a small grassy field beside the restaurant, so they can run whislt the pizza is cooking. Highly recommended and very affortable.
Dale, July, 2008
Show All 20 Reviews
Overall:
Incredible! This property is perfect and exactly as described. I was so happy when we arrived that the property looked exactly as pictured. The owners are lovely people and so gracious to share this fantastic place. What a treat for us!
Enjoyed Most:
I can't pick out on thing we liked best - we had coffee outside every morning and wine on the patio in the evenings. The property was beautifully maintained and there is everything you could possible need.
Unpleasant Surprises:
No clothes dryer. I knew they didn't have one, but that didn't stop me from being disappointed. It's difficult to dry clothes when it rains and rains! The home is beautifully decorated, however, most of us were suffering from allergies and the abundance of dried lavender in the home didn't help our sinuses!
Surrounding Area:
We did not spend any time in the town .
Tips or Restaurants:
Claudia's restaurant was fantastic! We only ate there once and it was the night before we left. We were disappointed that we did not go earlier during our trip because it was delicious.
Directions:
We met the owners exactly as directed and followed them to the villa. We would have never found it on our own - they were lovely people and it was a pleasure to meet them.
Mary , May, 2008
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