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Casa Ulive
 
 
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The setting for this little house could not be more delightful. After wending your way along a pleasant country road, you come to a minuscule ancient hamlet – barely more than a handful of stone houses clustered around a café and a grocery shop. You could drive right past in the blink of an eye, but instead you turn right and immediately find yourself at an electronic gate. Beyond this is a tiny wonderland: a rich green lawn shaded by ageold olive trees (ulive, in Italian) and dotted with hardy rosebushes and banks of other colorful flowers and fragrant herbs. A flagstone path leads to the swimming pool. The views across the valley are truly memorable, both from here and from the covered patio, which features a barbecue, pizza oven and dining table. If you can shake off the spell that is immediately cast upon you here, you’ll see a pair of very ancient stone houses around the perimeter of the property. But one of them is inhabited by your hosts, a couple who truly know the meaning of “Tuscan hospitality,” while the other’s inhabitants are rarely seen. When you are in your magical garden, you will feel completely secluded and shielded from the cares of the world. Welcome to the Perfect Vacation!
Inside, the house is warm and inviting, furnished with a nice mixture of rustic peasant pieces and sophisticated rich fabrics. There is a dining room with the original stone walls and a table for four that connects to a small but wonderfully outfitted kitchen. Here you will enjoy using the full fridge/freezer, stove, cooktop, dishwasher and American coffeemaker, and a California counter with stools makes it possible for everyone to keep the cook company. Beyond an arch is the living room, with a charming frescoed wall, fireplace, couch and chairs and satellite TV. Completing the ground floor is a pretty single bedroom with a French door opening onto the garden, a nice bathroom with stall shower, and a laundry room with washing machine.
Off the second-floor landing, up 15 steps from below, is another big bathroom with a whirlpool tub. Both bathrooms are lined with tumbled marble tiles and have brand new fixtures. Across the landing is a most romantic bedroom, featuring a queen-sized canopy bed with views of the garden. At the other end of the landing is a bedroom with queen bed (or two twin beds) and views on the valley as well as a skylight for contemplating the Tuscan sky! Opposite this room is a patio with sun chairs and umbrella.
Everything about this property is so welcoming and comfortable that we cannot
imagine anyone wanting to leave it, but of course, you have also come to
Tuscany to see the sights. Lucca, the most under-rated town in the region,
is just down the road with its breathtaking churches, friendly piazzas, and
stunning ancient wall (upon which you can stroll or ride your bike). Pisa
is just slightly farther, and if you then turn north you can visit Michelangelo’s
marble quarries at Carrara (and the workshops of countless modern descendents
of il maestro). Just over an hour away is Liguria, making a day trip to the
Cinque Terre entirely feasible. If, on the other hand, you choose to head
south, San Gimignano, Siena and Volterra are less than an hour away. Florence
is about the same distance. After absorbing all these world-class wonders,
we would also like to suggest you try something almost entirely unknown,
and that is the authentic villages of the Garfagnana – the mountain
range that starts directly north of Lucca.
