North Tuscany, Italy - A Place in the Sun

2021 / North Tuscany, Italy Sara Damergi on 16 September 2021

North Tuscany, Italy Sara Damergi

Ray, an English teacher, and Ali, a fitness trainer and coach, live in Cambridgeshire and have been together for 18 months. They recently got engaged and are now looking for a home they can use for holidays with their family. Ali has a daughter from a previous relationship called India and Ray has a 31 year old son called Daniel, who was actually raised and lives near Rome with Ray’s grandson Leo. Ray and Ali have an ideal budget of 180 thousand pounds, but could stretch to just over £200,000 for the perfect spot… and would love Sara to use all her expertise to find them their dream house.

North Tuscany

About the area

Lunigiana (where we are searching for properties) is a historical territory of Italy, which today falls within the provinces of La Spezia and Massa Carrara. Its borders derive from the ancient Roman settlement, which no longer exists. The area now belongs in part to Tuscany and in part to Liguria. Tuscany overall has a population of around 3.73 million inhabitants, with just under 400,000 foreign residents (over 10% of the population). The area is known for its fresh produce – herbs, fragrant porcini mushrooms that sprout under chestnut trees in fecund woods and hills. Wild herbs cover the fields of Lunigiana, and 5000 scattered hives produce the region's famous chestnut and acacia honey. The climate is warm and temperate - the warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 22.8 degrees celsiuis.

Property 1

Three-bed house in Bagnone

This detached stone house used to be a farm building, but has been refurbished throughout in the last 10-15 years. It sits on a quarter of an acre of land and has a wrap-around patio with seating areas. Inside it has an open-plan kitchen-lounge-diner and a double bedroom with doors leading out onto the patio on the ground floor, plus a main bedroom and bathroom on the first floor. In the basement is a third bedroom and bathroom with its own separate entrance. Find out more about the property here.

Valued at £133,028 at the time of filming.

Property 2

Two-bed house in Pontremoli

This semi-detached, converted farmhouse is around 200 years old and was built into the hill. It sits on two thirds of an acre of land and even comes with its own vineyard and orchard with fruit trees. Upstairs is the main accommodation, with two bedrooms, a kitchen-diner and a bathroom. In the basement is a huge wine-cellar, with wine-making equipment included, as well as a large room that can be used for additional accommodation and plenty of storage space. See more from the agent here.

Valued at £165,138 at the time of filming.

Property 3

Two-bed chalet in Villafranca

This recently refurbished, detached chalet comes with a large open-plan lounge-diner-kitchen with French doors leading out onto a patio and good-size garden with mountain views. Also on the ground floor are two double bedrooms and a bathroom. In the basement, there are several storage rooms that would be perfect for conversion into additional accommodation. See more from the estate agent here.

Valued at £174,312 at the time of filming.

Property 4

Four-bed house in Podenzana

This detached country-house has a large open-plan lounge-diner-kitchen with doors leading out to the patio and garden with plenty of fruit trees and a vegetable patch. There is also a small vineyard included. It comes with four bedrooms and plenty of living space, as well as a wine cellar with wine-making equipment. See more from the agent here.

Valued at £229,358 at the time of filming.

Property 5

Three-bed house in Fivizzano

This restored, detached house has two floors, with two bedrooms and a study and bathroom on the upper floor and a large open-plan kitchen-lounge-diner and bathroom on the lower floor. There are doors leading out to a massive terrace with stunning mountain views. The property also comes with nearly 800 square metres of land with vineyard and olive trees. And there's even a hot tub on the terrace! Find out more here.

Valued at £178,899 at the time of filming.

Hot property

Four-bed farmhouse in Villafranca

Nestled in the countryside near Villafranca is this restored luxury farmhouse, which comes with a large pool and 15 acres of land. The house dates back to 1840 and is brimming with lots of authentic Italian charm and history. It comes with four lovely bedrooms, a large sitting room and a countryside kitchen-diner. Find out more here.