Tuscany, Lunigiana, Podenzana, Italy

Nicely restored house with outbuilding and garden set in a hillside village and within walking distance to restaurants.

The property is a short walk from the free parking in the village piazza.

There is a fitted kitchen, living room with parquet wood floor, bathroom and bedroom, upstairs there is a large room with fitted wardrobe and lovely views to the mountains. On the ground floor is a large utility room.

A terrace connects the property to an outbuilding with a 'taverna' room with pizza oven and used as a summer kitchen. The terrace has lovely views and is ideal for eating out in the summer. On the ground floor is a cellar which includes plumbing for a bathroom.

There is also a garden.

Fully restored the property has central heating and is connected to mains services.

On the hillside of Podenzana above the town of Aulla. Aulla, close by, has shops, supermarkets, train station and motorway access as well as medical centre and schools.

The area of Podenzana is a series of villages strung along the hills and ridges above the town of Aulla. Podenzana is famous for the 'panigacci' and there are numerous local restaurants offering this speciality. 'Panigacci' are crisp pancakes cooked in terracotta dishes over the embers of an open fire and served in baskets with trays of cream cheese and assorted salami, Parma ham and pancetta. Sandwich them together and eat with your fingers, whilst sipping the local red wine. Simply delicious.

The Cinque Terre are five picturesque villages strung along the narrow coastline north of the Gulf of the Poets and La Spezia with pretty coves, beaches. They are accessed on foot, by boat or with the local train which shuttles between the villages. 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 fresh bread and delicate white wine made from the grapes which grow in spectacular fashion, up the steep terraces above the villages. The Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Gulf of the Poets is an enclave with a group of three islands at its tip, with fishing villages with exceptional fish restaurants, as well as opportunities for sailing, canoeing, snorkelling or just relaxing on one the beaches hidden in craggy bays around Fiascherino or Tellaro. The easiest way to get around the gulf is by boat and services run from Lerici, La Spezia, Portovenere and on to The Cinque Terre. The name Gulf of the Poets is from the literary connection as some of the world's most famous poets lived here at one time, including Shelley, Byron and D H Lawrence.

Distances: Aulla (autostrada, train station) 3.5 km, Lerici (coast and beaches) 25 km, Cinque Terre 35 km, Lucca 80 km, Pisa (airport) 90 km, Florence 150 km.