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Things to do
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Culture and
History
For
lovers of Italian culture there is plenty taking place;
Genoa, which was the European capital of culture in 2004, is 1hr drive and well worth a visit.
Florence is 1.5hrs drive or you can take the train from Villafranca. Lucca 1hr
drive a delightful city; hire a bike and pedal around the city walls. Parma or
Genoa are both 1hr away for the opera.
The region is
scattered with castles, medieval towns and villages; the Brunella fortress of
Aulla houses the Lunigiana Museum of natural History.
Sports and
Leisure
There are sandy
beaches at Marinella and Marina di Massa. There is an excellent open air Olympic
size swimming pool in Villafranca with high diving board, water fountains,
children's pools and a large lawned picnic area naturally shaded by chestnut
trees and equipped with BBQ's. This facility is 10 minutes drive from the house
and was completely refurbished in 2003. As the pool is open air it is
only open during the summer months. If you prefer swimming in freshwater there
are many freshwater rock pools, made by the fast flowing water from melting
snow.
'Ranch La
Collina'
is the local equestrian center just 15 minutes drive away. There really is no
better way to explore and discover this spectacular landscape than from the back
of a horse. Trails take you across a variety of terrain, as Lunigiana can be
classed as one of the most untouched rural areas in the whole of Italy, with a
wide choice of woodland, mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes, streams and medieval
hamlets. A truly unforgettable experience!
Alternatively you
can hire quad bikes to explore the old tracks and trails. There is a Tennis club
in Villafranca with indoor and outdoor courts. The nearest Ski resort is 1hrs
drive. Nearest Golf coarse is at Lerici 45min. Botanical gardens 30min. Mountain
and forest walks right outside your door. The high meadows are abundant with
flowers and heavy with their perfume. Parma is 1hr away for the nearest Serie A
football team. In Winter, whilst one cannot sunbathe, the sun still shines and
the skies are often blue despite the dip in temperature, and with the winter
comes skiing. There are three local ski resorts: the nearest is at Zum-Zeri
Shopping
There are good supermarkets where you usually find everything needed under the one roof. The weekly market visits Villafranca on Friday and Pontremoli Wednesday and Saturday, mostly food stall's where you find a good selection of locally produced fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese and salami; shoes, clothes, fabrics and some wicker and leather stalls. During ‘festival times’, there are often special markets, with a wide variety of stalls, beautiful crockery hand made lace, leather and many other interesting stalls.
The tourist type trinket and memorabilia shops can only be found in the coastal towns and cities, in Lunigiana tourism is not catered for in this way.
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Restaurants Cafes &
Bars
There are many excellent restaurants and pizzerias in the area, we have provided our recommendations and directions to our favorites including prices and closing days. You can enjoy the coffee bar culture in the local towns, sit out in the sun and absorb the atmosphere and relaxed pace of life; in the evenings enjoy “aperitivi” (small snacks) with your drinks. There are two good “enoteca” (wine bars) nearby were you can sample Italy’s wines by the glass, if you enjoy wine this is a very enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
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Revised: June 11, 2009
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