Villa Valtaro

It is wonderful to wake up to the sound of the babbling brook, view over the valley with a beautiful rising sun behind the hills. With a bit of luck you will see deer, hares or pheasants in the morning. In short, all the ingredients for a wonderfully relaxing holiday! Villa Valtaro is a fantastic place for lovers of an active and/or relaxing holiday.

Environment
In the Apennines, between the city of Parma in the east and the narrow Ligurian coastline in the west, lies a slice of undiscovered rural Italy. Western Emilia Romagna and in particular the province of Parma borders Tuscany to the south and Piemonte to the north. The landscape is therefore a natural transition between the ruggedness of the Alps and the lovely Tuscan hills. In particular, the basins of the rivers Taro and Ceno form the beautiful backdrop of the original farming villages and provincial towns. Agricultural areas and extensive nature reserves with forests alternate in harmony. Here you will find Italy in its most natural form, the pure simple Italian farm life and a quiet area without well-trodden tourist paths. Perhaps partly because of this, the farming population is still original, curious, accessible and friendly.

Location: about 1200 km from Utrecht
Located in the Small Apennines between Parma and La Spezia on a well-paved gravel/dirt road, about 500 m from the old hamlet of San Vincenzo , where an abandoned small monastery from the 11th century can still be found. 20 minutes walking distance from a small, very local restaurant in Valdena . Also great to bring a picnic basket and like the Italians do: enjoy a snack and a drink in / on the river Tarodine (a 15-minute walk away).
Other facilities such as a public swimming pool (with slide and playing and sunbathing lawn), tennis court, dozens of restaurants, local market, many coffee bars, terraces and various ice cream parlors and various supermarkets, including a Conad and Carrefour can be found within a 5 km drive in the pleasant provincial town of Borgo Val di Taro .

The House
The house has recently (2016-2020) been completely renovated, with an eye for the authentic atmosphere. The original building of Villa Valtaro was built in the early 1600s. The arch construction in the south facade still dates from this time. The decor is modern and simple. The house has several terraces where you can always find a shady spot. At the back is a wood fired pizza oven. The house is detached and surrounded by nature and therefore with a lot of privacy! From the terrace you have a view over the entire Taro valley and also the village of Valdena on the other side. Around Villa Valtaro are many hectares of private land, including beautiful walkable pieces of meadow and forest that you can use of course.

The house consists of the following floors:

Ground floor:
Living room with patio doors to one of the two terraces. Shade and sun possibility. Open kitchen (washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator and gas stove), bedroom with a nice Auping double bed 2.20mx 1.80m, shower/toilet. For even more extra guests, there is a 2-person sofa bed in the living room.

Due to the thick natural stone walls and the well-insulated roof, it is always comfortable in the house. There is underfloor heating in the shower and there are 2 beautiful wood stoves (1 in the bedroom) with enough wood for heating in the rest of the house (actually only needed in autumn/winter and early spring).

1st floor (attic)
Bedroom with lots of light and 2 single beds.

The basement
Very basic, the original stable (accessible from the outside) is equipped with 2 single beds and a French bed (1.40mx 2m).