Liguria holiday accommodation, self catering apartments
| country: | Italy |
| location: | Liguria |
| price: | From 63 - 265 per apartment per night, depending on size and season. Prices do not include electricity & service charges which are calculated at the point of booking |
| offers: | 20% off selected apartments in July & September, plus a welcome hamper with local produce and wine |
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description
This is a stunningly beautiful medieval hill-top village, situated in the mountainous hinterland of the Pennavaire valley in Liguria, a short distance from the historic town of Albenga and the Italian Riviera.
The village was gradually abandoned by its inhabitants during the twentieth century and by the 1950s had fallen into picturesque ruins. However, in the 1980s the visionary Italian architect Giancarlo De Carlo drew up a restoration plan which would renovate the ancient settlement using the original materials and building techniques and at the same time provide a sophisticated technological infrastructure to allow future inhabitants to benefit from the highest level of telecommunications resources.
Today, the stone houses and narrow streets have been totally restored and the windows look out once more over the olive and cherry terraces of the valley. There are 23 apartments available to rent at our Liguria holiday accommodation, all individual and of different sizes, alike only in the way they have been restored with a respect for the aesthetics of the ancient stone arching stairways and vaulted ceilings whilst discreetly incorporating contemporary high technology. An exciting new business/function centre incorporating meeting, seminar and office space in alternative surroundings has recently opened, and is also available for rent.
Prices depend on accommodation and season. 2 person apartment: 63 (low), 84 (mid), 105 (high) per night. 4 person apartment: 100 (low), 135 (mid), 171 (high). 6 person apartment: 139 (low), 199 (mid), 263 (high) per night.
There is a 20m outdoor swimming pool with grassed sun terraces supplied with deck chairs/sun loungers where you can soak up the sun and the magnificent views. There are also olive, fig and cherry trees for shade.
In the centre of the village there is a bar/restaurant run by local Italians, providing delicious simple home-cooked food of the region. There are also two other excellent restaurants within a short walking distance of the village, as well as several others a short car journey away.
The village regularly hosts cultural events such as art exhibitions and concerts, as well as gastronomic events celebrating the best of Italian slow food and wine. For the past 3 years the village has held an Olive Festival where the community has picked the olives from the many trees surrounding the village and had them pressed locally to produce its own bottles of olive oil.
Recent winner of a prestigious award as one of the most beautiful small villages in Italy (I Borghi Piω Belli d'Italia)
The village was gradually abandoned by its inhabitants during the twentieth century and by the 1950s had fallen into picturesque ruins. However, in the 1980s the visionary Italian architect Giancarlo De Carlo drew up a restoration plan which would renovate the ancient settlement using the original materials and building techniques and at the same time provide a sophisticated technological infrastructure to allow future inhabitants to benefit from the highest level of telecommunications resources.
Today, the stone houses and narrow streets have been totally restored and the windows look out once more over the olive and cherry terraces of the valley. There are 23 apartments available to rent at our Liguria holiday accommodation, all individual and of different sizes, alike only in the way they have been restored with a respect for the aesthetics of the ancient stone arching stairways and vaulted ceilings whilst discreetly incorporating contemporary high technology. An exciting new business/function centre incorporating meeting, seminar and office space in alternative surroundings has recently opened, and is also available for rent.
Prices depend on accommodation and season. 2 person apartment: 63 (low), 84 (mid), 105 (high) per night. 4 person apartment: 100 (low), 135 (mid), 171 (high). 6 person apartment: 139 (low), 199 (mid), 263 (high) per night.
activities at our Liguria holiday accommodation
There is a 20m outdoor swimming pool with grassed sun terraces supplied with deck chairs/sun loungers where you can soak up the sun and the magnificent views. There are also olive, fig and cherry trees for shade. In the centre of the village there is a bar/restaurant run by local Italians, providing delicious simple home-cooked food of the region. There are also two other excellent restaurants within a short walking distance of the village, as well as several others a short car journey away.
The village regularly hosts cultural events such as art exhibitions and concerts, as well as gastronomic events celebrating the best of Italian slow food and wine. For the past 3 years the village has held an Olive Festival where the community has picked the olives from the many trees surrounding the village and had them pressed locally to produce its own bottles of olive oil.
Recent winner of a prestigious award as one of the most beautiful small villages in Italy (I Borghi Piω Belli d'Italia)
travellers' tales
The location was so quiet and peaceful. Excellent. (more)
rooms, food and facilities
Every apartment is unique, finished to the highest standard, and ranging from self-contained studios to 3 bedroom apartments with garden or terraces. All apartments are cabled for high speed broadband internet and have an ISDN telephone. There is a 20m outdoor swimming pool with grassed sun terraces supplied with deck chairs/sun loungers where you can soak up the sun and the magnificent views. There are also olive, fig and cherry trees for shade.
The Telecaffθ in the heart of the village provides a friendly location for relaxing over a coffee and snack, or for aperitifs before dining on delicious local food.
The new business and function centre offers working space to individuals and businesses, on a flexible basis, and is equipped with the latest state-of-the art technology. There is a shared laundry room with washing machines and dryers run on tokens. At the entrance to the village there is a car park. Baby friendly: Babies are always welcome, especially in Italy, and there is never any problem in taking them out with you in the evening. All restaurants in the area are very relaxed and consequently parents tend to be so too!
Family friendly: This is an ideal spot for a relaxing family holiday and children are most welcome. They love to explore the winding streets and hidden passageways, and the swimming pool is always a great magnet.
One of the terraces has been converted to a small football pitch with goalposts. There is a wonderful water park at Ceriale, about 20 minutes drive away - children absolutely love it! The sandy beaches of Alassio, Laigueglia and Loano are only a short drive away.
how to find us
The village is situated in the Western Ligurian hinterland, in the province of Savona, in the district of Castelbianco, 12 kilometres from Albenga.
By air: From Genoa Airport, you can continue to the village by hire car or train and taxi. From Nice airport, you can continue to the village by hire car or taxi. Both journeys take about 1 hour.
By rail: The nearest station to our Liguria holiday accommodation is at Albenga. You can proceed to the village either by taxi or bus.
By car: Take the Albenga exit on the Genova-Ventimiglia motorway. Follow the signs towards Garessio, passing Cisano sul Neva. Go past Cisano and at Martinetto turn left at the petrol station in the direction of Castelbianco-Nasino. Drive for 7km until you see Ristorante Scola on your right. Turn immediately right and follow the hill up. In about 300m you will see the small church of Santa Lucia on your left, and the car park to our Liguria holiday accommodation will be up on your right.
how this holiday makes a difference
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This is one of four villages in the rural comune of Castelbianco, and its restoration has provided much-needed regeneration in this beautiful but depressed area. A new community has grown up, comprising of a mixture of Italians and people from a variety of countries, who have made the village their home, both full and part time. The materials used to restore the village have all been resourced from the local area. The stones are the originals from the ruins while the black granite used for the steps, window-sills etc is from the local quarry. The doors and window-frames have all been constructed in the original way and painted in the traditional colours. The floors are made from sustainable timber. All new plants in the village are those which grow indigenously in the region, such as olive trees, fig and cherry trees, rosemary and thyme.
 Great care has been taken to insulate every apartment; the walls are incredibly thick and all windows are double-glazed. An underfloor heating system ensures that a minimum of cheap rate electricity is needed to keep the apartment warm in winter.The ancient footpaths and mule tracks between the villages have recently been cleared and restored, providing excellent walking in unspoilt countryside. Local craftsmen are used for the ongoing maintenance of the village and local gardeners are helping to restore the olive and cherry terraces surrounding the village. Only organic agriculture methods are used in the maintenance of the gardens and terraces. Paper, glass and plastic are recycled through the local collection system in the car park above the village. Hopefully, we will shortly be introducing a system for recycling organic waste too, in line with an increasing number of other Italian communities. We have a paper-free policy for enquiries and bookings, using email only. The village is a car-free zone and all vehicles must be parked in the car park behind the village.  The water supply is fed to a tank above the village from mountain streams, and when tested recently was pronounced to be of the highest quality. During the dry summer months, when there is the highest occupancy in the village, people are actively encouraged to use water responsibly.The bar/restaurant uses locally-grown vegetables (artichokes, courgettes, aubergines, wild mushrooms, herbs etc) and locally-caught produce (rabbits, wild boar etc) and serves home-cooked dishes based on traditional recipes. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |