ID-Casa Pardina
Semi-detached Village House in Medieval Hamlet in The Serchio Valley
The house is part of a Piazzetta – a small square – but walking through the house one will find stunning views of the Serchio Valley opening out from the the French door in the open space living/kitchen. The view extends all the way to Garfagnana. It’s absolutely gorgeous! There’s also space for al fresco dining right outside the door.
Once this was two houses; the owners bought the first one and restored it in the beginning of the nineties, and then after a few years they bought the second one, and opened up the thick wall between the two. That way every floor – there are three floors in all – became an open space. The house was built around the 10th century AD, on top of a Roman Legion who gave the name to Gioviano.
The entrance is on the ground floor with the kitchen and living. There’s a beautiful wooden staircase, designed by one of the owners, taking up to the first floor. There are also two cellars- having been two houses in the past – under this floor.
On the first floor there’s space for two bedrooms, but now it’s an all open space. The good size bathroom is on this floor too. Under-Floor heating has been laid here, but it needs to be connected to some kind to a boiler of choice.
The best room of all is on the top one! It’s an attic with chestnut beams as in the rest of the house with a lot of light coming in from the four windows; two on each side, as in the rest of the house. Currently it’s used as a sitting room and office, but it can be made into another another bedroom or whatever one decides to do.
The distance from the main road is only two kilometres and there will be supermarkets and other facilities going in any direction.
The people in the village are very friendly and helpful between themselves and also with foreigners. If one likes real Italian village life, this is the place!
