|
General Descriptions of the local area and its manifold attractions and delights can be found on our private website (for address see elsewhere).
The little village of Convalle clings to the south facing lower slopes of a range of the Apuan Alps which, higher up, become the marble mountains of Carrara. It is towards the head of the Pescaglia valley, some ten minutes drive from the little town of Diecimo which is, in its turn around 15 minutes drive from the famous Tuscan walled city of Lucca. For visitors arriving by air, Lucca is 30 minutes drive from either Pisa or Florence airports.
The Villa Arialli is the most important house in Convalle and faces you as you arrive in the little square. From your car you will walk up an easy 50 metres or so to the gates of your courtyard. Rita and Eugenio have owned the house for some time, having acquired it from the noble family for whom Rita's mother once worked as a servant. Now the Arialli family live on the other side of the square, in the building which once housed the bar and little shop over which they presided - until the number of people in the village became simply too few to justify it. They are immensely proud of the Villa and, as you can imagine, it is always kept clean and neat. You will hardly avoid them during your stay, and they will chatter happily to you in the street without the slightest concern that you may understand very little at all of their conversation!
Now that Rita Arialli no longer runs the shop and bar, it is 500 metres to the famous local restaurant, 'La Fonte'. Here Daniella serves the finest food for some distance at very affordable prices. Guests who do not like to drive after a convivial evening out can readily stroll back home in 10 minutes. There is a grocery, a butcher, and a chemist within a kilometre of the village.
Eugenio Arialli is a builder whose home has always been in Convalle, where he will tell you that he grew up on wine, polenta, olive oil, chestnut flour, tomatoes and fruits. In those days, when poor rural Italian families lived off their own resources, some 300 souls lived in Convalle. These days the combination of young people moving to the bright lights of towns and cities, together with greater general prosperity means that Convalle is home to around 100 Italians. It is a hamlet of narrow stone stepped village paths with medieval houses built around the contours of the hillside; thus an evening stroll will delight the foreign visitor, with each few steps revealing yet another ancient architectural feature. Cars must of course be left outside the village where there is ample parking.
For the house itself: six large and splendidly shuttered casements open on to the view of the lower part of the village and the wooded slopes opposite. The house faces due south and these great windows keep it bathed in sunlight during the spring and summer months. In times of greater heat you may choose to open the windows but keep the heavy old slatted shuttered closed. the central and enduring features of the house are the two 'salons,' one on each floor. They are both some 12 metres long by 6 metres wide with lofty ceilings and are linked by a sweeping ballustraded stone staircase. The lower is presented as your grand dining room, being next to the kitchen. The furnishing is traditional in style and includes an ancient grand piano (in less than perfect working order!). The upstairs salon is your drawing room which, like the rest of the house, is furnished with fine pieces of antique furniture, including some pictures of real quality which were painted by Rita's quite extraordinarily talented father, whose works would be admired far further afield than so small a place as Convalle.
This remarkable artist is also responsible for the painted ceiling in the second bedroom which is a spacious, five meters by four meters. The master bedroom is even larger, and has windows at the front of the house. There are three single beds, a double bed, and a folding bed, so that sleeping accommodation is a maximum of six people. It is a peculiarity of the house that the general spaciousness of the rooms (over 200 square metres in total) does not allow for more residents. This means that guests will always feel utterly pampered!
The large family kitchen (six meters by 4 meters) has every necessary modern convenience, plus a traditional wood fired range at which you will more marvel than cook! It has a good-sized marble topped kitchen table at which you may like to enjoy a relaxed breakfast, saving the grand dining room for your lunch and dinner. the Ariallis have left an enormous number of their own possessions in the house, and this is no more clearly in evidence than in the catering department,where you will find a bewildering array of pots, pans, utensils, and crockery. To complete your enjoyment of every meal you can also choose to eat at the big wrought iron table with chairs and a parasol on the paved terrace outside, where there is also a traditional wood-fired bread oven.
The final delight of this luxurious villa is the formal garden at the front, where Eugenio has clipped box hedges and a large number of lemon trees in terracotta pots, together with other formal plants. The hillsides are your larger 'garden' and the walks from the house, perhaps up to the old church or through the cool chestnut woods or olive groves bring magnificently larger views of the surrounding hills and valleys. |
