The wait, that magical moment between having scheduled a visit to a property and arriving at the destination.
Sometimes it is so pleasant to fantasize that instead of reaching the property immediately I decide to prolong this pleasure.
Today they are waiting for me in Sassetta, in the province of Livorno and a short distance from Castagneto Carducci. I have decided to make my first visit, the one I make to get to know the property and the owners, before preparing all the photographic documentation and not only, a little vacation.
In Genoa a sailing boat awaits me that will take me to Livorno. Already this first part of the trip allows me to smell the sea which for those who, like me, live in the mountains is the air of vacation.
After docking, Spartaco, my cocker spaniel, and I rent a car, he doesn’t like them very much, he is a dog that loves people and if he could choose he would make me travel by bus or train to smell and meet everyone.
We have the same reaction once we arrive at this spectacular late 19th century residence, unlike the bourgeoisie who once lived and moved gracefully in the garden, we start to run, to savor the freedom of the large green spaces.
The house watches us from its thousand windows with an austere air, it will think, these two won’t take care of me, will they?
But those who can appreciate and love a house at first sight will have the right enthusiasm to transmit to those who come to live here.
The main villa is divided in two vertically and the part for sale looking at the main facade is the one on the right. It is spread over 4 floors of about 240 square meters each to which are added other small buildings that can be used for multiple uses and a farmhouse a short distance from the villa.
With the owners we visit the interior, on the ground floor the living area with kitchen complete with period fireplace, pantry, dining room, living rooms, one with fireplace, utility room and bathroom.
Much of the period furniture has been preserved, as well as the finely decorated ceilings, a series of rooms that have remained crystallized in time. The wonderful ceilings with vaults in which the original frescoes and floors have been recovered, each one is a work of art in itself, the ancient Romans would have called them sectilia pavimenta and are characterized by the geometric alternation of different colors and materials.
A staircase leads us to the first floor where the sleeping area is currently located where there are two bathrooms and six bedrooms, some furnished in perfect late nineteenth-century style, including dressing tables to take care of your beauty in the bedroom.
The second floor is presented as a separate apartment, in fact it has a kitchen, three bedrooms and a bathroom while the 3rd is a large attic that deserves a new use.
Spartaco and I return to visit the centuries-old chestnut park with a total surface area of 20,000 square meters that surrounds the property. We take some time to admire the exceptional view of the Tuscan hills.
We return to the shed between the stone walls near the entrance where we enjoy a refreshing pomegranate juice and visit one by one all the small buildings that are part of the property, the old chicken coop with the oven, the porch and the large warehouse where the carriages were kept and we already imagine their possible destinations.
The last stop is the farmhouse, located on a hill adjacent to the villa and surrounded by greenery that guarantees exclusivity and privacy, it could become a splendid annex or as in the owners’ plan 4 independent apartments.
The sun is setting and Spartaco and I get back in the car, next destination the Sassetta spa, we end a wonderful day in the best possible way but even more wonderful is the property we visited.