This is a beautiful old property, full of lovely artwork and charm, a real home. There is a lot of wildlife to enjoy. We had a lovely time staying here. It is well equipped Loads of books and dvds if staying in. We had a fair amount of wet weather unfortunately but was ok. We loved visiting Pescia, Lucca and Montecatino whilst we were there, all in easy driving distance. Try the fanicular going up to Montecatino Alta, stunning views and a square full of restaurants which was very jolly. One point of note is that the access to the house is down a very steep unmade up slope, and we found that a challenge being in our mid 70s, so senior citizens like us just need to be aware of this. The approach road is steep and winding. That said, it was still a great pleasure to stay at Il Rivo and the owner Michelle is lovely and very helpful. Great communication. Thankyou Michelle.
Meine Freundin und ich haben den Aufenthalt in dem gemĂŒtlichen Haus sehr genossen. Man konnte sich wie zu Hause fĂŒhlen. Die Fahrt hinauf in die Berge zum Haus war zwar etwas beschwerlich, aber man wurde mit einem spektakulĂ€ren Ausblick ins Tal belohnt.
La casa es magnĂfica por dentro. Los muebles, antiguos, son preciosos, las camas muy cĂłmodas, la cocina completa y los baños buenĂsimos. Pero llegar A la casa y HASTA la casa es muy difĂcil. Hasta la casa hay 8 kms de curvas y carretera estrecha. A la casa es una bajada sin asfaltar y empinada que hace difĂcil bajar las maletas con ruedas etc. AdemĂĄs la ubicaciĂłn que pone en la pĂĄgina, coordinadas y direcciĂłn, te llevan a otra casa distinta. Michelle es muy amable peroâŠestĂĄ en Londres! Se nota que la casa estaba cerrada un tiempo. Pero hemos estado muy a gusto!
Wir haben im Juli 2024 eine Woche mit unseren drei Kindern im Teenageralter in diesem idyllischen ehemaligen Bauernhaus verbracht. Wir erhielten von der sehr freundlichen Gastgeberin im Vorfeld bereits zahlreiche Informationen. Zugang zum Haus sowie die Parkmöglichkeiten entsprechen der Lage des Hauses in einem Hang. Die Internetverbindung war klasse, selten haben wir in Italien eine so gute Internetanbindung gehabt und wenn, dann nur in groĂen, innerstĂ€dtischen Hotels. Die Ausstattung des Hauses lĂ€sst keine WĂŒnsche offen und ist auch sehr geschmackvoll. Da wir einen Vegetarier dabei hatten, waren wir sehr erfreut im Nachbarort Vellano die Pizzeria âDa Arturo e Marucaâ zu finden die auch eine schöne Weinauswahl und einen tollen Ausblick bietet. Einkaufsmöglichkeiten (auch Sonntags) sind in Pescia ausreichend vorhanden. Wer stilvolle Geschenke kaufen möchte oder einfach nur im Ambiente eines italienischen Palazzo schwelgen möchte, dem sei ein Besuch bei âLuca Bernardiniâ in der Innenstadt von Pescia empfohlen. Ganz tolle KĂŒchengerĂ€te und Einrichtungiker von Designern wie Kartell, Alessi, Swarovski⊠Zu Preisen teilweise unter Internet Niveau. Im Keller gibt es darĂŒber hinaus eine groĂe Auswahl im Outlet. Wir haben auch Luca besucht, was uns sehr gut gefallen hat, und sind mit FahrrĂ€dern ĂŒber die Stadtmauer gefahren. AuĂerdem besuchten wir einen Tag lang den Strand in Viareggio, der ebenfalls sehr schön war.
We were in Venice prior to our trip to the Florence area. I booked all of this months in advance to spend time with our daughter who is stationed in the Air Force in Germany. The day prior to going to Florence, her car broke down on a Sunday outside Venice. After towing the car to a garage and getting taken by the first mechanic later in the week, I called the property manager and told her of our situation. I also messaged the owner Michelle. We were obviously not gong to be able to make it to Florence. The property manager was very nice and understanding of our situation. The owner on the other hand was not. She was not willing to work with me in the least and told me that any type of refund for our stay was not an option. This situation was totally out of our hands, and we ended up spending 3 extra days in Venice to get our car to a reputable shop after getting ripped off with the first mechanic. The timing chain broke. The car is still in Vicenza, and my daughter will have to drive the rental car we got back to pick up her car when it is done. I owned a rental property if Florida for a decade and was always willing to work with people who through no fault of their own, had to alter their plans. Michelle, the owner was clear that she wasn't. We lost our entire week's deposit. I would have been happy with any option to negotiate something like I had done with others as a rental property owner. If you book here, don't have any problems.
We had the best time! The house was perfect and exactly what I was hoping it would be. The entrance to the home was a bit of a challenge and had it been raining would not have been fun, but we knew it was going to be a bit of a slope.
The home is perfectly situated to visit many of the surrounding towns.
We had dinner at the restaurant in the village above (Vellano). Wonderful meal and friendly and helpful staff and owners.
Such a fantastic vacation and many memories to savour for years to come!
Thank you Michelle!
Very nice house in real Tuscany style, no fancy equipment all is so original. 2 things we wish to be different if we come again, it the bed in one of master bedring, itâs hard as a rock og swing like boat đ and the garden furniture have seen better days. Any Way we have a good stay in the House
We had the most beautiful time in this wonderful house- we loved the old kitchen and hope it will always stay unchanged- we ate our supper in front of a roaring fire and it felt very special
Much thanks for letting us stay
The views were amazing. The rooms were very well appointed and met our needs. Having three bathrooms was a plus.
The only thing is the drive up to the property is quite mountainous and very curvy. The path to the house from the car park is quite steep. You just need to take it slow and enjoy the view.
My wife and I stayed here for 6 nights with 3 of our adult children. We loved the ambience of the place and hanging out in the terrace area in the mornings and evenings with its spectacular views. And the occasional wild boar squeals made it more special! The hilltop town of Vellano is a short way above the house and there are great views of it from the top of the property. The roads to get there are narrow, twisty, and so much fun to drive (IMO). Highly recommend this to anyone looking to get entrenched in a rural hilltop Tuscan experience.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here, a large roomy house with atmosphere and amazing views. For this of course you must drive up and down the winding road to and from Pescia⊠but how lovely it is to return from the bustle of Lucca, or any of the Italian towns and roads to the peace of the house. Those with children, our 10 year old might have enjoyed more space outside to run around in, but a good Netflix connection made up for that in the eveningsâŠnot a lot for kids entertainment in the area but we did swim once at outside pool (we craved a river or lake)⊠but all in all a fab place in Italy and the sounds of cicadas and the odd grunting wild boar added to the ambience and excitement of the hills⊠we would definitely go again. Thanks for letting us rent your house!
We had a brilliant stay at Il Rivo. The house was great, and very spacious for five, and during a heatwave we sat on the verandah, underneath the cooling pergola, looking across the valley to Fibiallla and Medicina while listening to birds, owls and boars. Enjoyed day trips to Alpi Apuane, Ocherrelia, Lucca and Pisa. The local restaurant in Vellano, Trattoria Manero, is very special. Not sure the photos can do the house, or the views from it, justice.
We spent a month at Il Rivo in June 2023 and it suited our needs perfectly. The two double bedrooms are a nice size and the bunkroom along with the daybed area is also. Having multiple bathrooms with showers is great. The house is quite remote on a long narrow winding road. The car park area is small and takes maneuvering to get turned around. The walkway down to the house is like a trail and quite steep. It can be slippery when it rains. Consider this if you are not stable on your feet or able to climb steep inclines. It makes a challenge to get your luggage down to the house. A sign needs to be put up that clearly states which house is Il Rivo . We had a few issues when we arrived but the Manager Maria and owner Michelle took care of them. The walkway down to the house had not been moved/weed whacked, the weeds were up to our shins when we arrived. It was getting dark and drizzling which made the trek down difficult. Maria contacted the garderner and had him come weed it. Michelle has apologized that this was not done prior to our arrival. The bunk room needed to be cleaned and Maria had the cleaner come the next day. Whenever we had an issue or question, Maria took care of it for us.
The covered area outdoors is nice. The owners recommendations for shopping and dining are spot on. We tried all the restaurants and they were delicious. We had a great time. Our family felt like they were locals living the real Italian life. Thank you Michelle and Maria.
We had a really wonderful time in this beautiful old farm house. We enjoyed the peace and the beautiful view. We also made day trips to Lucca, Pisa and Montecastini. We spent the evenings outside playing cards under the pergola. It was magical evenings spotting the fireflies and the lights from other little villages far away. We also really enjoyed both visiting restaurants in the area and cooking in the house (Italian food of course). We would love to return again!
The house contained mold and was in need of thorough cleaning. The location was hidden and located in a ravine. Although the second floor and baths were lovely, the house was misrepresented. The location was not a tuscan experience and was in a substandard industrial bypass. Travel in and out to other areas was trying and poorly marked. After 20 years in Tuscan houses, this was a negative. We have discussed many issues with the proprietress.
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This is a beautiful old house with a fabulous view over the valley. There is lots of space for families. It was very clean and near many places to visit for day trips with a car. Unfortunately the weather was rainy when we were there so could only enjoy sitting out on the pergola one evening. The house does get chilly when the weather is cool.
Das Haus liegt sehr ruhig in der Natur, ein Nachbarhaus grenzt an das GrundstĂŒck.
Das obere Stockwerk ist wunderschön und geschmackvoll restauriert. Unten in der KĂŒche und Vorratskammer findet man alles, was man braucht.
Sehr zu empfehlen ist die Trattoria in Vellano. Dort kocht ein sympathisches Ehepaar mit sehr viel Raffinesse.
Insgesamt hatten wir eine gute Zeit. FĂŒr unseren Geschmack hĂ€tte es im Haus und drauĂen etwas wĂ€rmer sein können.
in einem liebevoll eingerichteten Haus, mit viel Platz, mit Terrasse mit Weitblick, in der NĂ€he eines idyllischen StĂ€dtchens, mit dem Auto nicht weit vom Meer (Viareggio) und anderen SehenswĂŒrdigkeiten (Lucca, Pisa) entfernt haben wir unseren Aufenthalt hier sehr genossen. Meine 9jĂ€hrige Tochter fragte bei der Abfahrt nach einer möglichst baldigen Wiederkehr.
Wir haben die Zeit sehr genossen. Das Haus steht abseits in den Bergen, unterhalb eines Bergdorfs und ist auf den letzten Metern ĂŒber eine sehr enge StraĂe erreichbar - kleinere Autos haben hier klare Vorteile... Schöne groĂe Zimmer welche geschmackvoll eingerichtet sind ... Die elektrische Versorgung hat so Ihre TĂŒcken, aber die Besitzerin Michelle, war erreichbar und kĂŒmmerte sich schnell um alles.
Vielen Dank - Wir kommen gerne wieder!
C+C
Every morning at Il Rivo we would sit in the sun, listen to the birds and enjoy the fantastic view over the valley. In the evening, we would sit outside with a glass of wine and watch the fireflies and the stars when we turned the lights off. This is such a peaceful and beautiful place!
The historical village of Vellano is well worth a visit, not least because of the Trattoria Manero where we had one of the best meals of our trip. We walked up to Manero with a toddler in about 25 minutes - the village was closer than we had expected. The house is really well located for exploring Tuscany, including the less known (but stunning) region of the Alpi Apuane.
The house has everything you need and its charming decor makes you feel at home straight away. Thank you Michelle for this fantastic experience! I hope that one day we will be back.