Summer 2020 sees us open for guests at our private, secluded villa.

All Italian airports have resumed direct international flights and it’s possible to move freely between regions. Hotels, bars, restaurants, shops and museums have been spruced up and are eager to welcome visitors again. 

The village of Villafranca in Lunigiana is a perfect model of small-town life in this historic area of Tuscany. Villafranca is located along the Via Francigena and it’s in both the heart of the town and in its many hamlets that visitors can admire numerous traces of the important medieval past of this territory.

Boasting a strategic and picturesque position close to the ford of the River Magra, the historic centre of Villafranca is home to the remnants of the Malnido Castle, built by the Malaspina family in 1100. The fortress, a stronghold on the Francigena for the Ghibelline branch of the Malaspina, was nearly intact before the Second World War, when bombings reduced it to ruins. What remains is nonetheless fascinating and could possibly be excellently restored. Other notable medieval traces are the defense walls and the fortifications seen on the opposite side of the town, next to the Church of San Giovanni.

The territory around Villafranca in Lunigiana is dotted with several hamlets, all with their own distinct character. The most well-known is probably Filetto, a walled village with a unique quadrilateral urban plan at the base of the valley, a characteristic of planned communities. Probably of Byzantine origin, the original centre is made up of an enclosure with four corner towers. The hamlet underwent important transformations in the 15th and 16th centuries, like the expansion of the village to the east and the introduction of a road axis inside the new city walls, which included two new monumental gates. Known today for its summer festivals, Filetto has experienced a certain success thanks to its medieval celebrations and antiques markets, as well as exhibitions and conferences on contemporary art held inside the historic Palazzo Cavalli.

No other country has Italy’s riches; its peerless combination of art, culture, food and wine, of fashion, opera, people and landscapes; its vivid blend of the old and new, the beguiling and the beautiful. Come and stay with us this summer.