Villa Amata in Riomaggiore, La Spezia, Liguria, Italy

The coastline here has a thousand different colours: it's wonderful, unique. With its old villages perched high above the sea, green hills, its crystal-clear water: the Gulf of Spezia in Liguria is one of the widest and deepest inlets in the entire tyhrrenian coast, enclosed by the Lerici and Portovenere promontories, and bordered behind by an amphitheatre of hills and mountains. For over two thousand years the beauty of these places has been celebrated by poets and writers and has been immortalised by artists and painters, transfixed by the beauty of this "water amphitheatre", attracted by the abundance of nature in the gulf, by its light sea breezes, by the curves of the hills and by the imposing sheer rocky cliffs separating peaceful bays protected from the wind. That's how the name Il Golfo dei Poeti - the Poets' Gulf - came about, due to the numerous famous people who came here to breathe in the romantic atmosphere of the landscape. Villa Amata, a typical ligurian villa from the beginning of the 1900s, stands on the green hills surrounding La Spezia, with a beautiful view of the Golfo dei Poeti, of part of the town and over the promontories that make up the southern border of the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre - a nature reserve and an essential sightseeing trip for its wonderful little villages and romantic pathways. The villa is surrounded by a carefully tended terraced garden, full of flowers and mediterranean trees, with shady areas for dining outside and for relaxing, and where they have recently installed a nice tub with therapeutic hydromassage and swimming against the current (5 x 2.8m). It has maintained intact its original vocation as a welcoming family house, with elegant furniture, precious materials, and above all a comfortable atmosphere: intimate and hospitable. Its ideal position means that you can go down on foot into town (the station is just 10 minutes walk away and can also be reached by bus) and from there you can take the convenient public transportation (either train or ferry) which in a short trip takes you to Le Cinque Terre or the other many interesting towns in the area. The owners are very accommodating and ready to help and to advise guests on aspects of tourism in the area, along with the best restaurants and the interesting shops to go to, and even offer a short tour of the town to discover the old town centre and its market. (The owner lives in an annex not far from the villa, where, in an independent area also live the wardens, who clean the villa). The villa is also available for small groups of just 4 people: in this case the lower floor will not be available. Children are accepted who are less than 1 year old and over 10 years old.

LOWER FLOOR: large living-room with connected, cooled dining area with access to a furnished area of the garden. GROUND FLOOR: entrance, living-room with marble fireplace and access to the panoramic terrace furnished for dining outside, kitchen with access to another panoramic terrace furnished living-room with fireplace, TV and dining-area (for 6 people), 1 bathroom with small bath-tub. Corridor leading to a small twin bedroom, furnished in marine style and small bathroom with shower. FIRST FLOOR: 1 master double bedroom with en suite bathroom with bathtub, 1 double bedroom with balcony and panoramic windows, 1 double bedroom, 1 bathroom with shower