THE VACATION FLAT IN THE MEDICI PALAZZO ANGELIO - PLACE FOR EXCLUSIVE HOLIDAYS IN TOSCANY

The Palazzo is named in honour of its famous former resident and scholar, Pietro Angelio (1517-1596), whose bust adorns its facade overlooking the central Piazza Angelio. A Medici coat-of-arms attests to the Palazzo's elevated status.

The vacation flat Toscananobile, ca 3000 square feet occupies the main floor, the 'piano nobile'. One experiences a uniqueness of being, an original and authentic Renaissance aesthetics, a grandiose inspiration of spaces in a stylistic purity sure to elevate the spirit. The large rooms - among them the town's largest salon, are arranged in sequences of beautiful vistas typical for the Renaissance palace. Five hundred year-old wooden ceilings, fourteen and eighteen feet high, made of chestnut from the region, and intricate parquet floors of rare teak and ebony make the apartment a majestic place even more so today. Antique and contemporary furnishing supports the classical elegance of the rooms as well as a cozy and welcoming atmosphere.

The two salons with their wonderful, hand-hewn Renaissance hearth, and a Steinway Grand piano are perfect for elegant receptions and entertaining. The library/media room, also with fireplace, invites to informal meals and relaxed gatherings, watching TV and listening to music.The modern kitchen and newly restored bathrooms from the 70's assure a comfortable stay.

The bedrooms are spacious, comfortable and bright - each with an exquisite view. They are all equipped with a writing desk and a seating area and can be completely separated from the common spaces through doors. Thus one can be by oneself - if so desired. Two of the bedrooms with a joining bathroom form their separate small suites. In addition, another comfortable room can be used as a parlour/study/bedroom. Here one can withdraw or accommodate an additional guest.

The apartment offers magnificent views from each room. Huge windows give morning sunshine and a view of the life of the Piazza below. The two balconies, one from the Grand Salon and one from a Bedroom Suite, overlook elegant art nouveau villas and beyond a broad valley the magnificent Apuan Alps. They form a part of the Tuscan Apennine and are famous for their marble quarries. There, in Carrara, once Michelangelo found the marble block for his David. Deep green slopes are dotted with dreamy ancient villages perched on plateaux, sparkling at night like stars. The traffic and sounds of the New Town fall silent at dark and a deep silence reigns. Only at dawn is it broken by a chorus of innumerable songbirds from the nearby park.

THE CITY OF 'BARGA VECCHIA': 'Barga Vecchia' is - also with its official title - 'one of the most beautiful towns of Italy' ('uno dei piu belli borghi d'Italia'). The medieval mountain town is also considered the 'jewel in the crown' of the Garfagnana, an unspoiled region in the North of Tuscany. Historically allied with Florence [keyword} and wealthy due to its silk production, “Barga Vecchia” with its Medici coat of arms and noble palazzi recalls the splendour of the Tuscan-Florentine period. Wonderful views into the wide landscape, bright chimes piercing the clear air, churches filled with art treasures, tiny gardens with blooming roses, luminous geraniums everywhere, medieval lanes and the mighty Romanesque Duomo mounting an impressive summit - all that bespeaks an unbroken urban culture. Old Barga - throughout the year- is centre stage for pageants, music parades and fairs. A stage for 'life as theatre' with children who roam around and play and for long established town's people who lovingly maintain their houses. Home of a culturally acute citizenry, Barga also offers hospitality to artists and writers from different countries. There are quite a few restaurants and cafes, and the centre of the old town is free of automobile traffic. Barga, that is a vital community small enough to feel familiar and yet urban. The vacation flat 'Toscananobile' is ideally situation in the centre of Barga Vecchia. Its elevation, about six hundred meters above sea level, offers relief from the oppressive summer heat from regions further south. Its proximity to the Italian Riviera and Its grandiose natural beauty of the Garfagnana make Barga and its surrounding region a desired summer retreat for prominent Italian families. A bridge in the shadow of an ancient Roman aqueduct separates Old Barga from the “New Town” which together with the incorporated villages has a population of about 10,000. The New Town, which mostly dates from the 19th century, has a very lively atmosphere. It is the meeting place for young people and there the Saturday open air market takes place where everything from delicatessen, over clothing and household goods to antiques seemingly everything can be found. The commodities of a modern city exist: Post office, Internet cafes, car rental, travel agency, (emergency room services are free in Tuscany) banking and a hospital. Barga is an ideal vacation spot in Tuscany also off-season. In autumn, all kinds of festivals take place in the town and in the region. Famous is the yearly opera festival in the summer.The Christmas pageantries are worthwhile to see. A winter?s day of snow has a special, almost solemn atmosphere and makes the warmth of always open Cafes and restaurants attractive. More information available at barganews.com. ADDITIONAL SERVICES: Cleaning, Concierge and Catering. RECREATION AND CULTURE IN BARGA: Cuisine: Within 100 meters of the vacation flat Toscananobile there are three piazzas with bars, cafes, an Italian ice-cream parlour and fine restaurants. In the New Town, easy to reach on foot, you find pretty cafes, several delicatessen as well as a supermarket. ART AND CULTURE OF TUSCANY: In closest proximity of the palazzo Angelio there are art galleries, antique shops, a public library and a private, mostly English language library. An enchanting Rococo opera house with red velvet seats - recently fully restored - offers cultural events on a high level. The possibility to rent this theatre exists. Throughout the year there are performances by travelling stage companies. In the height of summer one of the most exquisite and oldest Opera festivals of Italy takes place there. In nearby Castelnuovo, the “International Music Academy New York” holds its summer program: Young musicians from all over the world daily perform in a lovely, newly restored theatre. For jazz lovers there is a well-established jazz club in Barga with regular weekend performances and a jazz festival in August. THE ENVIRONMENT OF BARGA: Nature: The Garfagnana a landscape of untarnished beauty, begins at the city's gates. For the hiker well-marked and maintained trails are a dream. Numerous shelters offer protection from storms and overnight possibilities. In spring and summer, the forests and meadows are ablaze with wild crocus and narcissus, and ancient stone -walls are covered with fragrant violets, capers, wild flowers and herbs. All this is part of an extensive national “nature part” system: The chestnut forests are filled with mushrooms, streams with fish. The regional cuisine is rich with game especially with wild boar. In the Apuan Alps limestone caves, many as yet unexplored are hidden. The Serchio River in the valley belongs to Europe?s cleanest and is stocked with fish, e.g. salmon and trout. The broad alluvial plains are ideal for horseback riding, its roads ideal for bicycling. In nice weather one often encounters groups of cyclists. Also sport motorcyclists appreciate the curvy mountain roads. Ancient Villages: The Garfagnana [keyword] is known for its magic villages. They are accessible by car and local buses or on foot : on narrow roads, sometimes paved in Roman times. Here time seems to stand still. In partly almost abandoned villages a haunting emptiness rules and one meets ancient women, who sit in the warm sun knitting or tend their geraniums. They speak of different times in which the village was full of life. Then theY bade “farewell” to their young men who in escape of poverty set out for the New World or for Northern European countries. Churches with massive bell towers balance precariously on incredibly steep rocks over deep abysses. Their grey stones are pockmarked by the ravages of time, yet enlivened by wild flowers and ferns which push through their craggy crevices. Sports: Local gymnasium in Barga golf, mountaineering, spelunking, swimming a the local outdoor pool or walking on beaches and swimming in one of the nearby beaches of the Riviera skiing in Tuscany's only ski area in Abetone, horseback riding in Barga?s equestrian club (15.- euros per hour). Excursions in the environment of Barga, Cinqueterra, Portofino the famous spa, Bagno di Lucca, grottoes, beach, Viareggio, Pisa, Genova, Pistoia. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Good Rail and bus service to/from Lucca, Pisa, Florence, Sienna, Livorno. Ferry from Livorno to Elba, Palermo and to other Mediterranean towns. Local car rental. Airports at Pisa and Florence.