Casa Terracotta; a little farm house set in the peaceful town of Masanti in the Apennine Mountains 96 kilometres west of the beautiful city of Parma, in the region of Emilia Romagna, Northern Italy. The scenery in this area is stunning, with high peaks and passes, steep valleys, forests, tiny stone villages clinging to the sides of the hills, and exciting hair-pin-bend roads taking you from one amazing view to the next. The Ligurian border is just a 20 minute drive and Tuscany about 60 minutes away.
The local shop, Post Office and 2 friendly bars, which also offer good meals, are just a 5 minute drive away at Ponteceno. Also within a 10 minute drive you will find a very restaurant, Oppici, at Monte Vaca’ or a little further away, 30 minutes, in the imposing fortress town of Bardi, the Due Spade (Two Swords). Or in Bedonia, 20 minutes away, Il Cortile. All have very good reviews on TripAdvisor.
Casa Terracotta, a small farmhouse built in the 1800’s, has been renovated to include modern amenities, it has a small garden with table and chairs and exclusive off road parking adjacent to the property.
The accommodation is accessed by a flight of stone steps to the original front door. Inside is the lobby leading to:
the double bedroom
featuring a stone arch believed to have been build in the 1700s to access the older house next-door. And ….
A bathroom with shower, toilet, sink with electric shaver point and heated towel rail.
Stairs lead up to the second floor studio-style kitchen/diner/sitting area. .
The seating area has reading lamps and small coffee tables with each comfy chair, TV, radio/CD/Tape cassette player. And a wealth for tourist information, maps , books and magazines are available.
There is a small dining table and chairs.
The kitchen is equipped with a fridge with freezer box, toaster, electric kettle, microwave, small oven with grill, and twin electric hob and various types of coffee makers, utensils and cloths.
The nearest town, 12 kilometres away, is picturesque Bedonia, situated amongst some of the highest peaks in the Apennine Range; it offers a wide selection of shops and restaurants, sport facilities and bus service to Borgo Val Di Taro train station, the coast and Parma.
The area also offers many opportunities for various past-times covering cycling, skiing, excellent hiking, river trout fishing, trail riding, para-gliding or hang-gliding, bracing swims in the swirling waters of the river Ceno or at the local out-door swimming pools. The area is perfect for bird watching and studying the diverse plant and wild life. And the possibilities for photography or simply taking out your easel and painting are numerous.
Water colours by Helen Easter
Masanti is also a great centre from which to discover a wider area covering day trips to: Historic Milano, Parma; home of the famous violets, cheese, Barilla pasta and ham, the stunning Italian Rivera; Portofino, Cinque Terre, Chiavari, Sestri Levanti, Santa Margherita. Bologna; home of good food and the Europe’s oldest University, Pisa and its famous tower, Lucca or Prato even Florence or Genova with its fantastic aquarium. And Venice and Ravenna are possible too! Or for the musical why not take in Verona or Cremona.