Holiday Home to let in Italy, Pescia

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Italy > Tuscany > Sorana

Casa Belvedere

Property number - 00261

Country	Italy

Region	Tuscany

Nearest City	Pescia

Town / Village	Sorana

Type	House

Occupancy (max)	Sleeps up to 8

Board	Self catering

Change over day	Saturday

Description of property

It is difficult to date the house exactly. It has medieval foundations. The cow shed inner wall is the wall of the “castella” which was on this site and destroyed and the house would have been built on these foundations after the peace was declared between Florence & Pisa in 1364 and this would date the house to around 1376 if local sources are correct.
The house is recently converted by the present owner from an agricultural building with living accommodation to a modern, comfortable and spacious holiday home. It is built on 4 levels. The sitting room on the first floor is converted from an old hay loft and accesses the roof terrace which has been added to give some of the most wonderful views. The kitchen, dining room, toilet and utility area are on the ground floor. The bedrooms, bathroom and shower room have been converted from the chestnut storage areas in the basement of the house. There is an urn, made from an old chestnut mortar which is now used in the summer to cool white wine and water melons. Below the bedroom level and not directly accessible from the house is the cow shed which contains the central heating and hot water plant. This area although two levels below ground at street level, is still above tree level on the external side of the village. In modernising the house a sensitive balance has been achieved between the retention of the traditional features such as the massive chestnut beams, medieval kitchen fireplace and sink and the addition of more modern features such as hotel standard bathroom & toilet facilities and modern lighting.
Other facilities: There are a selection of tourist guides, maps, cook books and reading materials. One of the joys of a hill top location is that although in summer you enjoy the heat of the day, there are cool evening breezes which allow a comfortable night’s sleep.

Click the images below to view a larger version.






	Airport	Pisa (60 km)

	Railway station	Pescia (11 km)

	Ferry terminal	Livorno (100 km)

	Beach	Viareggio (50 km)

	Ski resort/lifts	Abetone (30 km)

	Car needed ?	Yes



	Regional Information

	No details supplied


	Information specific to the town/village

	Above the settlement of Ponte di Sorana (Bridge of Sorana) where the two branches of the river Pescia Maggiore, the Torbola and the Forfora merge a steep, rocky outcrop rises. This is the village of Sorana which sits at 415 metres above sea level. The original settlement was an ancient fortified castle, believed to be of roman origin, originally founded by the survivors of Catilina’s army who dispersed and settled amongst these hills. The first document to mention Sorana was in 975. The hill at that time was called Monte Petritulo. The old fortifications of Sorana dominated from its strategic position the mouth of the valleys formed by the two branches of the river. It was thus called the “Rocca Sovrana” or according to the ancient graphology of the time “Sourana” which in time became corrupted to Sorana. The castle of Sorana occupied an important position during the 14th Century with regard to the conflicts firstly between the cities of Lucca and Florence and then Pisa , each of whom wished to possess this strategically most important position, allowing control of this border area. Thus during the war against Lucca in 1330, Florence, which occupied Sorana, was then forced to abandon the castle, and was only able to take possession again in 1343 after having agreed the peace treaty of San Miniato with Pisa. They lost possession again in 1352 and only returned in 1362 when Pisa had practically raised the fortifications to the ground, destroying everything completely, including the parish church. In addition the inhabitants were obliged to pay a war contribution of 200 zecchini, and since they were unable to meet this demand, the 8 most important citizens were taken hostage. Even after this the war between Pisa and Florence continued until 1364, when finally peace was declared throughout the region. The Castle of Sorana returned to Florence, but they had to wait till 1371 until a more formal treaty which included Castelvecchio and Vellano was concluded. The main nucleus of the castle of Sorana which was completely enclosed by a wall of which the remains are still visible, was added to with the construction of a second surrounding wall, from which opened two gates, made necessary by the spread of houses in particular to the southeast. In 1376 a new settlement was built next to the castle towards the south to accommodate refugees from the destroyed castle of Lignana. This was given the name of “Paradiso” because of the beauty of the girls who went to live there. And rather than forming another wall, the settlement was built so that the external walls of the houses themselves formed a fortification. The first mention of the name Sorana is with regard to the battle of Gavinana was in August 1530, when Francesco Ferrucci at the head of the republican militia who tried to fend off the imperial forces of Charles V, was obliged to pass under the castle of Sorana, having found all other routes barred. Consequently, Sorana was subjected to an even heavier tax burden. The villagers had to send a candle weighing 8 pounds for the feast day of San Giovanni, and in the event of war had to supply an armed horseman. In 1554, the Vicar of Pescia, Brancaccio Rucellai took refuge in Sorana when the troops of Pietro Strozzi occupied Pescia. In 1565 a public school was opened in the village and a school master was appointed for a salary of 5 scudi. From 1775 the territory of Sorana was joined for administration purposes to that of Vellano, until 1929 when it was incorporated into that of Pescia. Due to increasing economic marginalisation there was a continued depopulation of the village. In 1832 there were 406 inhabitants, and today there are just under 200. As you approach the village, you notice that on the south and east elevations vines and olives are cultivated, whereas to the west, on the flatter land, cereals are grown amongst vines. The north side is colder and covered by woodlands, mostly chestnut. Much of the countryside has been abandoned as the population has resettled elsewhere. However, at the valley bottom, along the river, the famous Sorana beans are cultivated. The village is almost circular, with steep alleys and a church at the centre. Before reaching the church of St Peter, on the left is the Oratory of St Joseph facing the church. The parish church is thought to be of roman origin, but over the years has undergone many modifications, thus losing much of its original chatacter. It was noted in the catalogue of Lucchese churches of 1260 as a Rectory under the jurisdiction of Castelvecchio. It was rebuiltand enlargened in 1595 by Domenico Pieri of Vellano in the baroque stile. On the façade above the main door is a small fresco of the two patron saints of the village and the church (Saints Peter and Paul). The church has a large nave and vaulted with altars in “pietra serena”. The vault is subdivided into 4 sections with stucco decorations of leaves and flowers which date back to the beginning of the 19th century. The main altar is marble and dates back to 1879, and there is a large papier mache’ painted and gilt crucifix from the mid 19th Century. This is perhaps the work of a local artisan. Behind the main altar at the back of the choir there is a painting of the enthroned virgin with the child Jesus in her arms giving St Catherine her wedding ring, with Sts Michael, Peter and Paul nearby. This is by an unknown local artist from the first half of the 16th century. This would have been specifically commissioned for the church since it includes the village patrons and also the patron of Lignana, St Catherine.


	Additional travel details

	How to get to Sorana Directions from Pisa Airport 1. Do not be tempted to follow the signs for Firenze (Florence) at this point. 2. Follow the signs for Livorno (Leghorn)/Marina di Pisa. Then the signs for Genoa (Genova) and then Lucca/Firenze on the A11. 3. Exit the autostrada at Chiesina Uzzanese which is the exit after Altopascio. 4. As you exit the toll booth turn right and then almost immediately right again over the bridge which spans the motorway. 5. Follow the signs for Pescia. This is a straight road and there is a sign pointing to the left for Pescia, but just keep going straight on. 6. Drive through Pescia to Pietrabuona. Follow the road round to the right and for Sorana you can follow the yellow signs for "Trattoria Da Sandrino". (These will take you to the foot of the hill on which the village of Sorana is perched.) 7. The road suddenly forks. You want to take the fork on the left which goes downhill. You will pass a couple of paper mills on the left hand side on the valley floor and some old abandoned mill buildings. You will go through the settlement of Calamari and then come to a place called Ponte di Sorana. 8. Cross the narrow bridge on the left at Ponte di Sorana, checking for oncoming traffic. Follow the road past "Trattoria Da Sandrino". Take the next fork to the right and continue up the hill. Before arriving at the village you will find a sign for the municipal carpark. Take this turning to the right first down a dirt track and then the right fork up a asphalt road to the car park. 9. You are now at the bottom of the village. The journey should lake you about an hour and 20 minutes, depending on traffic. 10. You can also park just before the main square to unload luggage, but do not take up the space next to the bus stop or you might prevent the small bus from turning. There is a second car park at the top of the village. Returning to Pisa Airport 1. You get onto the autostrada at Chiesina Uzzanese just before the bridge to the left. 2. Follow the signs for Pisa Nord. However, just before this exit follow the signs for Livorno and then eventually for Pisa Centro. The airport is your first exit. 3. You may prefer to get off at Pisa Nord to visit the Cathedral and the Leaning Tower. There is a carpark nearby. Alternatively you may wish to have an early lunch at Marina di Pisa. There is a good restaurant called *** Travel information Petrol stations tend to close between 1-3pm. A good place to fill your tank if you are getting an afternoon flight is at the Esso station on the way to Pescia after Pietrabuona. It also has a carwash. For the mid-afternoon flight I usually leave at midday. Take a picnic lunch since the food at the airport is not that good. Also don't rely on the airport for last minute purchases since it is disappointing.






Rural	City	Suburban	Beach front

Lakeside	Mountains

Facilities

WC's

Kitchens

Baths

Living rooms

Dining areas

Showers

Bathrooms

Garden

Sauna/Jacuzzi

Terrace/Balcony

Sofa beds

Parking for 0 car(s)

Baby facilities

Creche facilities

Pet friendly

Wheelchair friendly

Bedroom name	Single beds	Double beds	Twin beds	Cots
Bedroom 1		1
Bedroom 2			2
Bedroom 3		1

Information about the utilities available

There is an electric cooker with gas hob and a large fridge freezer in the kitchen. There is a washing machine in the utility area and constant hot water fed from the boiler in the cowshed.

Information about outside of the property

The property is located in the centre of the hilltop village of Sorana. Sorana is famous for its bean cultivation. There is a small bar and a church in the main village and several restaurants within a short distance. The village is one of 10 in the Svizzera Pesciatina, or the Switzerland of Pescia, so called by a native of switzerland who settled there in teh 19th Century because it reminded him of home. You will see lots of abandoned paper mills in teh area as well as some modern day paper mills. Paper has been manufactured in these valleys since medieval times. There is a paper museum in Pietrabuona. One item on display is one of Napoleon's wedding invitations which was printed there.

Information about inside of the property

The property probably dates back to the late 1300s. It is constructed in local materials and has a variety of rooms. The public rooms tend to be quite large and the bedrooms average to small. There is a double bed setee in the livingroom. Throughout the house there are beams. The large beam in the living room is a fine example of medieval engineering. It is called a monaco or monk. The joke is that it stands there all day and does nothing. However when there is a fall of snow, the weight on the snow lowers the roof and it then rests on the cross beam. The urn outside the bathroom is an old mortar from the days when they used to make chestnut flower. The bedroom area was then used for chestnut storage. Some of the walls in the cowshed are the original castle walls and are probably one thousand years ols.






Swimming pool	Hiking	Tennis

Golf	Fishing	Horse riding

Skiing	Water sports	Gymnasium

Mountain biking


Other activities available

Local markets in Montecatini Terme on Thursday and Pescia on Saturday. Lucca is nearby and well worth visiting. Florence is a short train ride away from Pescia. The local villages of the Svizzera Pesciatina are well worth exploring as is the surrounding area. Collodi has gardens and a villa which are worth visiting and has a Pinocchio theme park. Montecarlo is the local wine growing region and you can buy wine cheaply from the local producers. There are many local restaurants, the most renowned in the locality is Sandrino's which is in teh village and the pizzeria Da carla is nearby, as is the restaurant La Pieve. You will not find better and more reasonably priced meals than locally.






	Montecatini Terme is a local spa town. You can visit one of the spa establishments and have some treatments. Lucca is a nearby town which is roman in origin and has intact renaissance city walls. It is worth a couple of visits. you can hire cycles and cycle round the walls. Lucca is the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini. there is a nearby opera festival at Torre del Lago in the summer months.