Bernardino

Description from the manager

In a house that climbs the hillside it rests on, Bernardino is situated to savour the views of the wide Maremma plain that stretches below the medieval town of Campiglia Marittima and finishes on the horizon at the Mediterranean Sea. An excellent family house and certainly one to which to invite friends, it has terraces off each bedroom, which offer private retreat, yet spacious rooms and outdoor areas in which to gather. Though newly renovated, the house easily harmonizes with its surroundings, thanks to the careful use of local building materials and native vegetation that encircle the house in a varied palette of green. The owners have dec...ided that their house should leave a light footprint on the land and with water and solar collectors and wind generated electricity have rendered it self-sufficient. While modern technology accomplishes these invisible marvels, what remains visible and delightful are the many spots in which one can relax into a memorable holiday.

The 'front door' is actually a side one that brings you directly into a large country kitchen, the origins from which this large house grew. Here modern appliances blend well with terracotta counters, beamed ceilings, an open fireplace and a large table for 12 under a wide brick arch. To one side of the kitchen a few steps lead down to a large living area with comfortable sofas; off the other, a short stairway leads up to a floor with three bedrooms, a shower room and a bathroom with separate shower. Also on this floor is a study with a sofa-bed and access to a covered terrace whose well-positioned hammock offers both slumber and a sea view. Of the bedrooms, two share the wide front terrace and the third has a terrace that leads to the green lawn and zen rock garden behind the house.

At Bernardino there is practically a house within a house, for stairs from the ground floor living room lead down to a second living area with kitchen equipment concealed in a large cupboard, a furnished terrace, a shower room and stairs leading up to two additional bedrooms, both with terraces and one with an ensuite shower room. This arrangement makes the house ideal for two families vacationing together or situations in which children's dinner time might make an extra kitchen useful. The house has lovely artwork, an eclectic mix of antique and simple country furnishings and a generous use of terracotta and local travertine stone.

When tired of gazing at the landscape from his terrace, a guest can join the others under the simple pergola at the front and keep an eye on whoever is barbecuing his dinner, be it friend, family or local cook come to share the secrets of Tuscan cooking. To work up an appetite for that dinner there are many things to set out to discover in this area - a picturesque town in walking distance, a sandy beach and fascinating Etruscan ruins a short drive away and, of course, the island of Elba, an easy daytrip. Wineries, thermal baths and golf courses are all nearby and even Pisa's tower and the famed shops of Lucca are but an hour away. Naturally, the reward of all that effort is having a restful house on a hillside to return to where, with a glass of local red, you can consider it all from a distance.

Check-In: 5:00 to 8:00 pm

Check-Out: 10:00 amRead more

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What Past Guests Are Saying

• Sarah Layish-Melamed
  London

  Lovely house on the hill

  Left on 10/06/2011 for a stay in August 2011
  
  

  We had a wonderful time at Bernardino. The location was great, the kitchen was well equipped, the herbs growing in the garden are great. The beds were comfortable. However for a family with small children or elderly people, this is not perfectly suited. There are many stairs, and the bathrooms have only showers. The drive up to the house is quite bumpy and I suspect in bad weather, quite treacherous. There were many missing lightbulbs when we arrived, but the landlord was very accommodating!
  

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

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