In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I think I would agree that Bagnone is the prettiest of the small towns in the area, but it rather depends on what your friend's intentions are. If it is to move there full time, s/he needs to consider what facilities besides shops will be needed, i.e. how vibrant is the community, is there a library/theatre/cinema nearby, are there local clubs one can join etc.
I suspect Pontremoli is quite an active place although I'm not sure I'd describe it as pretty. Fivizzano also looks quite active and perhaps even more elegant. Another centre that we only investigated recently was Comano. It's smaller than either Pontremoli or Fivizzano but seemed to have a few shops and restaurants and some quite lovely views and lots of nice front gardens. The problem with Comano though, may be that it's quite far from anywhere else. The need for a car throughout Lunigiana is a drawback, to be sure.
We bought out in the countryside of Lunigiana because we were looking for a "retreat" and we have lovely views, and tranquility in abundance, but I'm not sure it would be what I'd look for if we lived there year round.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I agree that Bagnone is the best place to buy in Lunigiana. It is truly beautiful. We are really happy with our place in Corlaga, and we've had quite a lot of success renting the place (not sure if that's important for your friends). There are enough bars and restaurants (plus a theatre and an outdoor cinema) to keep you entertained, and shops to keep you well stocked, while still feeling like a real italian hideaway. I would suggest not buying in fivizzano unless you find somewhere in the centre - the outskirts are nowhere near as nice. Pontremoli would be a good option if you wanted to be somewhere a little more active, but it is not the most beautiful of places.
Right now could well turn out to be a good time to buy in Bagnone; there has been quite alot of talk about building a new off-ramp from the motorway somewhere in Villafranca (5 mins from Bagnone), which will make it about 15-20 minutes quicker to get from Bagnone to pisa, parma or genoa airports, not to mention the beach. No doubt this will take a couple of years to complete if it does get approval!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I wanted to add that Filletto (?sp), which may be part of villafranca, might be worth a look. It's a beautiful and traditional little place, which is close to everything you'd want to be close to (including an olympic size swimming pool, bars, shops etc).
I would say that Bagnone would probably be your best bet. It is a very beautiful small town and it has some shops, a couple of restaurants and bars. It is not the most buzzing of places but it has anough to keep you going.
There is also Fivizzano, which I do not know very well, but it also has restaurants, bars and shops.
Otherwise if you are wanting something bigger you are probably looking at Pontremoli, which is more attractive then Aulla and has all the amenities you would expect from a large town.
Many of the small villages have very little amenities and often they are served by visiting vans which tour the area carrying bread/fish/fruit and veg etc..... This means that you often have to jump into a car (or on a bike!) to get to many of the amenities, but thats not such a bad thing as it does get you out of your comfort zone more often.