Borgo del Ponte holiday home in Tuscany is a 5-minute walk from Massa’s old-city centre, immersed in the picturesque ancient Borgo del Ponte district.
It stands along the main street corresponding with a portion of the Via Francigena that leads to the village square. This holiday home in Massa offers its guests a unique perspective of the area: set among the evocative Apuan Alps with their Mount Tambura (1891 metres, the third highest peak of this mountain range) and the Vermentino Candia foothills.
The sea glimmers in the distance, filling the air with its salty smell.
A portion of the facility dates back to the 17th century and was originally the property of a the Clerics Regular, a religious order dedicated to Saint Paul and later converted into an inn managed by the Milani family from 1840 to 1940. It has been recently renovated in full observance of traditional construction standards, using marble, wood, terracotta and stone. Environmental sustainment was adopted during the restoration as well: the building has an exterior insulation finishing system that allows for elevated energy efficiency, solar panels that cover the majority of energy consumption needs and a rainwater collection system; heating and cooling are floor-based.
The large 19th century-style garden and orchard are home to many types of citrus and fruit trees of ancient varieties and a hundred year old box shading. The surrounding ancient woods cast a shade onto the marble table so dear to Pascoli, flowers and edible herbs.
The view of the mountains and hills of Candia and Belvedere, the village bell tower and the Frigido River below is particularly evocative at dusk when the silence of the sun setting on the sea is interrupted only by the sound of the bells and the murmuring of the river. The starry summer nights are cool thanks to the breeze that descends from the mountains along the valley.
It seems as if time has not gone by at Borgo del Ponte, holiday home in Tuscany. You can almost perceive the benevolent presence of guests sitting on 150 year old marble benches or enjoying a meal at the marble tables.
