SARZANA

Pian di Luna Bed and Breakfast arise in Sarzana (SP). Sarzana is located in Liguria, in the lower end of River Magra's Valley, where the SS 63 "della Cisa" meets the "Via Aurelia". The city is located in the heart of Lunigiana, a direct descendant of the ancient Roman town of Lunae, who replaced, for its religious relevance, at the very beginning of thirteenth century. 

Sarzana has ancient origins, already mentioned in the first millennium, and a fascinating history dominated by several lords and cities: Castruccio Castracani, Spinetta Malaspina, the Pisani family, the Visconti family, the Genoesi and the Florentines and where Dante stayed. The city still has two castles, the Firmafede fortress and the Sarzanello fortress, the old Bishop's residence. Nowadays the town walls are almost completely intact just like the town center, its churches and the four perimetral towers. The old town grew up along Bertoloni and Mazzini streets, between the ancient doors "Porta Romana" and "Porta Parma", in the ancient section of the "Via Francigena". On these streets could be found elegant ancient buildings and historical churches as well: the Remedi palace, the Podestà Lucciardi palace, the Municipal Palace, the St. Andrea Church, the oldest religious building in the city, the Picedi Benettini palce, the Bishop's Palace, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, founded on the ruins of the church of St. Basil, the Impavidi Theathre and many iron handmade icons, characteristic of the city.

Sarzana is very close to a number of pleasant beach resorts, ancient Lunae archaeological site, the Natural Park of Cinque Terre, Montemarcello-Magra, Portovenere and the Apuanian Alps, and around, the ancient hamlets of Val di Magra, Vara Valley and Lunigiana and numerous art cities.

THE SEA 

Bed and Breakfast Pian di Luna is located a few kilometers far from a lot of beautiful seaside resorts

Marinella di Sarzana and Fiumaretta are the nearest seaside resorts, a few kilometers far from and easily reachable by car/motorcycle (about 10 minutes) and by bike (about 30 minutes). Sandy beaches start from Magra's river mouth e develop towards northern Tuscany. Fun and services are assured by a lot of private seaside resort and free access equipped beaches.

Located inside Ameglia's territory, Punta Bianca and Punta Corvo are two pearls inside uncontaminated nature of Caprione's point. Only accessible by feet along footpaths in mediterranean typical vegetation, rocky beaches of Punta Bianca and sandy ones of Punta Corvo offer a dive inside pure nature and clear water.

Poets' Gulf offers an unbelievable scenario for their tourists: on one side Lerici and its nearbies (Tellaro, San Terenzo, Venere Azzurra), with lovely beaches, natural and amazing inlets, and on the other side Portovenere, Palmaria Island, and the omonymous park’s territory will offer exclusive services in seaside resorts or sunbaths over lonely rocks, with the priviledge of an amazing sea, many years awarded with the very important prize named Blue Flag.

Absolutely not to forget Cinque Terre National Park, its territory and its hamlets, Worldwide Humanity Wealth. High cliffs over the sea, terracing for grape's cultivation, Tramonti's coast and seaside hamlets of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, Monterosso, Levanto, Bonassola will guide you in a parallel dimension that will leave you breathless.

And eventually, at border between Liguria and Tuscany it has its origin the very popular Versilia with its huge sandy beaches, clubs, discos addicted to VIP, and a great amount of facilities and entertainements both for day and night.

LUNI

Luni is located at the border between Liguria and Tuscany, on the bank of the river Magra.
Today, there are only ruins left of this ancient Italian town. The area was inhabited since the Paleolithic, but the town was funded at the beginning of the II century B.C. and was famous during the roman era for its port, from which ships left loaded with the marble from the Apuan Alps.Luni experienced a period of prosperity during the late Middle Age under the leadership of the Bishop-Counts priors, especially during the X century. Malaria and above all after the following burial of the port, brought the end of Luni.

In 1058, the entire population was transferred to Sarzana. The archeological excavations, which have intensified over the last few years, have allowed to clarify the main urban phases of the town, which has a clear military (castrense) layout with the via Aurelia as decumanus maximus and cardo maximus which connected the forum to the port area. There were public and religious buildings on the forum such as the Capitolium. There remain large fragments of its architectural decoration in terracotta and parts of its frontal sculptures of neoattica manufacture (II century B.C.). The amphitheatre can be dated from the age of the Antonini. The crypt of San Marco (VIII-IX centuries), the campanile and the apsidal part of the San Marco Cathedral have survived from their medieval period.

We recommend a visit to the archeological museum built in 1964 which is located at the centre of the ancient town of Luni, in the archeological area. It holds pieces that have been discovered during the excavations of the ancient Roman town. The fragments of bronze and marble sculptures, funeral altars, vowing altars, remains of decorative items and objects in terracotta are of great interest.

Near Sarzana and few kilometers far from Pian di Luna Bed and Breakfast arise wonderful hystorical hamlets and villages.

One of the most beautiful hamlets of Italy, Montemarcello is a beautiful village overlooking the Gulf of La Spezia, the open sea, the foreshore of Versilia and the estuary of the river Magra from the top of the so called “Caprione” promontory. This is certainly one of the most picturesque landscapes of the Ligurian coast bordering with Tuscany.

Ortonovo is the most oriental Municipality of the Eastern Ligurian Coast at the feet of Apuanian Alpes. Ortonovo has got its origins from ancient romanic town of Luni (Lunae), from which hamlets of Iliolo, Nicola, Annunziata and Ortonovo were born. Town center was build up between XI and XII century, owned by earls-bishops of Luni, as it is written over a "diploma coevo" of Barbarossa, towards Pietro the bishop.

Last village of eastern side of Poets’ Gulf, Tellaro takes its roots in the cliff that declines to the sea in the second half of XVI century, with its old church dedicated to Saint George. It is surrounded by a group of small houses protected by the breakwater. Since 2004 Tellaro has been awarded as one of the most beautiful hamlets of Italy.

In the eastern most part of La Spezia's Gulf is the breathtaking town of Portovenere. The town takes its name from a temple erected in the roman times in honour of Venere Ericina, on the promontory where the church of San Pietro now stands. Originally property of the lords of Vezzano, it was later bought by the Genevans in 1113, who then proceeded to build a castle over the existing fort. They also erected protective walls around the colourfully painted ligurian houses.

CINQUE TERRE AND THE NATURAL PARKS 

The Cinque Terre are one of the most uncontaminated areas in the Mediterranean Sea. Five miles of rocky coast among two promontories, thousands of kilometres of dry-laid stone walls, five small towns castled up on stone spurs in minuscule creeks. For their history and their position, the Cinque Terre have not suffered a massive expansion. The vineyards, typical of this area, have contributed to create a unique landscape with dry-laid stone walls, winding paths, enchanting beaches between cliffs and clear waters. Not only sea, the Cinque Terre offer beautiful footpaths with take breathing view, churches, oratories and old castles, diving, food and wines of first quality. The Cinque Terre are National Park and UNESCO protected territory since 1997. Riomaggiore, Corniglia, Manarola, Vernazza, Monterosso are the five villages that form the Cinque Terre, suspended between sea and land on sheer cliffs upon the beautiful sea.

Natural Park of Montemarcello-Magra lies on a territory of 4320,8 hectares at the border between two regions: Liguria and Tuscany. Full of natural, historical and cultural features, it spreads over 18 communes. You will enjoy the sea and its coasts with very attractive fishing villages, enchanting beaches and the River Magra valley with its moist areas characterised by a wide bio-diversity, and the background with its green hills of the River Vara valley. The river district is very precious thanks to its naturalistic, historical and cultural features and the promontory of the Caprione is an ideal starting point for your excursions.

 On the western side of the Poets’ Gulf, in a mainly uncontaminated area, blown by the sea winds and hit by open waters’ waves there is Portovenere Natural Park which hides inside its territory wonderful tracking paths, the hystorical marine village of Portovenere, Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto islands, and the famous Muzzerone and its climbing ways over vertical cliff above the deep blue water.

Over the versilian coast there could be found the Apuanian Alpes and their Natural Park. The Apuanian Alpes distinguish themselves from the near Apennines for their harsh morphology, their deep valleys, and their imposing and very inclined slopes. Apuane are famous for the beauty of their marbles, their deep abysses, and the great cavities of the subsoil characterized by karst phenomena. The geographical position of the massif, its exposure, and the different nature of the rocks determine the presence of varied and contrasting environments which favor the floral and wildlife richness of the territory.

Alpi Apuane are one of the most original mountain areas in Italy, for the variety of their landscape and environments. The ancient presence of human settlements has left important historical and cultural evidences in the area. Alpi Apuane are known all over the world for the beauty of their precious marbles and of other decorative and building stones  The Apuanian Alpes are an orographic complex of great charm thanks to their massive mountains, the harsh morphology, the deep valleys, and the very steep slopes. Within a few kilometers from the small coastal plain in Versilia, the Apuane rise to reach almost the 2,000m of altitude with Mt. Pisanino (1,947m).

CITIES

LA SPEZIA
“The streets are wide and the houses are high and yellow.” Ernest Hemmingway described La Spezia with these few words. Approaching La Spezia by sea, this is the same impression it gives today; with tall elegant buildings, built along a lush garden lined promenade, overlooking the sea. The city was largely developed in the second half of the 19th century when the Arsenale Militare, (the military shipyard) was built. La Spezia has an ancient history. During the Roman era, it was an agricultural and holiday area. Due to its mild climate, vineyards and olive trees were cultivated. Starting in the middle ages, it became an important commercial port. The Castello San Giorgio is the most evident trace of La Spezia’s ancient past. The castle has been recently restored and houses the Archaeological Museum of La Spezia. Other important museums which can be found in La Spezia are the Lia Museum and the CAMeC Museum of Modern Art. The tower of the Palazzo delle Poste (the central post office), is decorated with mosaics made by the Futurist artists Fillia and Prampoli. A beautiful view of the entire Gulf of Poets can be admired from the numerous step paths, leading from the centre of the town to the surrounding hills.

FLORENCE
Florence contains an exceptional artistic patrimony, glorious testimony to its secular civilization. Cimabue and Giotto, the fathers of Italian painting, lived here, along with Arnolfo and Andrea Pisano, reformists of architecture and sculpture; Brunelleschi, Donatello and Masaccio, founders of the Renaissance; Ghiberti and the Della Robbia; Filippo Lippi and l'Angelico; Botticelli and Paolo Uccello; the universal geniuses Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Their works, along with those of many generations of artists up to the masters of the present century, are gathered in the city's many museums. In Florence, thanks to Dante, the Italian language was born; with Petrarch and Boccaccio literary studies were affirmed; with Humanism the philosophy and values of classical civilization were revived; with Machiavelli modern political science was born; with Guicciardini, historical prose; and with Galileo, modern experimental science. Up to the time of Charlemagne, Florence was a university town. Today it includes many specialized institutes and is an international cultural center. Academies, art schools, scientific institutes and cultural centers all contribute to the city's intense activity.

PISA
The city of Pisa plays host to treasures of priceless value, making it one of Italy's most important cities of art. Piazza dei Miracoli, with its world-famous Leaning Tower, is the hub of the prized artistic and architectural offerings. The marble whiteness of the monuments treats visitors to a unique sight, seemingly rising from the grassy carpet of the piazza. The harmony of the arcades lends the imposing Leaning Tower a lightness that is repeated in the Cathedral and the further along Baptistry, in a striking and rare show of stylistic and visual continuum. To round off the artistic delights of the square are the Museo delle Sinopie, housing the preliminary drawings of the frescoes of the Monumental Cemetery, and the Museo dell’Opera with its vast collection of sculptures, paintings and ancient relics.

GENOA
Genoa: it is a city with a lot to offer to those who have the desire and time to discover its secrets and to experience its fascination made of history and traditions, as well as of a lively and ever-changing present, with a vision towards the future. Genoa is a young and lively city, with a very modern soul inside a “body” scattered with countless places of historical and cultural interest. From the old town rising up behind the port area to the wonderful forts looking over it with watchful eye from the hill tops, Genoa is an intertwining of ancient places and surprising and absolutely contemporary events; it is a city absolutely capable of giving a young and lively meaning to the word "culture".

PARMA
Undeniably unique. Parma, the little capital rich in art, culture and history (begun by the Romans in 183 b.c), rendered famous in Europe by the Farnese dynasty, the Bourbons, and the enlightened Duchy under Marie Louise of Austria, is now known throughout the world for its unmatchable wine and food traditions. It is a city with a bit of everything--precisely, unique.

LUCCA
The city of Lucca, situated in the heart of Tuscany, is considered one of the major tourist destinations of Italy. Located strategically between such popular "art cities" like Pisa, Siena and Florence, it also offers a possibility of quickly reaching the beaches of Versilia, as well as various mountain zones - like the one of Garfagnana.The city of Lucca offers a wide range of sightseeing attractions and historical monuments. From cathedrals to squares; from fortified walls to the small streets of the city's historic centre; from museums to numerous historical palaces. The historic centre also offers in abundance to its visitors numerous places where to rest: bars, restaurants offering a variety of local dishes on the menu, pizzerias, cinemas and pubs, where one can spend a pleasant relaxing evening.