Property for sale in Tuscany: villa with gardens minutes from Lucca's walls

A contemporary villa with private garden minutes from the walls of Lucca - this property for sale in Tuscany is in one of the most sought-after neighbourhoods of this area.

This is a terrific mix of country living with easy access to the town. The building, 420 square metres, sits on 1600 square metres of land.

The villa is over four levels. The two main living floors are the ground floor and first floor, at 130 square metres per floor. The second floor, or attic, is 80 square metres of habitable space, while the basement level, accessed from the rear of the villa, is 80 square metres of cantinas and garagesand is not connected to the other levels by an interior staircase.

Both the ground floor and the first floor have independent entrances, several terraces and a connecting staircase. The second floor attic is accessed via an interior staircase from the first floor. The villa is situated in the centre of the lot, surrounded by 1600 square metres of private garden terraced on two levels.

On the basement floor, one opening has been left open to allow for covered parking and access to the cantinas, but the villa was originally contructed to allow for a second, making it possible to have two covered parking spaces. In addition there are three more large rooms, used as wine cellars, wood storage, tool storage, etc. The basement level is accessed via a stone paved driveway leading from the garden gate entrance and running along the north side of the property to the rear garden access to the garages.

The ground floor is dominated by a 55 square metre covered terrace with access to the rear garden. The ground floor also consists of a living room with fireplace, a large storage room, a study, a kitchenette, one bedroom and one bathroom, with a staircase connecting to the first floor. The coevered terrace is open on two sides and overlooks the rear garden.

The main entrance to the villa is on the first floor, accessed via a large covered patio overlooking the front garden. The first floor consists of an entrance hall from which one accesses the day rooms to the left and the private rooms to the right, with the staircase connecting to the ground level directly ahead. To the left is a sitting room with patio doors opening onto the front terrace, a dining room opening onto a back terrace overlooking hte rear garden, and a kitchen with access to the same terrace. A staircase in the sitting room leads up to the second floor. To the right of the main entrance are three bedrooms and two bathrooms acessed from a central hall, which can be closed off from the main day rooms and front entryhall.

The second floor contains a large living room/study, a very large attic storage space, as well as three rooms that have been left to a builder's finish: the smallest of the three rooms has been plumbed to allow for a bathroom. All the rooms in the attic have windows and have a comfortable ceiling height.

The villa was originally constructed in 1969 by an architect for his own use. As such, the design of the villa is intelligent and has the additional benefit of having modification possibilities. For instance, with very little investment, additional bedroom suites could easily be realised, or the villa could be divided in two seperate residences. The villa features an unusually generous amount of covered terrace space on all sides of the house, effectively creating extended living space that blurs the divide between indoor and outdoor space. The villa was finished and equipped to the highest level of the era and has been dutifully maintained and updated technically since construction. Recently, cosmetic works (noteably the exterior paint) have been suggested, but the house will be sold as is. The villa features several finishings of note internally. The first floor has a beautiful parquet wood floor and glass French windows throughout. The covered terraces and ground floor all feature terracotta tiling. The bathrooms are modern and spacious. The window sashes are a high quality wood, as are the exterior shutters.

The garden is mature, comforably landscaped to be low-maintenence and multi-use. At the front of the property is a high garden wall, to allow for complete privacy and protecting the property from the lane. At one corner of the garden are two gates, one pedestrian and one driveway. The driveway runs along the north side of the property to access the back garden and garage entrance, while a larger terraced garden on the south side provides access to the ground floor via the covered terrace. A substantial hedge several metres in height encloses the property along the back side, again assuring privacy and security. There is ample space in the back garden to realise a swimming pool, and the additional space in the cantinas could be easily converted into a pool house.

Lots in this outlying neighbourhood of Lucca are well situated and landscaped to allow complete privacy. Views from the ground floor are exclusively of the garden. On the first floor one begins to see, beyond the front garden wall ,the verdant hills of the Lucchesia, while the views from the second floor are panoramic and include some of Lucca's finest vistas.

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