The community:
The community in the castle is friendly, helpful, very much a neighborhood.
The hamlet of Soliera, part of the commune of medieval Fivizzano, has a bar/tobacconist, and a bodega which sells all the essentials. Buses stop on the edge of the village, the train station of Rometta (which ultimately connects to all of Europe through Aulla) is a short walk away, and Fivizzano itself is about 8 km away, with its Medici fountain, cafes and ice cream parlor, restaurants, and other services. The much bigger town of Aulla is only about 11 km away, and has everything one could need, including a wide selection of restaurants and a number of supermarkets and internet cafes, including some on the way into town.
The house:
The house is very simply furnished, including linens and kitchenware. There are two bedrooms, one with a double bed, and another with two twin beds and a spectacular view of the mountains. There is also a chair in the entrance hall which converts to a single bed, and a sleep sofa in the small living room which becomes a double bed. The one bathroom has a shower with a minimal tub. The kitchen is huge and has two big tables and two double sinks and french doors to the terrace, where there are tables and chairs under an awning, a simple barbecue and an unparalleled view of the mountains.
Nearby:
Two km away are two large public swimming pools, and there are numerous pools in the river in which to take a dip. In Fivizzano one can rent a tennis court, and there is horse-back riding available nearby. The whole area is a mountain-climbing mecca.
The enchanting five villages of the Cinque Terre are a little over an hour by train, and a small two-car train chuffs through the mountains directly to Lucca in about an hour and a half. Parma is not far, and Pontremoli is even nearer, as are Sarzana and the Mediterranean beaches at Lerici and Forti di Marmi. Florence, Siena, and Pisa are not far, either, and each can be explored in a day-trip. The autostrada is in Aulla, giving easy access to everywhere, but the back roads—through medieval stone villages---are enchanting to drive along.
