La Fontana is both the name of our house and the name of a locality (consisting of three houses) in the village of Casoli. It refers to the spring which supplies the old public wash house and the garden of the house. 

La Fontana is situated in Via Nuova 5325, Camaiore 55041, LU, Italy

 

The house is one of the larger houses in the village. The date of the original building is unknown, as it has grown from what was probably a small agricultural building (the original stone steps – just pieces of stone protruding from the rock face – can still be seen) but it probably began to take on its present form at the beginning of the 20^th century. 

The large picture windows overlooking the olive grove and the valley were added when the house was owned by a Milanese sculptor Carmelo Cappello (Ragusa 1912 - Milano 1996) in the 1950s. The house has been restored by local craftsmen using only traditional materials – locally grown chestnut beams and rafters, locally produced Tuscan terracotta floors on the ground floor and the original old terracotta ceiling tiles (mezzane), washed and sanded, in the ground floor ceilings, Italian oak parquet flooring in the first floor sitting room and bedrooms, Italian tiling in the bathrooms.

 

Perched on the side of the hill below the village, with views across the valley (a National Park) in one direction and down to the sea in another, at road level there are three covered garage parking places; the rest of the house lies below.

 

Access to the rest of the house is through the grey steel door designed by Cappello. Going down the stairs to the main door of the house you will find yourself on the front terrace and garden. The shade provided by the trees makes this garden the coolest place on hot summer days.

 

Entering through the front hall you find yourself in the ground floor sitting room (with a large double sofa bed for extra visitors) .

The ground floor consists of a living-room with open fire, a dining room, a store room and the kitchen. The living room has a big sofa bed, two arm chairs and a table. The dining room has a table where 6/8 people can be seated. An extra table can be added so 12 people can sit around the table. There is a hatch between the dining room and the kitchen.

 

The kitchen has a gas stove, electric fan oven, a microwave oven, an extra small electric oven, fridge and freezer and a kitchen table where 6 people can be seated. It doesn’t have a dishwasher.

 

From the kitchen there is an exit to the back garden. This is a favourite place to be in early mornings or in the evenings.

The gardens have magnolia trees, cherry trees, an apricot tree, olive trees and vines. Below the garden there is an extensive olive grove (not part of the property). There is a table and chairs and a barbecue under a covered roof.

At the end of the garden is a small pool (5x2,5x 1,2) fed with Fredh water by a spring flowing from the ground in one corner.

Going upstairs, off the stairs there is a little toilet with wc, wash basin and a shower. Further up the stairs there is also one of the bedrooms with two beds.

On the first floor there are two large bedrooms (one bedroom, at the back of the house and therefore the coolest in summer, with a double bed, a wardrobe, chest of drawers and bedside tables; the other, the master bedroom, with a double bed, wardrobe and chest of drawers, en suite bathroom and a view over the valley). On the first floor there is also the large main bathroom and a living room with picture windows looking over the olive grove and across the valley and double doors going out to the terrace with a view to the sea.

 

The living room has a sofa, two arm chairs, book cases and two candelabras in the ceiling. At the highest point the ceiling is nearly five metres high.

 

The first floor terrace has view over the valley and the Mediterranean sea. There are tables and chairs for about 6 people.