Vacation Apartment In Private Villa, Sleeps 4

Beautiful apartment with stunning mountain views. Short drive to beach. Easy access to ski resorts. Free on site parking & free Wi-Fi. Plunge pool. Mosquito screens on windows. English/Italian speaking owners are on hand to provide assistance & local knowledge if needed. The two bedroom apartment is perfect for groups of friends or families (can sleep 4). This apartment has a private entrance. One bedroom with king size bed and access to its own private use balcony. The second bedroom can be made up as a twin or a double. Large, open plan living room/kitchen area with patio doors to private balcony with table and chairs. The modern kitchen is fully equipped and the bathroom is contemporary and stylish. Mosquito screens on windows. Villa Leonardo is a large property on the outskirts of Bucchianico, Abruzzo, a short drive from Pescara airport and easily accessible from Rome airports. The villa consists of 3 apartments, 2 of which are available to rent individually or together. Both apartments have been elegantly finished, have private balconies & share a large sun terrace. The villa has a secluded courtyard with a pool, sun loungers & BBQ area & is situated in an acre of olive grove, also accessible to guests. The third apartment is occupied by Frankie Maguire & Joe Iannelli the owners who are on hand to provide assistance, guidance and local knowledge when needed. Every window has a different beautiful view of the valley/mountains. The balconies are ideal for breakfast & the terrace & courtyard are perfect for evening meals, drinks & relaxing. The typically Italian town of Bucchianico has an extensive calendar of festas and events throughout the year. The apartment has been constructed with the environment in mind, hot water and central heating are provided via solar panels and biomass boiler. All fixtures and fittings are new, stylish and modern. TV with DVD/CD player and USB port. A selection of books, Cds and DVDs are provided. Free on-site parking. We are also happy to provide free wi-fi with each rental. English & Italian spoken. Villa Leonardo is in a rural location within walking distance to the typically Italian town of Bucchianico which has an extensive calendar of festas and events throughout the year. The town which has a variety of bars, restaurants. 20 min drive to the beach, 30 minutes to Pescara airport, 30 minutes to the ski resort, 15 minutes to the Majella National Park. Perfect for the beach, hiking, biking, culture or for a skiing holiday. Apartments have private balconies with stunning views of the Majella and Gran Sasso mountain ranges. Guests will be provided with full keys and gate controls and can come and go as they please. This apartment has private access to two of its own balconies. Guests also have access to a large sun terrace, olive grove with hammocks and a courtyard area with plunge pool, sun loungers & BBQ area, these areas share access with our one other rental apartment. (Pool is open from the end of May until the end of September, weather permitting) Owners Joe and Frankie live in an apartment in the villa and are always available to chat, recommend attractions, day trips or restaurants etc. Generally, if we knock on your door, it is to give you some of our freshly grown produce from our vegetable patch to taste. Alternatively if you want to be left alone, that too is possible! Being Italian, Joe is also available to provide cookery demonstrations for guests (wine provided) who want to learn some of the secrets of Italian cooking. If you need help booking anything in advance of or during your stay, we are here to help! Our cat and dog are very tame and love to meet new people as does our daughter (she is also very tame ). Villa Leonardo is in a rural location within walking distance to Bucchianico town which has a variety of bars, restaurants. 20 min drive to the beach, 30 minutes to Pescara airport, 30 minutes to the ski resort, 15 minutes to the Majella National Park. Perfect for the beach, hiking, biking, culture or for a skiing holiday. Private balconies with stunning views of the Majella and Gran Sasso mountain range. We are located on the periphery of the town of Bucchianico. It is a short walk to town and the nearest shops. A car is highly recommended for exploring the area. The local area is still quite 'undiscovered' and is perfect for those people who want to try out their Italian, meet the locals and experience a bit of 'real Italy'. We are open all year round and love to help people discover Abruzzo and its seasonal offerings. Only 20 mins drive from the coast, we also benefit from being just a short drive from the Majella National Park and its many hiking trails and, during the winter, its uncrowded ski runs. On a clear day one can see the coastline from the ski slopes! Your Vacation: Mountains Abruzzo is a land of mountains. Looking inland from most locations, your eyes will meet with views of the majestic peaks of the Gran Sasso or Majella ranges. It’s a fascinating landscape that has shaped the culture, hearts and minds of this beautiful wild region in the heart of Italy. Comprising of high peaks, some reaching 3000 m height, lush wide valleys, narrow gorges with waterfalls, pine forests, green pastures, plateau and many lakes, the landscape is easy to fall in love with. Lakes The Abruzzo region has many lakes, two of our favourites are Lago Di Scanno and Lago di Barrea. Lago di Scanno: This natural heart shaped lake and the town of the same name in the Sagittario Valley in the middle of the Majella mountains are a great day out. After exploring the steep winding streets of Scanno’s ancient town, pop down to the lake for a picnic and to cool off. The lake is well equipped in high season with rental facilities for bikes, deck chairs, canoe, pedal boats etc. Lago Di Barrea: This lake within the national park of Abruzzo is also a great day out. Equipped in high season for visitors, with rental facilities for bikes, deck chairs, canoe, pedal boats etc. Skiing The Abruzzo mountains offer a strong, enduring layer of snow (often lasting until spring), with countless ski resorts and facilities. Less crowded and not as costly as the better known Alpine resorts, our mountains offer great settings for both downhill and cross-country skiing. The high mountains are perfect for downhill sports like skiing and snowboarding whilst the plateaux offer ideal locations for cross-country skiing. Numerous ski resorts which are dotted along the Apennine range, from Monte Piselli in the north to Roccaraso and Pescasseroli in the south, touch on four parks: Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, Majella, Sirente-Velino and Abruzzo-Lazio-Molise. The exceptional variety of natural environments allows the Abruzzo mountains to offer a whole range of winter sports, from more extreme ski-touring to dog sledging to quiet family excursions with snowshoes. For visitors to Villa Leonardo, the Passo Lanciano and Majelletta ski areas offer winter sports opportunities and are only a short drive away. Beaches The Adriatic coast of Abruzzo is famous with Italians as a holiday destination, with long stretches of safe sand or shingle beach. The beaches of which 22 are blue flag beaches, are clean, well-looked after, with many bars and restaurants. Windsurfing, fishing, diving and sailing are readily available. Pescara is a vibrant and modern city, with the largest tourist harbour on the Adriatic. In July and August, the sandy beaches are full of holidaying Italian families, but out-of-season in May, June and September, even the busiest spots are often surprisingly peaceful! The Francavilla area immediately south of Pescara is that which is closest to Villa Leonardo. After Francavillla al Mare, the coastline begins to change from wide, sandy beaches, to dramatic cliffs and secluded bays. This area is known as the 'Trabocchi' coastline is named after the picturesque wooden fishing platforms that are dotted along the coast. A large part of this particular coastline has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site. Moving towards Vasto, you will find sand dunes and some of the best-preserved environments on the whole coast. The area has many marinas where, at night, the little fishing boats sell their catch of the day to people and restaurants. Water Parks Abruzzo plays host to two large water parks, both providing a full and entertaining day out: Acqualand del Vasto and Onda Blu Acquapark (Tortoreto) which is central Italy's biggest water park. Both parks have many pools and water slides and are well equipped for babies and toddlers. Food and Drink Abruzzo is one big food safari! It offers a wide range of food, from tasty grilled meats in the mountain regions, to the fresh seafood of the Adriatic coast. You can enjoy fresh local produce in every part of the region. Abruzzo’s strong rural tradition ensures that it offers a wide selection of flavours and aromas. Enjoy a leisurely lunch inland at one of many local family-owned restaurants, where the local Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Pecorino and Trebbiano wines provide the perfect accompaniment to the freshest local produce, or head for the coast and one of the many seafood restaurants overlooking the sparkling blue Adriatic. Abruzzo’s wholesome cuisine is noted for its abundance, freshness and sense of tradition. The diverse geography of the region has ensured that it yields unforgettable food and drinks, not to mention a number of famous chefs including Aldo Zilli. The DOC wines of Abruzzo are becoming increasing more popular around the world. There are many award winning cantinas locally. The traditional grapes of the region are the Trebbiano d’Abruzzo (white) and the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (red). Abruzzo is also famous for its liqueurs, notably Centerbe (hundred herbs) from the foothills of Majella, and orange-flavoured Aurum, produced in Pescara. Many of the cantinas offer tours and wine tasting sessions. The extra-virgin olive oil that is produced in Abruzzo is superb and we recommend that you leave space in your suitcase to take some back home. Abruzzo is also famous for its pasta production. The excellent durum wheat from the hills and the clear water of the mountains make pasta one of the highlights of local cuisine. There are a number of pasta factories in the region that are open to visitors. In the Abruzzo hills, it’s all about meat. We and everyone else that we know are addicted to an Abruzzese speciality called arrosticini, small skewers of charcoal grilled lamb. The Adriatic provides fishermen with a catch of high-quality fish and shellfish. In the coastal restaurants there is always a wide variety of fish to choose from. Le Sagre - Food Festivals As you can understand, the Abruzzese people are extremely proud of their cuisine, and eating and drinking play a central role in their daily lives. The locals here take every opportunity to celebrate their local produce by holding many food festivals - sagre - throughout the year. During the summer, in whichever part of Abruzzo you find yourself, you will have the chance to participate in the celebrations and taste many local specialities, including truffles, saffron, red garlic and various types of local pasta. In the autumn, the harvests are commemorated, in particular the grape harvest, and chestnuts. Festas The list of festas in Abruzzo cannot be contained within this page. However, Bucchianico itself has a reputation of being a ‘festa’ town and having not one but two patron saints (San Camillo & Sant’Urbano) provides the locals with a great excuse for a long season of festas.