​things to do

Al Palazz is a great place to do nothing very much at all. It's a fabulously relaxing place.
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​We chill, read, write, swim, eat, and stare at the view by day and the stars by night. We keep intending to go places and somehow rarely do.

Living here brings you close to the countryside and the rhythm of the seasons. What's on in the evening and at the weekends, what's growing in the fields and the orto (vegetable garden), what's available in the food shops, depends on the weather and the time of year.

It's a great place to relax, reflect, review priorities and return home refreshed.

There's lots to do if you want to be more energetic. Mix days here by the pool with local activities, days at the seaside or in the mountains, exploring local valleys, and maybe a city day too.

ACTIVITIES LOCALLY

Close to Al Palazz you can …

• Eat, drink and be merry - there are lots of excellent local food shops and restaurants serving local specialties at very reasonable prices.
• Swim or paddle in clear mountain streams.
• Enjoy hillside walks and hikes (best done early in the morning in summer).
• Paint, sketch, or take photos - there are so many beautiful unspoiled spots to choose.
• Take guided tours (ebike, hiking, river trekking, food experiences, castles) with local tourism company Sigeric - booking essential).
• Take part in what's on locally. There are food and wine festivals, medieval fairs, dance nights, concerts, religious processions, and more.
• Improve your Italian - not much English is spoken, but people are friendly and helpful.
• Daydream and stargaze …and on the night of San Lorenzo, watch out for shooting stars!

seaSIDE and mountains

Locals describe Mochignano as due passi (two steps) from the mountains and the sea. Both are within an hour's easy reach, if you want to venture further afield.

On the coast there are pretty villages such as Lerici, San Terenzo (our favourite), Tellaro and Portovenere, plus Riviera towns such as Viarreggio and Forte dei Marmi.

The Cinque Terre are five lovely coastal villages that you can reach easily by train from Villafranca or by boat from La Spezia (but are crammed with tourists in summer).

The mountains are full of lakes which are gloriously cool on the hottest of summer days.

Staying locally, on foot within an hour you can get to Bagnone through our hills,  going down over the stream, and up the other side to the the castle (or, if you're feeling energetic, via Pastina, perched high on the ridge).

Alternatively, there's a good walk down through the Mulini di Marzo - a track through the woods ending in renovated mill buildings overlooking the river, with bathing  pools on the way into town. All the details are in our Out & About Book.

explorING lunigiana

The thirteen communes in Lunigiana each make a fine day's outing - small gems of squares, old cobbled streets, historic buildings, and a wide variety of things to do. For example …

Go north up the Magra valley and you come to Mulazzo, which has a wonderful castle, main square and alleys, and a wine festival. Go even further up the valley and you come to Zeri, famous for its lamb, where you can wander round a 17th century stonebuilt 'sheep village' (Formentara) to which whole families decamped in summer.

Go east along the Taverone valley and you get to Licciana Nardi and Tavernelle - pretty, bypassed one-street villages - and up to the hills above Comano, where you can visit Lake Paduli and the national park with dozens of small lakes.

Go east up the Aullela valley from Aulla and you come to Fivizzano, a delightful small walled town at the head of a golden valley. Further up are botanical gardens at Frignoli. Alternatively, turn off to go to Monzone (fabulous lunches at Da Remo) and Equi Terme, an old spa town with cave tours.

Go south and you come to Fosdinovo, with its medieval castle and modern audio-visual museum of the Resistance, and Sarzana, an elegant town just inland from the coast, which was once the capital of Lunigiana but now is in Liguria next door.

city days out

Six varied city days out from Mochignano are:

Lucca - an old walled town, Puccini's birthplace, with an ancient amphitheatre and stylish shopping. Outside Lucca there are beautiful villas with parks open to the public - our favourite is Villa Reale.

Pisa - most famous for the leaning tower and the campo dei miracoli - cathedral, baptistery, monastery, next to the tower. There's also opera nearby at Torre del Lago, where Puccini made his country home.

Florence - manageable in a day, with all the architectural and artistic delights, and crowds, of a major cultural centre.

Carrara - the famous source of marble, down near the coast next to Massa, and close to the ancient, ruined, city of Luni, which gives Lunigiana its name. Luni is a large archaeological site. You can also book tours of the marble caves.

Parma - a wealthy university city, with beautiful grand streets and squares to stroll. Verdi lived in the area and is strongly connected to the city. Famous for good food, especially Parma Ham, Parmesan cheese, and Lambrusco wine.

Genoa - particularly notable for the old quarter and the aquarium,  and a spectacular coast road drive to get there. Stop off at Santa Margherita, a lovely old port.