Villa Ducci 1705

Ancient noble residence located on the hills that separate the Gulf of La Spezia from the Magra River valley. The young owner has carefully preserved the eighteenth-century residence and welcomes guests with enthusiasm, happy to provide information and advice on the tourist attractions of the area. With 15 years of experience in the B&B industry, they are a young Italo-American couple of tireless travelers.

The Villa was built as a summer residence and features an internal microclimate similar to that of a castle, with natural air conditioning.

Recommended by numerous guides and magazines such as DeAgostini, Meridiani, Touring, Tripadvisor, AirBnb, Mete d'Elite, DolceCasa, ANBBA, PanoramaTravel, Frommer's, and the guestbook.

An ideal place to discover a privileged territory on the border between Liguria and Tuscany. Within a radius of 20/30 kilometers, you can find charming cities of the Ligurian Riviera such as the Cinque Terre, Portovenere, and Lerici, as well as castles and medieval villages of Lunigiana, the Tuscan wonders of Carrara with its marble quarries, and, 75 kilometers away, Pisa and Lucca. La Spezia, with its important attractions such as the A. Lia Museum and the Military Arsenal Museum, and Sarzana, an ancient city with a beautiful historic center, fortresses, and antique shops, are about 8 kilometers away.

The Villa was the country residence of the Federici Counts, a noble family from La Spezia, whose presence in Arcola is documented in the land registry records of 1569 as owners of houses and land. In the early years of the eighteenth century, the main house, dating back to around 1350, was renovated and took on the appearance of an eighteenth-century noble residence, which is still preserved. Its destination as a summer residence determined its structure: the bedrooms are located on the cooler north side, while the terrace overlooks the sunnier south side.

The rooms, named Yellow, Red, Pink, and Blue, are spacious and feature decorated walls and ceilings, as well as thick stone walls that ensure a peaceful rest. At the center of the house, there is a charming salon that becomes the beating heart of daily life, coming alive in the morning for breakfast on the terrace. To the west, there is the living room with a splendid view of the city of La Spezia, perfect for moments of relaxation and equipped with a tourist library for excursion consultations. To the east, there is the ancient chapel, transformed into a lounge by the Jacobin ancestor, with a ceiling decorated with stucco depicting a flying bird that has become the symbol of the house. From the chapel/lounge, you can access the White room, located in the wing of the Villa added in the early nineteenth century.

The furnishings are well-cared for and include family furniture dating back to the 1700s/1800s (the oldest ones were destroyed during the looting that took place in 1799 when the house was inhabited by Count Marcantonio Federici, an important exponent of Jacobinism and Minister of the Ligurian Republic), as well as valuable pieces such as large mirrors on consoles in the living room, a piece of furniture from a Hunting Casino, a drop-leaf table, and armchairs and a sofa in the salon. The rooms are enriched with original eighteenth-century Ligurian maps and antique books with references to the Federici family. Like in any respectable ancient residence, there is a legend, in this case, linked to the "family treasure".