Castello del Poderetto is a Malaspina castle with 12th century foundations upon which the main castle was built in 1619. The scale and proportions are those of a home rather than a fortification. It has elegant reception rooms with painted ceilings and ancient floor tiles. There are five bedrooms each with its own personality and style. Castello del Poderetto sits beside a bridge spanning the Taverone river which also flows under a second medieval bridge at the bottom of the garden. On the other side of the bridge lies Castello di Pontebosio. Much of the furniture in the house was custom made and includes Liberty and Jacobean style furniture in the salon and living room. The painted ceilings and frescos date from the art nouveau period.

Lunigiana is a genuine and very unspoilt part of Northwest Tuscany. The village of Pontebosio is on the edge of the Tuscan-Emilian Appennine National Park and the Regional park of the Apuan Alps, home of Carrara Marble. Despite its wildness it is only 30mins drive to the Gulf of Poets and the world famous Cinque Terre fishing villages. The historic cities of Genoa, Pisa and Lucca are just an hour's drive away. Alternatively there are regular trains from nearby Aulla that also take you to the Cinque Terre, Lucca and Pisa or even to Florence for the day. The Via del Volta Santa an ancient pilgrims route passes the bottom of the garden and the Via Francigena is easily accessible as well. There are many ancient hill top villages to explore and wonderful local restaurants serving traditional local dishes at reasonable prices often cooked by the nonna of the family.