September, a perfect month for a fantastic holiday in Elba: fresher temperature, no crowds, lovely weather.
The cottage "Tre Acque" is a charming house, nestled in the hills with a large terrace in front and all along it with a panoramic view over the green valley of "Tre acque" and it's nearby to the wonderful beaches of Biodola, Scaglieri and Forno. The house is situated in the middle of 5 acres of private estate, surrounded by pine trees and Mediterranean bush, the typical Tuscan canopy with its wildlife. The house name derives from the presence of three smalls springs right beside the house that flow into the little river called "Tre Acque", from which the name of the house and the valley.
At night is beautiful to seat on the terrace and admire the stargazing on the sky.
You are plunged in the nature with its magic calm.
There isn't a fence separating the house from the bush.
It is an environmentally friendly home that exploit solar energy, avoid any energy waste and environmental pollution. The large terrace with its beautiful panorama is equipped with deckchairs, coffee tables, outdoor chairs, outdoor shower and, just beside it, a glass greenhouse with hangs, where guests can dry beach towels and bathing suits; there is also a roofing with barbecue and a large dining table with bench and chairs. From this terrace guests can go directly to the kitchen, to the living room, the laundry and to the dependences. The living room with terracotta floors and wooden beams on the ceiling, offers two sofa beds, a smart TV. A fast WIFI and air conditioning for refreshing and heating is active in the whole house. It's useful to do internet calls with your phone inside house.The air conditioning is at 24/26 celsius degrees in summer and at 20/21 celsius degrees in winter. You'll decide with Marco the temperature you desire and he will fix it for you. The kitchen, with electric stove, a large sink and two comfortable refrigerators (one in the laundry), is fully equipped with everything guests will need to cook their own meals. It's preferable to drink mineral water instead of aqueduct water.
At the ground floor there is also regular size laundry with a washing machine, a big refrigerator, a sink and 2 drying racks.
There are three bedrooms and two bathroom. Upstairs at the first floor, you will find the main one, which is furnished with a king size bed, a library and a table and right beside, the second one with two single beds, one a bit shorter for a child, and a wardrobe for the two rooms; this room it's linked to the main room to access to the bathroom, equipped with tub and shower. In the first separate building you will find the third bedroom with a double bad, that can be easily transformed in two single beds, and a bathroom with shower.
There is another separate building, an office, with a sofa bed and a computer workplace. This room has to use the bathroom of room 3.
There is 1 bed for a child and 1 cot and 1 high chair for babies. In the double rooms there is place for a cot.
It is perfect for families with children.
Smoking is allowed outside the building but it's necessary to use ashtray to prevent fires.
The house is exposed to east: it takes sun from the morning till half afternoon, so in the evening fresh and breezy.
You can promenade in the large woodland around the house and have a picnic there.
The house is very close to some of the most beautiful Elba beaches as Biodola (m. 800), Scaglieri, Forno (m. 900): behind Biodola and Scaglieri there are parking ( 10 € day) or a little bus that lead from Biodola nearby the house.
A little further you can find the beaches: Campo all'Aja and Procchio.
Behind Portoferraio there are other lovely beaches : Le ghiaie, Capo Bianco and Viticcio.
With a little longer drive you can reach many other beautiful seashores either natural or equipped with beach clubs and restaurants nearby the sea, as Fetovaia, Capo S.Andrea... where the nature changes and becomes wilder and the climate more sunny and dry. It can be amusing explore the island, changing beach every day. You may relax, swim, sailing or kayaking in the Gulf of La Biodola and Procchio and in the various beautiful beaches of the island and have a snack or dine in the charming restaurant and pizzerias along the beach. When the weather is fresher, in spring and fall, you can ramble on foot through the many path, some of them that run into ruins of beautiful roman villas or leads to medieval hermitages, as St. Cerbone above Marciana. You can also do a day long trip with a special ferryboat to visit the other wild and interesting islands of the arcipelago: Pianosa, Capraia, Montecristo, Giglio, Giannutri and discover new beautiful beaches and have a swim there.
You don't have to forget to visit the emperor Napoleon's residencies in San Martino, very close to the house, and in Portoferraio on the top of the old city. In summertime every Sunday there are feasts in the villages with colored markets and typical Tuscan food.
All villages but especially Portoferraio, Marina di Campo and Porto Azzurro are renown for their fashionable shops and boutiques with branded or hand crafted clothes and accessories for a pleasant shopping.
Just above the house there is a Restaurant “Retro Gusto” with a large terrace, from where you can admire beautiful sunsets on the sea over Biodola gulf and see on the skyline the Capraia island.
How to arrive
From Portoferraio, take the SP24 road to Procchio. Just after the 5th kilometre marker there is a Via Tre Acque sign on the left – DO NOT TAKE IT. 700 metres further on, just in front of the blue signpost for Biodola, Scaglieri and Forno, there is another small gravel road on the left – TAKE IT. Follow the gravel road straight down and you will see the house.
Life organization
The nearest supermarket are Conad in Carpani, 5 minutes drive, and in Portoferraio, 10 minutes drive, you can find Conad Super Store with very good products and, just behind the harbor, Eurospin and Coop, bigger with a lot of choice and very good prices.
For the guests of the house Tre acque ily a a special discount on ferry tickets and, if you are interested in, I can send you email.
At your arrival is good to call Marco phone 3293163196 from Piombino, before board the ferry; he will wait for you to show the house: you have to pay them:
€ 150 for cleaning € 200 for deposit, that will be give you back at the end of your holiday, except damages.
The bed linen and towels will be provided by a specific laundry ilvaelba.it, email address info@ilvaelba.it, phone 0565 943167. You have to contact it 10 days before your arrival and make an order of what you will need.
The prices are on the site and you can pay directly with your credit card.
In Elba there is separate collection of waste: inside the house in the drawer under the kitchen sink and in the laundry you will find the bags for each kind of garbage ( yellow for plastic, grey for mixed, brown for the paper and the white for organic). There is a container for organic waste in the drawer under the sink. In the kitchen there is a green container for mixed, in the laundry two green container for paper and plastic. You have to bring the garbage in the right container ( green for everything and brown for organic). You have to bring the waste in the ecological area at the entrance of Portoferraio (10 minutes drive), where there are all the specific container; you have to use the card on the shelfs beside the kitchen door to open it.
At the end of your holiday you can live in the garage the garbage of the last day.
The kitchen must left with regard with the dishes clean in the washing machine.
Car or motorcycle must be left inside the garage or in the confortable space in front of it.
In the garage you can find a trolley to bring easily your luggage or your shopping to the house.
Burocracy
For the registration to the Regione Toscana tourism data base and to the Police, you have to send to my sister Agnese Serra, the identity card of each guest of the house scanned, front and back (agneserra@fastwebnet.it, mobile: +39 338 7517135).
I wish you a very pleasant and relaxing holiday at the country house of Tre acque!!
