Villa Altar

Stefania, the very kind owner, has furnished the villa with great taste, and I’ll never forget our stay. We rented Villaltar for a weekend in April to celebrate an important event, and I was extremely, extremely happy. The house sits on a green hillside, close to the Ligurian coast and the beautiful seaside spots of Lerici, Portovenere, and the Cinque Terre. There’s an enchanting garden around the property, with a lovely swimming pool and a space for outdoor lunches and dinners. 10 with honors.

Just a short way from La Spezia, this is a really nice place, cool and spacious, with a large pool that gets quite deep in places, which was great. The neighbors were not noisy at all. One downside is that there’s no furniture provided, so remember to bring pasta, bin bags, and wipes.

The outdoor space is fantastic, with fruit trees, a pool, a cozy corner, and a big shaded table with a BBQ. The pizza oven doesn’t work. Inside, the house has generous space across three levels, with one bathroom on each floor, so it works well for family or friends. Stefania was a great host and easy to reach by message. La Spezia train station is about 20 minutes away, though parking there is very difficult and it gets crowded. A good place for visiting the Cinque Terre. We had a wonderful stay at Stefania’s.

Everything was clean, and the kitchen had all the equipment we needed. The fine antiques give the place a welcoming, refined feel.