The choice
After spending our summer holidays in June, a few days in Campo Tures at the Hotel Tubris, and some days in Germany, in Bad Worishofen, a touristic town famous in the past for hosting the priest Sebastian Kneipp, who was the promoter of the therapy treatment based on baths in cold water, which later was named Kneipp Therapy, and for the beautiful and magnificent Spa with Saunas, we had the opportunity to take a couple of extra days of vacation in August so we decided to leave for a long weekend, from Thursday to Sunday. This time we decided to go to the sea and in particular to visit the area nearby Livorno, which is called the the Etruscan Coast. We were especially interested in visiting one of the rare Italian official naturist beaches, that is the Nido dell’Aquila (Eagle's Nest) in San Vincenzo. While researching information on the internet about the area and the availability of accommodation for three nights, we run into the Locanda di Terramare web site and immediately affects us the definition that was given to the structure: it is entirely naturist and it is equipped with a Finnish sauna and a relaxation area for the exclusive use of guests. How can we not be attracted? So we booked our stay, from 4th to 7th August.
Arrival
On the first day, having the availability of the room in the timing 3 - 6 pm, we decide to make a first stop to the sea, so we go to the Nido dell'Aquila Beach where we stay until 3 pm. Then we leave San Vincenzo by car and we take the Via Aurelia, in direction of Livorno. Then when we arrived in Cecina north we go out and we take the road 206 towards Pisa. After about twenty kilometers we turn left and follow the signs to the village of Gabbro. The Locanda di Terramare is located just three kilometers after the village of Gabbro, in a place called Cerretelle, but is not visible from the main road. To get there we take a small dirt road on the left, completely devoid of road indication, and we follow it in the woods for about two hundred meters, until we see the gate of the building, which is closed. We sound the bell and we are answered by a female voice that says: "I'm coming down to open". In fact, we realize at that time that not only the doors of the gate are closed, but the closure is also reinforced through the use of a thick chain with a key lock, the kind that are used as anti-theft for bicycles or scooters. The girl who opens the gate is named Simona. She invites us to park the car inside the garden, showing us the room and the internal and external environments of the structure, the large back garden where you can sunbathe and relax reading books or magazines on comfortable sun beds, the large veranda in which it was created the small spa with Finnish sauna, the little breakfast room. At the Locanda there are 4 rooms and Simona informs us that for the weekend they are all busy by 6 people in total: two of us, another couple who will arrive soon, a German tourist and a boy from Rome.
The accomodation
The Locanda is a two-story building broadly divided into two parts: the east side is occupied by the residence of the owners, while the guest rooms open onto the west side, all with independent access from outside. Facing south, the garden and the large veranda in which were derived the spa and the room for breakfast. Our room, which is called "Air", is located on the first floor and to reach it we climb a spiral staircase that ends on a long balcony onto which the two bedrooms on the upper floor (external staircase is the only access ). It is quite wide and it is made from the sleeping area with double bed, a spacious bathroom with shower and a hall where we find a table with two chairs, refrigerator and even a small kitchen. We immediately note the presence of many well-ordered books on special shelves or stacked on the nightstand next to the bed. The custom of the books scattered throughout the Locanda is a nice feature of the place, obviously the owners are people who consider reading as an integral part of their naturist philosophy . And indeed, as then we will discover in the following days, to live the common areas of the Locanda, the garden, the veranda, the spa, in full well-being and in direct contact with the surrounding nature, devote time out and relax with a nice book, it is truly a priceless experience.
Naturism at the Locanda
Thursday, at the time of our arrival, the owners (Barbara and Danilo) were not present. Simona tells us that they work in Florence and, normally, they come back to the Locanda on the weekends. We meet them on Friday in the evening, in the garden where we relax, reading and chatting with the Roman couple, two longtime naturists who regularly go often to Capocotta Oasi, a nudist beach near to Rome. Right away we could appreciate the friendliness and hospitality of our innkeepers, asking about any of our needs, very helpful in giving road directions to beaches and coastal sites (precious advices on the beach of "Marina di Bibbona") or in suggesting good restaurants in the neighborhood. Highly appreciated the proposal to organize on Saturday night, for us and for the other guests, a small tasting of local products. So we could chat and know each other in a convivial family atmosphere impossible to find in any other traditional hotel. Of note, the blog run by Barbara "Diary of a Naturist Innkeeper" that brings hilarious anecdotes about life at the Locanda and more general reflections on naturism and everything that surrounds it.
In conclusion
For us, who we are not regulars naturists, this stay was something unforgettable. At the Locanda you live well, you relax. Far from the noises, from work and stress of everyday life, it restores body and mind, you feel a slow-moving life. You can breathe fresh air, reading, do not watch television, you become naturists true, although, unfortunately, only for a few days. We will do our best to go back sooner or later for a new stay.
(August 2016)