Talk about a perfect vacation: a fully furnished four-bedroom villa in the mountains above Tuscany, with a swimming pool and views all around. Now imagine it’s not just a vacation getaway, but yours for the keeping.
The owners of this estate in the heart of Garfagnana are giving it away. Prospective owners can enter a drawing for the house by donating 25 Euros — approximately $29 — with all the money going to charity. The winner’s name will be drawn in January, and the house turned over shortly thereafter.
The owners are requiring 20,000 entries to award the prize. If they fall short, the winner will get a cash prize instead.
But the British owners of the home, Jon and Annmarie Nurse, don’t anticipate any problems reaching the 20,000 number. After all, this is the third time they have done this. Last year, an American won a $550,000 villa in Tuscany, and a Canadian won a $250,000 Pizza Calabro townhouse.
The winner of this latest contest gets the fully furnished four-bedroom, four-bathroom villa with a pool valued at $470,000. All transfer taxes and legal fees are covered, as well as airfare, car hire, and 2 nights of accommodations in Italy to sign the transfer paperwork in person.
The house is everything you would expect, with a kitchen and living room on the ground floor, and the bedrooms on the first floor. There is a shower room and toilet on the ground floor, and a family bathroom on the first floor.
Kitchen
The remodeled kitchen gives you views of the rolling hills and features all new appliances — oven, refrigerator, freezer, dishwasher — and chestnut wood cabinets. The dining area features seating for eight, and an outdoor eating area also features seating for eight.
Living Room
The living room has seating for eight, an open fireplace, dual aspect windows, and double doors leading to the lower terrace with views of the neighboring mountains.
Bedrooms
The first is a double bedroom with a queen bed and a balcony overlooking the village with views of mountains large enough to sit for a meal or drink.
The second features a queen bed, a double en suite with views of the mountains from the bedroom, and views of the pool and garden from the bathroom.
The third also features a queen bed and a double en suite with views of the pool and garden.
The fourth has a twin bed and dual aspect windows.
Location
The villa is located in Garfagnana in the northern part of Tuscany. It is a rural area, and a car is necessary to reach most other areas. Lucca is about an hour away, and Florence is about 2 hours away. The coast is also about an hour away, and the ski resort of Abetone is about 1 hour in the other direction.
Entries
There are no strings attached to whoever wins the home. Once the title is signed over, the winner can live in it, keep it as a vacation home, use it as a rental property, or put it on the market and sell it.
Interested parties have 4 months to make a decision with entries closing on January 22. Participants must be at least 18 years old.
All of the money raised will be given to two charities, The Children’s Society and Braccio di Ferro, who provide support to vulnerable children. More than $100,000 has been given to these charities from previous giveaways.
“Young people are losing hope for the future,” said Pippa Lock, head of corporate engagement for The Children’s Society. “That’s why Win House Italy is proud to join the fightback for hope, supporting The Children’s Society through the competition.”