This apartment is just 300 metres from the beach in Viareggio. So you only need to walk five minutes to bag a lounger on the sand and spend the day paddling in the Ligurian Sea. It’s easy to pop back to the apartment for forgotten towels. Within the charming Liberty-style streets around you, there are myriad pizzerias and seafood restaurants for dining and cafes for espresso in the morning.

The apartment itself is an ideal city bolthole. Intricately carved teak furniture gives the open living room a Balinese calm feel and floor-to-ceiling corner windows keep things feeling light. The kitchen is sleek and modern, tucked away at the back and you can choose between the breakfast bar or dining table to uncork a bottle of local Sangiovese for social evenings in. We love the bedroom with the powder-blue feature wall and art nouveau paintings.

Home truths:
*This home is on the first floor but there is a lift in the building and it is single level inside *There is no private parking, but you're in the centre of Viareggio so having a car is not necessary *The washer-dryer is on the balcony off one of the bedrooms *The entrance to this home is shared with the building's other residents *This home is in a central spot, so noise is to be expected *We think this home is better suited to short stays – the kitchen is very basic *Your host provides an initial supply of toiletries, but you might want to bring your own to top this up *The kitchen lacks basic cleaning supplies, so you might want to bring your own