Showtime!

Admittedly, it's an odd year to be selling vacations in Tuscany. The state of the world is fraught. And, thanks to one particular showman, folks on either side of what is proving to be a widening transatlantic rift are rattled. I'm rattled too, as I've shared, repeatedly, with readers of this blog. There are even signs that the erratic US President may bring a contraction to what has been, until very recently, the world's most resilient economy. And if that weren't hard enough news for our American friends and guests, the dollar is down about 8% against the euro since March. At least we still had the Oscars 😉

But Poggiosole is not just my full-time job, it's a living, breathing, layered thing with no "pause" button. Here, as everywhere else, the show must go on. So we've checked our fear at the door and put together a strong show for our 2025 guests that have begun arriving.

Outside, our olive groves and meadows have never looked better, thanks in part to three consecutive years of expert pruning, on-going clearing and primping of our land, and new (from 2024) Ventrac tractor, which has made it easier to keep grass cut at a picnic-friendly length throughout most of our seven hectares year-round. We now have a stack of wool picnic blankets for use outdoors and two COR-TEN braziers that guests are welcome to use on chilly spring and fall evenings (and lots of free firewood to place in them).

A couple of weeks ago my son Elio and I dug out a section of the passage which connects Poggiosole's parking area to our pool and set 28 stone pavers there. It's a flourish, not really necessary, but the grass in that area would always get trampled and worn by foot traffic. Now the pavers function, visually, as a kind of invitation. Plus it feels good to walk on them. And with all the rain and sun we've gotten lately, the grass between and around the stones has grown back quickly.

We've also added a section of perimeter fence, and, with our Ventrac, we're maintaining a path through a neighboring field that makes it possible to walk all the way to the Nieddu Minimarket in Romita without mixing with vehicle traffic. For guests who prefer to cycle, we've added a beautiful new bike rack (painted in Poggiosole yellow, of course) under our 120-year-old holm oak.

But it's inside our lodgings that we've made the most significant improvements for this year and future years. In keeping with the above headline image, start with movies:

Le Rose's optional third bedroom now has an A/V system with high-end video and music streaming and 4K disc-playing capabilities that, with stereo ATC studio monitors and REL subwoofer, will please even discerning audiophiles. Begonia now also has a new Blu-ray player to complement its capable B&O wireless speaker (so if you've run afoul of your Netflix / Disney+ / Hulu subscription we'll be happy to lend you a title from our arty film collection).

Both lodgings have also just been fitted with all-new Daikin air-conditioning units for a quicker and quieter cool-down. We've gone the extra mile, also adding an A/C unit to our laundry and linens room, so that Begonia's guests (or groups renting the entire fienile) won't break a sweat loading and unloading their clothes into a handsome and energy-efficient Miele clothes washer and dryer pair, also new for this year.

Other little touches new for 2025 include new Vitamix blenders in each kitchen, smoke and CO2 detectors in our lodgings' bedrooms and common areas, a vase of fresh-cut flowers in your living room at check-in, and a significantly expanded list of à la carte activities including local cooking classes, art studio tours, bike rentals, bodywork, and yoga and Pilates lessons on-site (advance reservations required). And when it's time to grab a bite, sip some wine or indulge in a long and elegant meal (including meals prepared for you at your lodging) our food guide is a well-researched single-sheet primer to the best of what's available locally.

Moving from the tangibile to the ether of bits and bytes, guests will now find stronger and more uniform Wi-Fi coverage throughout the property, thanks to a new, secure, TP-Link Omada mesh system, offering speeds of 75 - 85 Mbps in and around the fienile and pool.

This same system supports a small clutch of new Nest security cameras that will from now on monitor Poggiosole's parking area, tractor and garden sheds, and the courtyard. New Nest thermostats will also soon be installed in each lodging, making it easier for fall and winter guests to dial in just the right amount of heat.

All this gear, together with existing plush accoutrements such as Dyson hairdryers, Dualit toasters and Lavazza espresso machines, will be powered by a significantly upgraded photovoltaic system, situated next to our vegetable garden and just out of sight of our swimming pool. Most likely you won't know it's there, but thanks to a new BYD battery bank, housed in a new wood garden shed that keeps most of the tech out of sight, the power flowing to our lodgings and grounds will be from a renewable source even at night.

I'm proud to offer all these improvements, knowing they'll add to the pleasure folks have felt staying at Poggiosole. I'm of course aware of the risk I've taken by investing so heavily amidst the uncertainty many are sensing (myself included). As of this writing, we still have some availability in June and again from August through October. We still hope a few of those dates will book up. But when the curtain is about to rise, even if the house isn't full, you still gotta give it all you've got. It's showtime! 🤩