“The first necessity of life is shelter… The first prayer is for protection.”
— John Berger
”God is in the details.”
— Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
The chill, the damp and the long nights leading to winter have had me busily fortifying Poggiosole as a shelter, not in the strictly functional sense (neither heat nor roof leaks have been a problem), rather as a kind of sanctuary, adding details supporting rest, reflection and, as befits the coming New Year, revelry.
In particular…
HIGH ART & SCHUNDROMANE
Le Rose‘s 3rd bedroom and living room have tripled their count of books ranging from collections of poetry and scholarly essays to novels of varying quality (Calvino and Vikram Seth, yes, but lots of German-edition pulp too) along with numerous large-format artist monographs. Begonia has a new walnut bookshelf under its staircase filled with a similar set of volumes.
TOP END TEAS
Alongside our always complimentary Nespresso pods in 3 varieties, we’ll from now on provide boxes of premium Tea Fortē sachets in 10 varieties for all guests staying four days or longer October through April.
BRAZIER & CHESTNUT ROASTER
A large, heavy outdoor fire pan flanked by the small teak tables that sit poolside in summer will henceforth allow small groups to build and gather around evening bonfires. A long-handled wrought iron chestnut roaster and plenty of firewood round out the offering (and can also be used at our indoor fireplaces).
GRAPPA & STRAW WINE
Cask-matured Diciotto Lune grappa from the Marzadro distillery in Italy’s Trentino is paired with a 16-year-old passito by Corzano & Paterno, an exceptional winery just down the road. This "spirit duo" is our gift to all guests staying four days or longer October through April.
DEEPER BASS, SILVER DISC MEDIA
Le Rose’s already high-spec living room stereo has been upgraded with a 200-watt REL subwoofer, adding heft to Haydn and punch to Pearl Jam (or PJ Harvey… I’m dating myself). And for those Spotify skeptics and Netflix holdouts CD and DVD players have been added to Le Rose, along with a small, rotating assortment of musical albums and films from my collection: no subscriptions required :)
GO & JENGA
Santa brought Begonia a wooden chess set similar to Le Rose’s. And both lodgings now include Go boards with their hundreds of pebble-sized black and white game pieces. Brain too tired or conquest not your thing? Jenga and playing cards are on hand too!
Come see, sip, play and listen.