WHAT WE ARE (and aren't): Poggiosole offers two self-catering air-conditioned luxury lodgings and swimming pool in rural Tuscany. Our inner olive grove, where our lodgings and pool are located, is enclosed by a robust perimeter fence to keep out wildlife. Beyond this fence are six hectares (15 acres) of private meadows and olive groves, which guests are invited to walk and picnic in. Unlike comparable rural homes which are often sparsely equipped, Poggiosole's lodgings are lovingly appointed with countless accessories and fine details. In our kitchens you'll find gas cooktops, Wüsthof Classic chef's knives, Alessi cookware, a Dualit toaster and Vitamix blender, premium utensils and pepper mills... even a mixer, digital scale and tins for baking. Coffee stations include a Lavazza espresso machine with compostable pods, milk frother and Bodum French press. In our bathrooms you'll find Duravit basins, toilets and bidets and Dyson hair dryers. Light fixtures are by FLOS, Artemide and Luceplan. Even our audio-video systems are unusually refined. All these touches have us ask a steep cleaning, damage and loss deposit (1000 euro for our smaller lodging, 1500 for our larger one). This deposit is refunded (less breakage) if guests comply with our Terms & Conditions (https://tinyurl.com/4pch4572). Poggiosole's pool and groves are shared between our lodgings. To have exclusive use of these, we recommend booking well in advance and combining both lodgings, tantamount to the entire farmhouse (this is easily done by specifying a group size of 7 or more adults). N.B: we are a luxurious vacation rental but we are NOT a five-star resort. Guests are asked to comply with our trash management guidelines (respecting local laws), to take care of the spaces and items we offer and to share the pool with guests in the lodging next door. If you are in the "top 0.1 percent", have servants at home, or are traveling with a servant or maid, Poggiosole may not be a great fit.

WHO I AM: a 62-year-old former software developer and product designer, born in Milan and raised in New York City. After nearly four decades living in the US, I moved back to Italy from San Francisco in 2005. Now a part-time olive farmer and full-time professional host, I have been actively managing (and blogging about) Poggiosole's land and lodgings and since 2021. I live in Florence with my wife and two younger children most of the year, but mid-June through mid-September the four of us live in Poggiosole's main residence (opposite the stone and timber farmhouse which houses our two guest lodgings), alternately caring for guests, grounds, and groves. Even in the off-season I am on-site most days, tending to our land and 580 olive trees. I am bilingual English-Italian and speak a bit of French.

Poggiosole is in a rural setting but only a 5-minute drive from the Tavarnelle exit of the FI-SI "raccordo autostradale". The city of Florence is located about 30 km (19 miles) north of us; Siena about 45 km (28 miles) to the south. Just 450 meters from our lodgings is a charming general store which can be reached on foot by traversing Poggiosole's beautiful upper olive grove. Another 200 meters down the road from the general store is an excellent restaurant open for lunch and dinner (with outdoor dining in the warmer months). The town of Tavarnelle is 3 km away and offers a supermarket, several ATMs, a bakery and additional restaurants, fine gelato, even a public library and arthouse cinema. Many charming towns and historic sites, including Certaldo Alto, Impruneta, Castellina, Greve and Raddi in Chianti, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, Vinci, and Volterra are within an hour's drive.