POGGIOSOLE IN OUR OWN WORDS: Composed of a main house with loggia and separate ancient fienile (hay loft) on seven hectares (17 acres) of meadows and olive groves, Poggiosole offers two self-catering air-conditioned luxury lodgings (both in the fienile) and private salt-chlorinated pool. Our inner olive grove, where the lodgings and pool are located, is fully enclosed to keep out wildlife and unauthorized visitors. When we say luxury we mean it. There are countless details that we've chosen either because we have them in our own home or would like to find them when we rent a home on holiday. In our kitchens you'll find gas cooktops, proper, professionally sharpened chef's knives, stainless steel cookware, a Dualit toaster and premium corkscrews, can openers, pepper mills... even digital scales. Each lodging has a coffee station composed of a Lavazza espresso machine and Bodum French press. In our bathrooms you'll find Duravit fixtures and Dyson hair dryers. Even our audio systems are unusually fine. The pool and outdoor patio areas are misted with insecticides (early morning) and insect repellents (from mid-afternoon through sunset) daily. We have found that this system, installed in 2022, significantly reduces the presence of mosquitoes and wasps in these areas. We are a very small vacation rental and intend to keep it that way. At full occupancy, which is rare, no more than 12 guests are present (including children). Even in the warmer months we typically host 6 to 8 people at a time and, as of 2024, we only allow a few dogs we know well (if you have a concern about a pet being present, please ask). Our pool and olive grove are shared between our two lodgings. To have exclusive use of these facilities, we recommend booking in the spring or late fall or booking both lodgings together (this can be done simply by specifying a group size of 7 adults or more). That said, we have designed the lodgings and common areas so that the property rarely feels "crowded".

Alex is a sixty-year-old former designer and photographer who was born in Milan, raised in New York City, and lived in various U.S. cities (ending with San Francisco) until his early forties. Now an olive farmer and professional host, he inherited Poggiosole from his folks in 2023 and has been actively managing Poggiosole's lodgings and land since 2021 (and blogging about it). Alex lives in Florence most of the year, but from June through September he takes up residence in Poggiosole's main house (opposite the stone and timber hay loft which houses the property's two guest lodgings). Even in the off-season Alex is on-site most days, alternately tending to Poggiosole's guests, facilities and 500 olive trees. Alex, his partner Giovanna, eldest son Elio and a few part-time staff make every effort to balance sophistication and refinement of furnishings and equipment in the lodgings with an authentic experience of place and respect for their guests' privacy. Alex is bilingual English-Italian and speaks basic French.

Poggiosole is a short drive from the Tavarnelle exit of the FI-SI "statale" and is located about 30 km (19 miles) from Florence and 45 km (28 miles) from Siena. 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 hours' drive.