Poggiosole is an historic rural property on seven hectares (about 17 acres) of Tuscan olive groves and meadows, located 30 km (19 miles, a 30-minute drive) south of Florence. We have two early-19th century stone and timber buildings on our land: a main house for family and staff and, across a wide flagstone-paved courtyard, a large two-story farmhouse we rent to guests. The farmhouse is comprised of two luxurious design-forward two-story lodgings a hop, skip and jump from a private swimming pool. On Vrbo we offer these lodgings together as a single duplex residence (with pool) which comfortably sleeps up to 10 adults and up to three children aged 3 and under (we provide wooden cribs and Tripp-Trapp high chairs). The farmhouse interior offers two living areas and two nuttily well-equipped kitchens as common areas, as well as two outdoor patios with parasols and Weber BBQs.
Five bedrooms, three of which connect to an en-suite full bath (there are a further two-and-a-half bathrooms besides) round out the 201 square meters (2163 sq ft) of air-conditioned indoor living space. The kitchens are exceptionally well-equipped, outfitted with Alessi cookware, Wüsthof chef's knives, a Vitamix blender, Bosch mixer and citrus juicer, a Dualit toaster and Lavazza espresso machine, Bodum Chambord coffee presses, Pulltex corkscrews, Rösle stainless prep bowls, non-stick baking tins... even a meat thermometer and digital scale. Each kitchen also includes a full-size fridge, dishwasher, gas cooktop, and electric oven. The living areas with fireplaces feature furniture and accessories by Cassina, Fritz Hansen, Vitra and Kartell and lighting by kreon, Artemide, Tecnolumen and Flos. In our bathrooms you'll find Duravit fixtures and Dyson hairdryers. The two patios are linked by a floor-lit terracotta sidewalk and are furnished for outdoor lounging and dining.
The larger of the two lodgings offers a long dining table that will seat 8 adults comfortably, and 10 in a pinch (for when everyone wants to dine or breakfast together). We have free Wi-Fi (70 mbps) which extends throughout our inner olive grove and pool area. Relax to a couple of audiophile-grade sound systems (plus a pair of B&O wireless speakers). Daikin A/C units, Nest-regulated radiant heat, on-demand towel changes and use of laundry facilities are all complimentary (the farmhouse is equipped with two Miele clothes washers and a Miele dryer). Each lodging also has a chess set, Go set, playing cards, Jenga blocks and a streaming-capable HDTV.
The swimming pool is salt-chlorinated and outfitted with five teak loungers, two teak and canvas deck chairs and two large canvas parasols. The pool is for the exclusive use of farmhouse guests. Although not heated for off-season use, it is comfortably warm from early May through early October.
Several of our outdoor spaces (pool, courtyard, and patios) are misted by a state-of-the-art nebulizing system which dispenses insect repellents throughout the afternoon and evening to keep mosquitos away.
Our land gradually slopes into a verdant valley of which our larger lodging in particular has a commanding view. All guests are welcome to walk through and picnic in any part of the property, and informal walking tours of our olive groves (and a decanter of our award-winning EVOO) are offered free of charge. For runners, a 5 or 8 km mostly grass and gravel road circuit starts just outside your door. There are ten varied and excellent restaurants within a 15-minute drive, the nearest a 10-minute walk away (flashlights are provided for getting there and back after dark). The local general store in the hamlet of Romita is an even shorter walk across our upper olive grove, then 40 meters along a country road.
The nearest town is called Tavarnelle Val di Pesa and can be reached by car in less than 10 minutes. In Tavarnelle you'll find a supermarket, several grocers, one exceptional butcher, a very good gelato place, a pharmacy, a couple of hair salons and a old-school movie theater run by a guy with excellent taste (unfortunately even the English-language ones are dubbed).
The broader context is the Chianti fiorentino, the portion of the historic Tuscan wine-growing region that's closer to the Florence-Siena axis. By car, Poggiosole is within 30 minutes of Certaldo Alto, San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Greve, Montefioralle, and Castellina in Chianti as well as Florence itself. Closer in are the towns of Barberino, Marcialla, San Casciano, Monteriggioni, Badia a Passignano, and Panzano. Siena and Volterra are less than an hour away.
We are relatively new to Vrbo (only 3 reviews so far) but have a 5.0 star rating on Google (over 25 reviews) and a score of 5 out of 5 on Tripadvisor (10 reviews). During the years that we listed our lodgings on Booking.com we earned a rating of 9.8 out of 10. Poggiosole has been hosting guests since 2008.