With the farm and the old buildings always in need of maintenance and repairs, there is always enough to do in winter. Our “off” season is only off in the sense of few and often no guests from December through February. Guests from colder climates love the idea of enjoying morning coffee outdoors on sunny days, even if a sweater is necessary. Actually it can be an excellent time to visit Tuscany. Although the days are short, and sometimes cold and rainy, in the winter weeks the cities and towns are quiet and museums empty, in stark contrast to the movement from Easter through October. In fact, for some years now an old friend of Casa Cares, Ed Peduzzi of New York, has organized weeks in February and/or November for groups of 25-35 persons and it has worked excellently: Florence, Lucca, Siena, Greve, Pisa, Assisi, San Gimignano. Anyone interested in such an option should contact us.
But back to the winter work. These months were particularly busy here at Casa Cares. We thank our maintenance man, Giuseppe, for doing the usual coordination of repairs and touch-up as well as coordinating two major interventions: the up-grading of our fire prevention system and the installation of solar panels. We thought that the alarm system we have had for years was perfectly adequate for a stone and plaster building, but standards change and for three winters we have been “invaded” by technicians, brick layers, and electricians. Because the impact on the villa has been significant, this is work that could be done only when it was closed. We are quite happy that this work is behind us, both for the up-grade and for the difficulties in coordinating such work. We are thankful that the national church paid for this project, recognizing that our guest work does not generate the type of income necessary for such improvements.
The other big project in these days was made possible by public funding. Finally Italy is investing, although slowly, in alternative energy. We were granted a Euro 120,000 loan for the installation of solar panels to produce electricity which can be sold into the national grid. Because we rarely use more than 3kw and the panels can produce as much at 20kw, the amount we shall be selling into the national grid is significant and should reimburse the financing in 12-14 years. With a guarantee of 25 years of production, this means that it is a logical and profitable step for places like ours. It also gives us the satisfaction that we are certainly a part of the “greening” of Italy.
In February we welcomed a new employee and 3 volunteers, so now we are 6 employees (2 fulltime) and 5 volunteers. Last June after losing Adriana, our house manager, we were unable to find a replacement, but now Elisa Rubboli seems to be an excellent solution. Elisa actually was born here when her parents worked in Casa Cares Children’s Home in the 1970s, so she is returning home. She brings with her energy, enthusiasm, diverse and valuable skills, and two young sons. The three new volunteers to get us through the spring are Dennis from Denmark and Ylva and Marco from Finland.
The groups we have booked for 2009 occasionally block all 20 of our rooms, but usually we have availability for other groups or single guests. The groups range from schools to churches to work camps to family reunions. Many leaders have been here before which for us means reunions and a confirmation that they find us a good setting for their programs.
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