A special combination of temperature, wind, and precipitation at this time of year influences the blanket on our hills. Sitting at 500 meters altitude over the Valdarno valley and with another 1000 above us well visible we are in a great position to admire what has been an exceptional year of autumn color surrounding us. Our wall of basswood below and the omnipresent vineyards with their golds and yellows provide a striking contrast to the evergreens: olives, Holm’s oak, cypress. The main covering of the hills above are the now-changing chestnut and various guests among them such as wild cherry and beech.
This transition also marks our annual change from guest work to the olive harvest, then followed by general maintenance to get the place ready for the next season. From November through February we have little hospitality movement but our guest apartment (two doubles and living room/kitchen) is always available and we can use the villa when we have enough guests to merit turning on the central heat. Actually, despite the cool weather and short days, this can be one of the best times to visit Italy without the crowds of mass tourism.
Heating the villa, with its high ceilings and leaky windows, is an expensive proposition, considering the cost of oil for fuel. The fireplaces in the villa become very attractive despite their notorious inefficiency! It is good that the wood stoves in our staff quarters are more efficient, because their heat goes to water pumped into the radiators. With our own woods and with the woodsmen in the area this is the most logical and ecological way for us to heat. Of course it is a learning experience for most of the young staff. And no need to pay to go to an exercise center!
Tuscany is the second most forested of Italy’s regions and they are managed fairly well. In the past two to three decades we have to thank the immigrant woodsmen, who are doing one of those physically demanding jobs that few natives are willing to do. In this case it is mostly men from the Balkans.
Luca’s veggie garden has never been so full in winter, which reflects his complete dedication to the land after passing the responsibility of second cook on to Elisa. We have available three types of salad, five of cabbage, and leek. The olive harvest again promises well. Tune in next month for an evaluation.
Elisa, by the way, has survived well her first season with us and has proven with her enthusiasm, skills, and energy to be an important addition. This past month she had the chance to exchange thoughts and experiences with our colleagues working in other Waldensian guest houses (www.christianguesthouses.it) at the semi-annual meeting at our facility in Palermo. Quite another setting from ours in rural Tuscany! These meetings give us a chance to speak about the many aspects of our work, comparing such things as our approaches, our guest movement, and our organization. These are very useful gatherings and Elisa fit right in.
This transition also marks our annual change from guest work to the olive harvest, then followed by general maintenance to get the place ready for the next season. From November through February we have little hospitality movement but our guest apartment (two doubles and living room/kitchen) is always available and we can use the villa when we have enough guests to merit turning on the central heat. Actually, despite the cool weather and short days, this can be one of the best times to visit Italy without the crowds of mass tourism.
Heating the villa, with its high ceilings and leaky windows, is an expensive proposition, considering the cost of oil for fuel. The fireplaces in the villa become very attractive despite their notorious inefficiency! It is good that the wood stoves in our staff quarters are more efficient, because their heat goes to water pumped into the radiators. With our own woods and with the woodsmen in the area this is the most logical and ecological way for us to heat. Of course it is a learning experience for most of the young staff. And no need to pay to go to an exercise center!
Tuscany is the second most forested of Italy’s regions and they are managed fairly well. In the past two to three decades we have to thank the immigrant woodsmen, who are doing one of those physically demanding jobs that few natives are willing to do. In this case it is mostly men from the Balkans.
Luca’s veggie garden has never been so full in winter, which reflects his complete dedication to the land after passing the responsibility of second cook on to Elisa. We have available three types of salad, five of cabbage, and leek. The olive harvest again promises well. Tune in next month for an evaluation.
Elisa, by the way, has survived well her first season with us and has proven with her enthusiasm, skills, and energy to be an important addition. This past month she had the chance to exchange thoughts and experiences with our colleagues working in other Waldensian guest houses (www.christianguesthouses.it) at the semi-annual meeting at our facility in Palermo. Quite another setting from ours in rural Tuscany! These meetings give us a chance to speak about the many aspects of our work, comparing such things as our approaches, our guest movement, and our organization. These are very useful gatherings and Elisa fit right in.
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