Thank you all for being together on the hill
Dear All,
We have very recently sold Podere Salicotto to an English couple who have chosen it to be their main residence and who will not continue with the hospitality business. We will leave Podere Salicotto at the end of the season in mid-December.
For us, after 22 years, we happily conclude a journey that began in 2000 with the purchase of a splendid ruin and the realization of a dream, to which you have contributed in a very important way with your constant presence over the years and your continued trust that has helped us grow on both a human and a professional level. Our gratitude to you is enormous.
The road, from Buonconvento, leading up to Podere Salicotto, seems to be made for exactly that purpose: the visitor who walks along it slowly perceives that he is about to enter a new dimension and suddenly the curves reveal to you on the right a Tuscan residence perched on a hill.
What the journey cannot anticipate is that Podere Salicotto is not just a construction, a building, a place to sleep: the Podere is a promise.
The promise we made many years ago, to change our lives and build a new adventure, which was then shared with those who – for a day, a weekend, a month – would have had the opportunity, the luck, the privilege of spending time in that part of the Crete Senesi.
That said: however we think of it, in the end you could say it is just a Bed & Breakfast, a farmhouse, certainly more chic, but it comes down to nights to be paid. All true; but up to a certain point. In the years in which Podere Salicotto lived, it breathed the same air that we breathed; it had the same thirst; welcomed the beloved animals; has granted us its perfumes by adding one more ingredient: the soul. We weren’t just “hoteliers”, and it’s a shame if you’ve only experienced it like this.
In Podere Salicotto, we put the most precious we had of ourselves into welcoming you and making sure that that house was not just a house. We dedicated all our time to it. Now, we will continue our experience elsewhere. Even with all the mistakes we may have made, we leave with the hope of having done our best; and if we have sometimes disappointed your expectations, please excuse us; there was no malice, perhaps a pinch of extra tiredness, because Podere Salicotto shines, but it needs a lot of care, every day, and sometimes it’s exhausting, and you say to yourself: who made me do this? Yet at 6 am, the next morning, you are there, again, wrapped in that half-dream atmosphere, and you roll up your sleeves to make sure that everything is in the right place. Even the fawns, which occasionally emerge from the cornfield.
Thank you to our team with Maria, Patrick, Antonio for your care, commitment and enthusiasm. These last 3 years together were beautiful and intense.
Thank you all for being together on the hill,
which will never be just earth and bricks; see you next time, waiting for yet another sunset to share.
We have not yet decided what we will do next. At the moment we will rent a house in the area which we will use as a base in 2023. It will be a sabbatical for us that will allow us to decide where we are going to settle permanently or almost. It will certainly be a place in nature where we can continue to live outdoors as much as possible.
Paolo wishes to write a few hiking guides and enjoy long hikes together in the most beautiful places in Italy. I need to enjoy a slow paced life for a while, at least! while new projects are blossoming in the heart.
We will keep you updated.
Ciao ragazzi, e grazie di tutto!
Ciao Guys, and thanks for everything!
With Warmth
Silvia e Paolo
