Storia
Family background
Gianni and Lilia married in Florence in 1962; their wedding photograph was taken beside the Arno, with the Ponte Vecchio and Uffizi in the background. Their son Alex was born approximately a year and a half later. Both Gianni and Lilia had lost their fathers in the aftermath of the Second World War. Gianni, the eldest male among four siblings, initially worked as a bank teller. Lilia was the eldest of three children and had two younger brothers. Her mother, Francesca, introduced the couple after meeting Gianni at the bank.
From Italy to New York
In the late 1960s, Gianni accepted an invitation from his employer, Olivetti, to relocate to New York City. Gianni and Lilia remained there for more than 30 years, building their life abroad while Gianni's mother, siblings and nieces stayed in Italy.
1998: purchase of Poggiosole
Gianni and Lilia returned to Tuscany and purchased Poggiosole in 1998, when both were around 70 years old. The move represented a homecoming after decades abroad. Having previously lived in urban centres, they initially missed New York but gradually embraced the property's grass, sunlight, fresh air and rural setting.
The estate's olive groves were largely abandoned when the family assumed stewardship. Their recovery programme subsequently included regular care of the old trees and the planting of 60 young olive trees to restore productive capacity.
Development of the hospitality estate
Gianni and Lilia sought to create an experience rooted in their own rediscovery of the land and the surrounding Tuscan towns and cities. Poggiosole subsequently developed as a small, family-run holiday property. Alex and Giovanna continued the family project, refining its accommodation and service while retaining an intentionally limited scale of fewer than 100 guests per year.
The estate now combines two apartments, Begonia and Le Rose, within the former fienile, or hayloft. Alongside the accommodation, the family manages three olive groves and produces small batches of extra-virgin olive oil.
Terroir
Poggiosole occupies 7 ha on one of two ridges separating the Pesa and Elsa river valleys, within the Chianti fiorentino landscape near the Florence–Siena axis. The elevated property descends gradually towards a green valley and includes rolling fields, olive groves, meadows and a small number of vines.
The land has a south-eastern exposure. Its soils are clay-rich and cobbly, while the sloping terrain supports drainage across the olive-growing areas. The enclosed central part of the property contains the fienile, pool, inner olive grove, the first trees of the upper grove, the open campo alto and several rows of vines. Beyond it are hundreds of old olive trees, the undulating campo basso and a secluded lower grove.
Summers are very dry. From mid-June through mid-September, unirrigated grass normally turns ochre, contrasting with the dark foliage of drought-resistant olive trees, Vitis vinifera, oaks and maples, as well as the surrounding thorny vegetation.