Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Tuscany, Address available on request

Sweet are my words in the evening;
you are like the burning rain,
tepid and fleeting,
spring's tearful farewell.
On the mulberries, the elms, the vines,
and on the pines with new rosy fingers
that play with the lost aura;
on the wheat that is neither blond nor green,
and on the hay already kissed by the sickle,
and on the olive trees, on the olive brothers,
that pale the slopes with sanctity and smiles.

    Gabriele D'Annunzio

In this hesitant spring, we walk slowly through the Santa Margherita farm. The warm sun in the sky, the clouds embracing the nearby hills, and the bright green grass observe my dreamy gait. In what was once a residence of the Habsburg-Lorraine, you can still feel the peace that reigned during summer stays in Tuscany.

Behind us, the stables echo with the rhythm of the entrance arches, reminiscent of the pawing of intrepid stallions ready for the hunt or a trip to nearby Florence. Upon returning from trips, we would stop in front of the main entrance where servants rushed to welcome the cheerful and noisy groups. As rich hot or cold dishes arrived from the tireless kitchens to satiate their appetites, the upper floor rooms welcomed their tired limbs.

The pigeon house remains as a reminder of the ancient habit of cooking succulent birds, but I prefer to think of a solitary descendant dedicated to romantic correspondence through this now-obsolete means.

During our walk around the farm, I discover its ancient history, steeped in nobility, tales, and legends. It is said that more than one descendant of the noble house stayed within these walls and, like us, admired the slow rhythm of the alternating Florentine hills from the first-floor windows.

Now, it's your turn to write a new chapter. Bring laughter, sounds, and scents back to life within these walls. Remodel the three floors of this noble building to host visitors from all over once again. Revive the stables with new projects. Cultivate new or ancient species in the over three and a half hectares of ancient vineyard.

The Santa Margherita farm is dozing, waiting to return to its former glory.