We make the most of the services on the estate during our visit,
booking three dinners at Chiarentana (the welcome dinner, the olive
oil tasting, and the farewell dinner), all of which are delicious and
customized to the vastly different eating habits of our large group,
which includes two vegetarians, a pescatarian, a vegan, and some-
one with an egg allergy. We hire the private chef to cook for us on a
fourth night, and also venture down the road to La Foce's restaurant,
the Dopolavoro, the former social center for the workers. We also
call upon Lorena Bonano, Chiarentana's manager, to help us with a
flat tire, a broken tooth, and lost luggage. She's brilliant at all of
them, solving them quickly, and shouting at Hertz in Italian on my
behalf when my car continues to overheat and they are of little help.
There are hundreds of other places to stay in Tuscany, of course,
other villas to rent, but certainly none more lovely or meaningful.
The echoes of history are hard to ignore here, and blend seamlessly
and serenely into this most beautiful place in a beautiful corner of
the world.
