Call Off The Dogs

“If your life is all sipping cool white wine in sun-drenched mediaeval piazzas, I am going to have to kill you”, so went the commentary on the last blog entry. I thought I'd better issue a corrective.


Easter Bread from the Forno

First off, bloggery is - partially at least - a publicity exercise. I want to let everyone know about the historical towns, art, culture and superb produce in this little corner of the world. Oops, there I go again! A friend - also in hospitality - told me it's commercial suicide to write anything that might suggest that life here is less than perfection, but everyone knows that nobody, except perhaps the filthy rich, is entirely shielded from quotidian reality.

There's nothing remotely romantic about emptying a septic tank, or cleaning the pool lining inch by inch with pan scrubbers in 35 degree heat. Neither are we exempt from ironing, or paying the bills. It's a big house with large grounds - mowing the lawn, pruning the trees, protecting the woodwork, polishing the windows, repairing the fences, watering the plants, cutting wood, turning the compost, stabilising the terraces and getting revenge on the brambles – I could go on - keep us busy round the clock. And there has never been so much dusting to do! Making beds, cleaning bathrooms, washing, making bread & granola, squeezing oranges, cooking dinners, more dusting!

We do it for the guests who are the compensation. Not just because they pay to stay either! We delight in hospitality and meeting people of many nationalities and walks of life. We enjoy the conviviality of breakfasts and dinners and get a lot of pleasure when guests like the food or share our enthusiasm for a town or a restaurant we recommended. We genuinely want to make being here a memorable experience.

Of course, anyone with a new business will tell you how anxious the outset can be. Every time there's a lull in bookings, pessimism rules. Imagine you put on a big party that you'd planned for ages, you sent out the invitations, but nobody turns up; you get close to the feeling! The flood of bookings we got for Easter was gratifying though, even if it did have us running around like headless chickens for a while. As long as you're cool on the surface, nobody notices.

There, I got all that off my chest without mentioning the perplexing labyrinth of Italian bureaucracy which drives me nuts. I'll save that treat for another blog. You can call off the dogs now.

Click the Trip Advisor badge to the right to see some new reviews of Tenuta Savorgnano.