An Unexpected Encounter by the Pool

We were invited last June to a friend’s wedding just outside Siena; and (after considerable research) we were extremely lucky to find a villa, for our party of seven people, within a stone’s throw of the wedding venue.

We, my wife and I, had driven down from England in gentle stages, the last stage being a stay in the beautiful but ridiculously overpriced Cinque Terre. So we arrived at Siena before noon, well ahead of the rest of our party. Despite strict instructions not to arrive at our villa before 5pm, we decided to seek it out straightaway, and scout out where our nearest shops might be.

So we drove through the imposing stone gateway to find the most charming of old stone villas awaiting us. An imposing frontage overlooked balconied terraces, leading down through olive groves to a lush green valley below, beyond which, on the horizon, the unmistakeable spires of Siena’s Town Hall and Duomo could be clearly seen.

There was no-one about. I passed by the front of the villa to a vast barn extension, now obviously converted to a living space. Still no-one. Calling out, I entered through wide-open doors to have my breath taken away by the huge open-plan living area, antique chairs round a vast dining table, books lining the walls from floor to ceiling.

Turning back towards our car, I sensed some movement through the olives, and my wife and I wandered down the short track to the swimming pool, where we were greeted by a naked (well, very nearly naked) man, skimming the pool with a large net, to remove all the fallen olive leaves and insects – a task which I was to take over, with pleasure, over the coming days.

Our pool skimmer turned out to be Jacopo, the villa owner, whose family had lived there for generations – indeed the villa had the family name. He could not have been more charming, and was not at all put out by our early arrival, or by our unconventional poolside encounter. He explained to us where the local supermarket was; and invited us to return after a brief shop, by which time the pool and villa would be quite ready for us.

He also turned out to be, not only very well-read and knowledgeable about Tuscany, but also the organiser and leader of cycling tours in the area. As a keen amateur cyclist myself, I had brought my bike out with me; so we were able to compare bikes and have “bike-talk” together. And he showed me some of his favourite routes, which I was able to enjoy throughout the week, under cloudless Tuscan skies.

As the rest of our party arrived later that afternoon, we were all able to settle into our villa. We were not, alas, in the wonderful converted barn, which was Jacopo’s own residence – but in the main old house, which had a charm and faded grandeur all of its own. Surprisingly comfy beds, good wi-fi, and electricity that worked (most of the time!)

But the best area was our terrace, where we could sit out in the evening with a bottle of Chianti, after the worst heat of the day had passed, and watch the spires of Siena gradually disappear into the gathering gloom. On our first evening, I thought I saw some animal’s eyes reflecting light down in the undergrowth – then another, and another. But soon there were too many of them, moving too quickly; and I realised we were watching the evening dance of a myriad of fireflies. Quite enchanting.

It was a wonderful week. Oh, and the wedding was quite superb also.