November 14 - The Olive Harvest in Chianti

The olive harvest is in full swing when I arrive in Volpaia, Chianti. As I stumble over to Paola's Bar'Ucci for a plate of my favorite Spaghetti al Pomodoro, I look for my 'ladies', Gina and Lina. Lina, who is a beautiful, blue-eyed lady in her 80's (guessing), is not here. She is helping her sister harvest her olive grove. Of course. I try to imagine my mother out there whacking trees with long poles, and it just doesn't gel. Maybe this is why people live longer and stay healthier in Italy. That and…..the olive oil.

I ask Daniel if I can taste the 'olio nuovo', fresh pressed, and he says "Si, certo", and points to the bottle on the table. Then Paola comes out 5 minutes later, proudly bearing a plate of lightly toasted Tuscan bread drenched with fresh, bright green oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. It is amazing.

I unpack my 3 suitcases and 2 large boxes and can't resist putting some of it together. We have decided to offer our newest fractional home listing, Casa in Volpaia, for vacation home rental in 2011, and have tenants coming to spend the holidays in a few weeks. I am intent on making sure that it is luxurious, comfortable and welcoming.

I place a well-needed 55-lb king size memory foam mattress on the master bed, and put new linens on the day bed in the 3rd bedroom. When I start stumbling around aimlessly, I realize it's time to succumb to jet lag on that cushy new mattress, knowing that my body (if not my mind) will be awake around 5am when I call my kids back in Portland, Oregon.

Around midnight, I wake up from a strange, machine noise. What the heck? Are they paving the street in the middle of the night? It take me a while to realize that the olive press in Volpaia (Il Frantoio) was busy pressing the fresh harvest…right across the road from our back gate. And there is a bit of a party going on.

The walls are so thick, that once I close the windows I can't hear a thing. Tomorrow I will go to the bank (much better exchange rates here than at home) and go to Casi di Sotto to make sure the plants and pots are all set for the winter.

I fall asleep smiling.

Ciao for now!

About Carrara, LLC

Carrara partners with owners of luxury vacation homes in Italy, managing the conversion and marketing of these beautiful homes to fractional, shared ownership vacation properties. We also represent buyers seeking the lifestyle of a European home and the convenience of a professionally managed, shared investment.

For more information about our properties:

Casi di Sotto

Casa in Volpaia