Podere Covivole is a 50 acre farm located outside Monte San Savino.
We are leasing the farm from two wonderful people. We will be here until the summer of 2012 when they return.
There is a guest house.
The main house, where we live is on the left, the guest house on the right.
Attached to the main house is the limonaia, where the citrus trees spend the winter.
The farm is bisected by the road. The lower terraces have fruit trees, fruit bushes and olive trees. A nearby farmer brings his sheep there to graze.
The farmer also makes hay from the grasses that grow in the pasture.
Besides all this food the farm also produces wonderful flowers.
The property sits at the top of the mountain and has a 180 degree view. Sunsets are spectacular.
Having this land with the panoramic view, watching the day progress, the weather change from minute to minute, walking through the fields and woods and discovering animals and things growing, watching the months and seasons change, and the sun setting every day has been so rewarding and satisfying for me. I love waking up every morning just to see what is going to happen that day. I feel so rewarded to be allowed to be the steward of this land. This will be a time period of my life that I will always treasure.
I was elated when I found your blog on the web!!
You are living my dream!!
My family actually owns a farm in Monte San Savino (localita San Poerino) and my Grandmother lived there for over 60 years. They migrated to Tuscany after the War but the Savinesi still called her the “Sicilian” (Franca la Siciliana) LOL
My Grandmother passed away a couple of years ago and my aunt (who lives in Rome) rented out the house and the land. It became too much for her to maintain two homes.
Most of the remainder of my family resides in other cities in the Arezzo province (Montagnano, Alberolo, Badia Agnano to name a few).
We are planning a trip late August and September. I would love to hook up although we will be staying with family. We have visited the area three times in the last five years and just can’t get enough.
Hope to hear from you,
Patricia Floreno
Hi. I may have missed it, but I’m interested in what the cost of living in Italy runs per year these days. My wife and I are hoping to retire there the end of 2015 (we’re both American, I have lived in Italy before, 1975-1981, Sicily and Vicenza). I’ve seen estimates from the lady from Aci Castello’s blog of around $28K Euros, but that seems a bit low. Can you help? It’s impossible to get past the tourist pitch at real Italian sites and we’d like some solid, boots-on-the-ground info. Thanks very much! If my post suggests ex-military, you’re right, so we’d probably be moving to Sicily, close enough to Sig to use it, far enough not to feel like American ghetto.
Under 30,000 $ a year is very possible. Thanks for reading.