Holidays & Seminars
What opportunities does the house and surrounding area offer, what can you do during your stay?
Vacation
At Podere "Colle All`Asino" you can spend an individual holiday, alone, as a couple, with many friends or the whole family including dog.
Podere "Colle All Asino" offers the best conditions for a holiday that differs from the usual everyday life at home and other holiday homes!
What makes "Podere Colle All'Asino" special:
We discuss each holiday individually with you and are available as a contact person during your holiday.
We haven't followed the "mainstream" - you're living in a resource-efficient house that has been lovingly renovated over many years.
Here you'll find tasteful interior design elements and architectural features, each with its own story, as well as original, organically grown building fabric with a unique ambiance spanning more than 400 years. However, you won't find the impersonal and sterile holiday apartment atmosphere common elsewhere, with its "obligatory" swimming pool. We consciously decided against such a pool – instead, we take advantage of swimming opportunities in nearby rivers or our own natural pond on the property.
Here, community can be experienced again : The house and its surroundings offer the best conditions for this!
The much-described, special Tuscan light in the panoramic view and the vastness of the horizon.
The relaxing contact with nature right on your doorstep with all its almost forgotten sounds - e.g. a frog concert at night and the sky full of stars.
The special atmosphere that all of this creates. That's what makes a holiday with us so special!
Community
We place great emphasis on shared experiences!
The house and grounds and the extensive grounds encourage shared activities, while the spacious terrace with its stunning panoramic views is perfect for impressive and unforgettable barbecue evenings.
The spacious and modern kitchenette in the almost original preserved kitchen-living room with open fireplace offers plenty of space for a shared cooking experience.
Sharing meals at a long table in front of the house with a magnificent view creates unforgettable Italian moments.
The large dining room with a fireplace and our seminar room offer plenty of space for relaxed gatherings, conversations and games.
We don't have a television and only have internet access for essential data – shall we play something together again? Board games, table tennis or table football are suitable for indoor use, and there's plenty of space in the yard for volleyball or small football tournaments.
Meeting up at dusk on the "sunset terrace" and enjoying a small aperitif - what more could you want?
Those who wish can get involved in the house and garden and thus experience an alternative to everyday office life.
Relax
In spring and summer, in the shade of the olive trees and cypresses outside, in autumn and winter by the over 80-year-old open fireplace in the large eat-in kitchen - the "Eselsberg" quickly encourages you to leave everyday life behind and relax !
There are plenty of nooks and crannies around the house to relax by yourself - regardless of the number of guests in the house .
With a good book on the morning terrace, the wonderful panoramic view, and the house in an absolutely quiet location surrounded by nature.
Children
Children always find something to do here!
Organize a table tennis or table football tournament in the seminar room...
Play outdoor games, fly kites, or build a campfire . Hunt lizards or observe rare butterflies, birds, and bats. Have diving races from the jetty into our large goldfish pond . Discover frogs and rare turtles. Go on a discovery tour together and spot rabbits, deer, and wild boar.
There are no restrictions here, no fences, nobody is disturbed here, even if it gets a bit noisy!
Culture and excursions
Lajatico and the "Teatro del Silenzio"
Lajatico is the home of the world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli . Every summer, a spectacular concert by Andrea Bocelli takes place amidst the hills surrounding Lajatico on an open-air stage built in 2006.
The Teatro Del Silenzio, with its annually changing sets, is the cultural heart of Lajatico in August. Increasingly, the Teatro Del Silenzio is also opening its doors to other artists and events.
Audio samples of Andrea Bocelli on YouTube:
> Andrea Bocelli/Melodrama , 2007
> Andrea Bocelli/Vivo Con Te , 2007 with Heather Headley
> Andrea Bocelli/La Voce del Silenzio , 2009 with Elisa
> Andrea Bocelli/Time To Say Goodbye , 2015 with Sarah Brightman
Cultural tips
Nearby, easily accessible on foot, by bicycle or after a short drive, are numerous medieval villages with their sights or annually recurring village festivals.
The city of Volterra, with its numerous festivals (e.g. "Volterrajazz" or the medieval festival "Volterra Anno Domini 1398", both in August), is a twenty-minute drive away.
Pisa (45 km) and San Gimignano (35 km) are located in the surrounding area. Florence (80 km) and Siena (60 km) are also easily accessible.
Approximately one and a half hours south of the house, near Grosseto, lies the Tarot Garden by Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tingually with its impressive sculptures.
Activities around the house: hiking, cycling, ...
There are many things to experience around the "Podere Colle Àll'Asino". Whether it's a stroll on the smaller circular paths around the house , a hike to Lajatico or Orciatico , or a mountain bike ride directly from the house to Rocca di Pietracassia – the "Podere Colle All'Asino" offers a wide range of options with breathtaking views. The best times of year for hiking and cycling are spring and autumn, extending into November.
From the Rocca di Pietracassia , an 11th-century castle, you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view and, depending on the weather, a view all the way to the sea. It can be reached, for example, after an hour's walk from Lajatico.
Directly from the house, numerous round trips on lonely country lanes can be undertaken with a motocross-suitable motorcycle.
Bathe
From Saline di Volterra, well-maintained roads lead to Cecina Mare in about 60 minutes, a charming seaside resort where the golden age of the 1950s and 60s is still palpable. The small town of Cecina, with its little shops, and Cecina Mare, with its long promenade and numerous bars, retain their considerable charm. Around Cecina, you'll find sandy beaches that are never overcrowded, even in the height of summer. The adjacent shady pine forests offer respite from the sun and a wide variety of spots to relax in a hammock.
The island of Elba is well worth a day trip. After the approximately one-hour ferry crossing from Piombino, you can enjoy the crystal-clear water in Portoferraio after a short walk to the other side of the harbor.
Very close by, just beyond Lajatico, you can cool off at the bathing spot in the Sterza River, a 10-minute drive away, until July. Or year-round, after a short walk, you can visit the Cascata del Ghiaccione waterfall near Chianni, a 20-minute drive away...
Or you could simply swim two laps with the goldfish in our large pond !
Seminars
Seminar provider
Seminar providers and workshop leaders will find our special ambience at a fair price: You can rent the Podere Colle All`Asino completely and exclusively for your own courses that you conduct as a seminar provider, and you only pay for the number of rooms required.
If all participants are to stay exclusively at "Colle All'Asino," smaller seminars of up to twelve to fourteen people plus the seminar leader are suitable. Your guests would then sleep two to a room or four to a room in our large dormitory-style room. For larger groups, we can also arrange alternative accommodations elsewhere . A separate, simple sleeping room is available for the seminar leader in the barn.
If needed, we can support your seminars by providing assistance such as taking over shopping, catering and cleaning, etc.
We invite you to get to know Podere Colle All`Asino during a short break so that you can realistically assess whether the house is suitable for your purposes.
Own events
We also regularly organize our own events , e.g. Italian courses, dancing, cooking, ... You can find current information on the page > "Home/ Current Courses" .
Or themed weeks: olive tree pruning at Easter, (guided) hikes at Pentecost, mountain biking in summer, chestnut eating and olive harvesting in November – with the opportunity to take home your own olive oil ... Just ask us!
