The Prelude to a Pool
The Beginning of the Renovation in 2025
Today is July 31, 2026, one year after beginning the real process of renovation on our borgo. We came to Tuscany with the idea to build something new. Not just an agriturismo, not just a luxury villa, but a blend of the two. A place where you could capture the feeling of a real farmhouse while still lying in repose on soft, clean sheets. Where traditional Tuscan farming, with all the love and care for the land and its people, blended with the finer things in life to create a place where you could feel connection in every interaction, every object, every plant. Our eyes were wide open with wonder as we looked from our terrazzo at the Val di Merse, this secret, beautiful forest in the heart of Tuscany, undiscovered even by Italians.
One year ago, we rolled up our sleeves, ready to get to work. In July 2025, we submitted our permits for renovation, excited to finally begin work on our dream project. The villa already had such good bones that the internal renovations were minimal. Our plans were this:
Limewash the walls and restore all of the wooden beams
Renovate the show kitchen and adding a commercial kitchen
Renovate all the bathrooms with stone and microcement, and all new showers and fixtures
Close up some confusing stairs to nowhere to create more floor and closet space in the bedrooms
Replace all of the furniture with beautiful hand-selected picks with the help of our wonderful designer and architect, Laura
These stairs honestly didn’t go anywhere, they just took you in a very confusing circle, and had a step at the top that often caused guests to trip because it was borderline a phantom step that was hard to see when you were leaving your room. Guests falling down, for us, is not really the best, so we closed them up.
Is there anything more satisfying than turning a staircase into a giant closet?
Externally, we needed to add a completely new fence surrounding the property so that the wild boar stopped considering the roots at the base of our pomegranate trees to be their free lunch, and then redo the gravel pathways.
Oh, and build the pool of our dreams, of course.
But last year, while we had been warned, we did not know what the permitting process would really take.
As arduous as getting the permits for just BEGINNING the project was, it did mean that the hardest part was over. This may be the first renovation project in history in which the permitting was more painful and bumpy than the renovation itself. The normal things have happened (what do you mean there is a solid beam of steel behind that wall that means we can’t mount a fan on it?), but our American optimism has continued to carry us through. Of course, this is Tuscany, so you never celebrate a project halfway through. Therefore I will say: things are going, and we are satisfied with their going, and soon, perhaps, if the powers that be are willing, we expect to be very happy with how they went.
But while we waited for our permits, we were not idle. We had received our permit to renovate the pool, and to build the wildlife pond, very early on. So while we waited for our villa permits, we got started on those two projects. Which means we can absolutely celebrate them now, because although I can’t believe I am saying it, they are actually complete!
The Travertino Bianco Pool
When we arrived at Borgo Santolina, there was something that doesn’t exist at most villas in Tuscany: a very, very large pool. It was 10×20m (32’x65’) and lined in terracotta. While lovely, it was old, and needed a serious update. We discussed every option—make it smaller? Make it larger? Use stone, or liner? And what about the patio?
The original pool at Borgo Santolina. The liner was leaking and the stones were cracking. We were pretty sure we could do better than this.
As with everything at Borgo Santolina, we began with the ultimate question: what would make the pool the most comfortable, functional, and beautiful? If we can’t serve those three things, in our opinion, we haven’t achieved anything worth having. But how to know whether it was any of those things?
Testing it, of course!
We spent the summer of 2025 inviting our friends and their families to stay with us at Borgo Santolina so that we could decide what needed adjusting in a very real way.
And the answers came immediately: we needed a bigger patio, more shade, a shallow area for the kids, and definitely, definitely, liner over stone.
Now, I am aware that the last one is controversial. But hear me out: while stone is better for aesthetics and longevity, liner is better for comfort. And when you are relaxing in the sun-drenched Tuscan countryside, lazing by the pool, the gentle scent of lavender mixing with the melody of the bees, comfort is the ultimate goal. Of course, if you are like me, with a small child whose only dream is to sit in the pool and have me sit next to him, then you also know the pool needed a soft, shallow area not just for our smaller guests, but for parents to be able to actually relax IN the pool, and not just by the pool.
So, liner. Liner all day. Liner doesn’t scratch you when you are swimming. It doesn’t tear up bathing suits (a salute to my graveyard of suits ruined from sitting on stone), and it creates a soft surface for laying and sunbathing (or playing with your kids) in the shallow area. Did I just say the same thing three times? You absolutely bet I did. We really care about not getting snagged in the swimming pool.
Now what about this shallow area that did not exist? Enter one of our favorite features of the pool, that we think all of our guests will enjoy immensely: the spiagetta, or ‘little beach.’
If I could waterproof my computer, I would work from here.
The spiagetta is about 6” deep, made for sun chairs, but even better than that, the wraparound stairs make a perfect gathering area for you to sit and chat with friends and family IN the pool, making it the absolute centerpiece of a lazy Tuscan afternoon in the high heat.
And of course, the travertino patio. The beauty of the travertino is that it also does not get as hot as other stones in the afternoon sun, making it ideal for surrounding the pool. We extended the patio so that we could add a huge family cabana that will provide ample shade and couches for lounging while eating a plate of fresh mozzarella and pomodoro with an Aperol spritz. Laura, our designer, brought us tons of samples to choose from, and we chose something that is reminiscent of the strade bianche roads of Tuscany, evoking the feeling of meeting the end of the road to find a cool, natural pool in the middle of the forest.
Just need to finish the fencing and then add furniture!
What’s Next?
We are already receiving inquiries for next year, and we couldn’t be more excited. Borgo Santolina was already an oasis when we arrived, and now we are watching it turn into an absolute dream.
We can’t wait to share it with all of you.
If you would like to inquire about booking, you can reply to this email or email us directly at reservations@borgosantolina.com.
