Renting a Tuscan Lemonary 'Limonaia', harvesting olives and leaving the legal arena
- salli443
- Jan 31
- 12 min read
Updated: Mar 4
Forewarned by my landlady that the gardener and janitor would be arriving any minute for the olive harvest in our rental garden, I felt excited to witness the process firsthand. I even asked if I could visit the factory to watch the pressing of the olives, to see it all in action. But I soon realised that I might have been a bit too eager and definitely needed to relax more and embrace the Italian way of life. "Piano, piano" means “softly, softly” or “slowly, slowly”... So, I thought I'd volunteer and take it from there.
The grounds of our home feature a few olive groves, with additional land housing hundreds of olive trees that belong to the same family. This amounts to thousands of litres of exquisitely cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil every year. And I can tell you, it's the best I've ever tasted. It’s no surprise that this family’s cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil came fourth in a competition of nearly 500 local olive growers in Florence this year. It truly is assolutamente squisito! Bottled liquid gold, with a slight green tinge :)
There’s no better way to experience Tuscany at the end of summer than by taking part in this wonderful tradition of olive harvesting, especially with the stunning views of Florence and the sunshine beating down on you.
We were lucky to find this charming Limonaia rental on Idealista, tucked away in the Tuscan hills of Florence, with the cigar-shaped Italian cypress trees and views of silhouetted Medici buildings lined across the horizon. With its olive groves, pomegranate trees, and an old fig tree, it feels like paradise. (I also noticed the prickly pear cactus, which is perfect for making jam!) The downside is that this rental is expensive, and since it's a luxury property, we only intended to stay for three months to get settled before finding somewhere more modest. However, the visa requirements demanded a one-year tenancy, or we couldn’t move here. Additionally, the landlady required a 4x4 contract, but that’s another story for a future blog post. It's all been a learning curve and with some financial risks and quiet suffering involved.
In the meantime, I enjoyed harvesting olives and spent time filling up the green crates I was handed. A surprisingly meditative task, although next time I’ll be wearing my headphones to make it even more enjoyable, and maybe I'll grab a Prosecco now that I'm on friendly terms with my landlady's hired hands.
Before we moved here, we did lots of research on schools and dismissed the International School of Lucca (despite the community being fab), as wasn't too impressed by our visit. It didn't quite have it together as much as the international school of Florence. After our daughter had confirmed that she was happy with this choice, she sat the two hour rigorous entrance exam in 2024, before we secured her a place by paying the enrolment fee and deposit, fully committing to this great school and life in Italy, ie the Dolce Vita ideal.
But with the tenancy and visa not yet sorted, we risked losing thousands of pounds in school fees if it didn't happen. We obviously couldn’t afford to wait another year and didn't want to either, as bills were escalating at the Old Manor House where we lived and the thought of life in Italy was the move we really needed to "feel more alive" - life being too short to feel stuck etc. That said, it seemed near impossible to find a rental in Florence that would accept pets and have a garden space for our 47 year old tortoise.🐢
Our house for sale: https://www.oldmanorhouse.co.uk/
We felt that surely everything would - and still will - work out once we've sold our house in the UK (within six or so months), and that it was a low-risk financial move. Confident about this because our house is stunning, newly renovated and of substantial historical interest in the UK, making it a protected Grade II star listed five bedroom property located in a conservation zone. Surely some buyer will come along soon!
On the bright side, it was an added bonus to have a home in Florence with a garden and to be within walking distance of the majestic medieval city centre. Of course, we know we don’t need something as extravagant as this to live comfortably here. It was always meant to be a temporary solution, with funds coming from the equity of our UK house sale, which is taking far longer than expected, adding some financial stress and ensuring we call on all resources to manage our stay.
However, it's just our luck that our UK house is still on the market 7 months later and we are now funding this dual existence through holiday lettings, which sometimes fall short of the mark, with "life-saving" reprieve literally coming from directly from the Bank of Mum and Dad as they feel reassured that we now have an offer on the property and repayment is imminent. Not afraid to admit it, even at my age, parents can really make the difference when things don't go as planned and we are offering interest on top of the borrowing, to show more gratitude when the house sells in the next few months.
Further, we have recently registered with the popular letting agents at Sykes Cottages This should encourage additional bookings and income. They have accredited us with a 5 tick status on their website – which is a great start and bodes well, along with our current "Superhost" status enjoyed on Airbnb. Time will tell!🤞 We remain positive and have just paid the fee to re-enrol our daughter for the 2025 - 2026 school year, as she is genuinely happier at this school than any other she has attended and her command of Italian is improving at a much quicker pace than ours, nessuna sorpresa, no surprise there.
We gifted a few of these small cans to relatives and friends over Christmas and are drinking resources fast. Hence, we very much look forward to next year's harvest, especially if it's anything like the taste of this year's.
While I was busy picking olives in the lower garden, the gardener, Gabriele, was rather expertly handling the electric harvesting equipment. The trees had been pollarded, removing the upper branches to encourage growth for the next season’s crop. The olives came tumbling down like a heavy hailstorm, and Daisy, our dog, was thrilled – until she got tangled in the netting, hopping around until we managed to free her.
How we found the Lemonary Rental
As for finding and securing this lemonary property rental: After many hours/days searchings and lots of online enquiries to find somewhere that accepted animals, our very brilliant real estate agent, Gemma Trobat, from Dreamer Luxury Real Estate, called me whilst I was at work. After a good chat we confirmed a viewing of the Lemonary property, with one of the owners, and as soon as I had hung up I felt EXCITED about the prospect of escaping the grey weather and dross routine of UK life. Imagining embracing new horizons in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, Italy! Though admittedly, the journey ahead felt daunting, particularly with zero understanding of the language and Italian bureaucracy being quite heavy and challenging to say the least.
Even more so as what we left in the UK was quite a cosy existence but not very riveting, despite our best efforts.
I worked full-time in Bakewell, Derbyshire, as an Estate Administrator for a law firm called Taylor Emmet LLP. My background as a digital designer and programmer in Copenhagen and London led me into the world of law and a qualifying law degree after a messy divorce from my first husband. But, despite the legal career, I wanted to explore new opportunities abroad with my family, as my sons had left home and my daughter was happy living in Derbyshire but had absolutely loved Italy when we visited on holiday. My husband can work from anywhere as he is full-time remote and we knew that a wider support circle in a more international setting would be great for her, but only if not interrupted in her education and social circles, with the next seven years of education being consistent, for achieving the best results possible.
When we began searching for a home, we had no idea what lay ahead, especially with the challenges of Italian bureaucracy as mentioned earlier. It certainly was not easy, but we were 1000% committed as it all felt right, and Gemma's sound advice and support made the whole process far smoother.
That said, the decision to leave my legal career behind was not an easy one. In fact, when the deputy head at the International School of Florence had finished my daughter's interview we had attended in person, she asked me what I would do if not practising law, I confidently replied, “I’ll always find a project.” My first project, as it turns out, was olive harvesting! Who knew? Thankfully, my very smart husband’s ability to work remotely as the Head of Cyber Security for a Scottish company with international clients will gift me time to sort out my working visa.
So, how on earth could I replace this legal ambition if moving to live in Tuscany, because if I turn back time... I was a Trainee Solicitor working under a very learned Senior Solicitor called Tim Barlow, of Buchanan & Co Solicitors Ltd (B&C), Chesterfield. His late father was a UK Judge and Master of the Rolls. Also, a wonderful colleague of mine, Sue Bliss, who is the Senior Conveyancer at B&C, guided me through the veritable minefield of residential conveyancing, though as an understudy, my main remit was commercial clients, with litigation being a favourite – mainly because I have no fear of battle and was born arguing, thanks to my mum who had NPD and BPD!! Cluster B on acid, but I think this is why I am a sensitive empath – from treading carefully as a kid and keeping watch on mum's emotions. She has passed now, of Dementia, which was a sad demise over five years.
But I have a vision for the future! The long-term dream is to open a small stationary shop in Florence, a Cartoleria, selling quality stationery and art supplies, possibly alongside serving cream teas, light bites, and excellent coffee. It’s a different kind of vision than working in law, but it feels right for this more gentle chapter of my life. Whatever happens, there is no room for stress anymore and I think there is a general world awakening to intelligent and more 'human' priorities in life, and how we can co-exist on more meaningful terms, than just working like robots or seeking to have loads of money in the bank and a luxury lifestyle, all whilst the divide between "haves and have fk-alls" gets bigger and the planet suffers as a result. Sorry, got a bit deep there.
For example, Florence is the home of the Renaissance, art, music, theatre, it's rich in culture and there are glitzy galas, masked balls, lush charity events and all types of ostentatious evenings, venues and places to attend. Of course, there are also more down to earth occasions to enjoy here too, from street music to museum days, local traditions and activities you can get involved in to support the local community. All these things do a lot of good when funding new initiatives and bringing a sense of belonging and camaraderie... However, give me a table in the street with a hundred locals, a plateful of local cuisine, music and a healthy glass of fine wine and I'm happier than Larry, or his Italian compatriot, Lorenzo!
For example, I have recently joined Angeli del bello which is a neighbourhood improvement volunteering scheme – which complements the 'ladies who lunch' invites, which tbh aren't really my thing anymore. I have yet to attend my first volunteering session and am grateful for Google translate with most of the correspondence being in Italian.
Meanwhile, we were gifted a couple of bottles of the landlady’s family’s extraordinary cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, simply delicious.
Here it is, inside its beautifully designed box packaging:
I invite you to come help me with the olives next year! I enjoyed helping out and did all my harvesting by hand, though only managed to pick olives off half a tree in all that time. Stefano and Gabriele had efficient electrical equipment, which they held high up in the trees, making the "clackety-clacking" noises and knocking the olives off like a heavy hailstorm on to the big green nets, much to Daisy dog's delight. The advice for olives is that they aren't toxic to dogs, but are high in sodium and fat and your dog can have one or two olives, only once or twice a week.
It's worth mentioning that recently I bought fresh olive oil from a local family-owned Enoteca business in Galluzzo too. A beautiful, traditional shop founded in 1956, which sells all kinds of cooked and uncooked meats, wines, cheeses, jams, bottled homemade produce, fresh herbs and lots of other yummies. From here I worked out that high-quality "Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil" pretty much sells for nothing less than ten euros per half litre, which I think is still cheaper and better than the crap sold on most supermarket shelves.
It's definitely worth the investment in purchasing high grade olive oil, because it is nutritious and we should all have at least two tablespoons a day, apparently. We personally enjoy it with a good helping of Italian balsamic vinegar mixed in – using focacchia (which is 'schiacciata' in Tuscany), ciabatta or other fresh breads to mop and clean the plate with. This process of dragging bread around the plate is called "la scarpetta", meaning "the little shoe". The piece of bread is the little shoe used to soak things up on the plate. The art of cleaning up leftover oil or sauce with bread.
Here is that wonderful family store in Galluzzo, which I recommend if you want to immerse yourself in an Italian store experience and attempt the language like I did. He is very forgiving and an excellent salesman.
Daisy was very giddy on entry into this shop because she could smell the fresh, cooked and cured meats! Luckily for her, within seconds of her being in the store, salivating at ' la carne' the owner kindly handed her a ball of minced meat he had just shaped in his hand from the tub sitting behind the counter. I thanked him and told him in my best Italian that it was a beautiful shop! He talked about its history as his family's business and picked up a big, stylish coffee table book, flicking to a black and white photo of himself as a six year old in the early sixties, sat next to his dad, and in front of the same marble tiled wall backdrop of the shop as the existing one. I loved this cosy exchange and I frikkin love living here.
In fact, the very next day I walked past again and Daisy dog looked at me and licked her lips. Dogs are super smart aren't they? It made me laugh. She is so cheeky and also loves living here! Life is simple, yet full of beauty, and I can’t wait to see what comes next, which hopefully will be a visit to see the freshly picked olives being cold pressed, which is usually within two weeks of harvesting, but not until next year now. Guess I'll have to wait until then and at least I know a few sources of supply, in case you want me to get you some, or we run out.
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