About
Our story
A FAMILY ADVENTURE
My first family holiday in 2005 took us from Great Barrier Island, New Zealand, to the insatiable Italy. For my parents Geoff and Jenny, it was an experience like no other and in 2006 our Tuscan adventures started with the online purchase of a house in Motrone, Toscana.
John Seymour ‘s bible on self sufficiency defines most of my childhood on New Zealand’s fourth largest island. So it wasn’t a surprise when soon my parents started booking their flights to time their summer ‘start’ to when they needed to sow their tomato seeds. Soon their retirement took on new roots, following the sun from New Zealand, Israel and Italy.
In 2014 I packed my bags and made the gut wrenching decision to leave New Zealand; London bound. With a career in software engineering, I was fortunate to get a job in an awesome company, discovered just how expensive London rent is, and started donating my money to RyanAir and EasyJet in return for frequent Italian visits.
It was at this time that Geoff and Jenny had an offer to buy more land in the village. Previously, they were showcasing their skills on borrowed land. Now they has an enviable opportunity to acquire a vineyard, olive plantations, overgrown ancient land, and approximately a lifetime of work to restore it all to its bountiful glory.
No words can describe how in awe I am of Geoff and Jenny, proudly my parents, and how through the guidance of locals and their own sheer tenacity, transformed bramble into a thriving self sufficient farm. They are now artisans; from the vino rosso to the pecorino cheese, to the tomato passata and the ground corn polenta. Add to this 5 different types of livestock that love their lives on the farm - it’s safe to say not many chickens wake up to a winters hot breakfast in bed.
Come 2016 I found myself with a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy a 900 year old stand alone house in Motrone with a pipe dream of restoring their unity and sharing the result with friends and family new and old - truly my own slice of Tuscany. Nearly 3 years of renovations, hundreds of bruises and many broken Italian conversations with local contractors later, Vista del Motrone is excited to start a new chapter creating new memories with its guests.
Today we welcome guests into three homes in the village; each unique and equally enticing, so everyone can enjoy their own slice of Italy.
- Esther, Geoff and Jenny