Pogi! One of those places that we had never heard of but the AirBnB looked cool so we thought we'd give it a go. Turns out this was my favourite place in all of Europe and I often think about going back here.
We found this little 'glamping' hut on AirBnB and were immediately sold. Pogi is nestled into the Tuscan countryside and just a stones throw from Florence (where we would need to return the car). We wanted to drive through the Tuscan countryside and explore the wineries while we were here, as well as a short trip into Florence for a pasta and gnocchi making class.
Yet neither of those two things is what made Pogi so special.
Out here there is only the sound of the trees swaying in the breeze and the occasional bird flittering by. There is an outdoor camp kitchen, an indoor communal kitchen, and shared toilet and shower block. When we drove in I parked our monster truck hire car on the left and walked to find the camp host. He explained to us that the farm next door has chickens, and that we should check the communal kitchen in the morning for fresh eggs in the wicker basket. He also encouraged us to write down our bakery order and leave it on the table in the camp kitchen, so that the following morning we could have fresh bread or croissants or whatever we fancied.
It was so peaceful out here I got a few blog posts edited and written, ate 'Panetone' for the first time (sweet fruit bread that is soaked in liqueur. The Italians will cut a slice and toast it in a frypan for breakfast, and so this is what we did). We made omelettes with the fresh eggs and ordered a baguette from the kitchen-note-bakery. In the morning we woke to sparkling spiderwebs in the forest all around us, and a thick fog that made it feel like we had woken in fairyland.
Driving the Jeep down the tiny country roads was an experience. There was one moment that we were caught in a standstill behind a row of Fiats because there was a truck coming in the other direction. The road was too narrow and winding to allow two way traffic, so everyone heading North needed to pull over to allow the truck to pass. Given the narrowness of the road I assumed that cars would drive a little slower and take care around the bends, but the little Fiats whipped in and out of each bend like professional rally drivers. Driving in Italy is insane! Though I can't deny that they know how to drive, and the road rules/manners are impeccable: flash your lights if you want the person in front of you to change to the slower lane, stay close to the centre line so that both vehicles have plenty of room on the outside edge of the road (especially if it's a cliff).
The pasta class in Florence was amazing and I learned how to make fresh Tagliatelle, Tortellini, and Gnocchi. The recipes for each of these are below the gallery images.
Feeling refreshed and inspired, see you all in Florence!
Tate x
