Our Farm
Boggioli is situated at an altitude of 460 metres above sea level, at the end of a dirt road that winds through chestnut woods and olive groves. I bought the farm in 1975 and have gradually increased the size up to the current area of about 42 hectares (c. 100 acres). A little less than 4 hectares of land are planted with 1,100 olive trees.
History
Boggioli is the name of a small locality, smaller even than a hamlet, about 3.5 km beyond Montegonzi and lies on a ridge overlooking the valley of the Arno.
The earliest records of habitation go back to the 12th century CE, although it may date from Roman times. It is difficult, though, if not impossible, to say with any degree of certainty whether any parts of the structures date from that far back; what is certain is that it has been almost continuously inhabited and, like most Tuscan hill farms, was virtually self sufficient.
The next project was to see how we could heat the house and hot water by using renewable resources.. We already used wood from our property for a cast-iron Vermont wood-burning stove that keeps us warm 24 hours a day during the coldest parts of the winter, so we looked at wood- and pellet-burning boilers for central heating and hot water to replace our old LPG-based (and very expensive) system. Eventually we decided on a system fueled by pellets, and this became operational in 2013. We are pleased with the final results and decided to go one step further in 2015 by installing solar panels on the roof of the main house, so all our hot water in the summer is now heated by the sun.