Tuscany: Stunning Villa Lena is where you hang out with artists poolside
PICTURE THE SCENE… In Tuscany, my bathroom window looks out onto what appears to be a cartoon approximation of a magical kingdom. Hillsides fold towards a horizon seemingly so far away it cannot be properly seen. The light splashes differently onto each copse of trees, tightly gathered like fistfuls of hair. The culmination of the colour and light is the fantastic Fanta Orange sunset. Tuscany’s absolutely gorgeous, isn’t it? Basically a much warmer version of Surrey with more olive trees and hills, it is verdant like our green and pleasant land but more sun-bleached.
Villa Lena is one of the most stunning properties in the region, with orchards, good food and wine and the titular 18th century villa. The Villa itself is an intriguing composition of majestic and totally creepy, its sun-blushed orange frontage hiding the sobering reality there’s no heating, meaning it’s unoccupied for half the year. There’s a cool perk: an artists’ residency programme means guests live alongside artists. Six creatives move into the Villa at a time, occupying the Artists’ Studios behind the property for one month stints. Artists run workshops for guests such as floral masterclasses, clay making and painting.
Turns out I’m not so bad at flowering arranging, as you’ll see from the picture below. We sat for an hour in the main Villa, pretty much in silence, making our bouquets. It really shouldn’t come as breaking news that flower arranging is peaceful, but sometimes you just need to be in the right environment to allow yourself to fully relax and experience something new.
Tuscany is punctuated by these rectangular and stately villas, like Monopoly hotels, standing in opposition to the endless greenery. Villa Lena sits at the tip of a piece of land that’s the highest in the region, with spectacular wrap-around views. Standing by the edge of the pool and looking out for miles, you’re in danger of getting a serious God complex.
THE ARTISTS
At the pool, three sunbathers arrived individually and laid out their towels. They were independent of one another, but were swimming together when I backstroked over for a chat. From Canada and the United States, these were the artists, each here for something different: one to finish a piece of longform fiction, another to make pottery and another to take photographs. We bopped around in the still chilly water (it was early summer) and caught up later in the restaurant. At Villa Lena, the real attraction is the connections. The artists’ residency means financiers and artists who may in ordinary life never meet are bound by their surroundings. You can make as much or as little of the connections as you like, but the intimate Villa is designed to allow spontaneous meetings easy. In a place this pristine and silent, there is plenty of time and inspiration for conversation.
After the art classes, guests might sink back into a sun lounger, focus on the horizon and never speak to the artists again, having their own private holiday. Or they may end up drinking local and organic Sangiovese by the bucket load then following one another on Instagram. Artists leave a ‘trace’ of their work behind so all bedrooms and public spaces are littered with original pieces. Next up is My Queer Blackness, My Black Queerness, a month-long series in July. This Pride Month, why not book a stay to learn more about LGBTQ identities?
AROUND THE GROUNDS AND WHAT TO BOOK
Book one of the spacious rooms at the top of the old horse’s stables that have been converted. From my bath, big enough for two, I could see the room’s original artworks in one direction and a view of the horizon in the other.
There is an all-day restaurant, San Michelle, with straightforward Italian classics made in a way you’d never be able to recreate back home. A cacio e pepe was supremely rich; the wild boar main a memorable reminder that the Villa uses local, sustainable meat as often as possible. I often ate by the pool, a minute’s walk from the restaurant, as staff were happy to serve me there instead and it made a post-swim dip that much easier. Here in Tuscany, choosing where to eat lunch is about as tough as the decisions get.
Go to Villa Lena yourself
Rooms start from £334 per night with breakfast included; villa-lena.org
You can view the Villa Lena workshops and experiences through the Villa Lena Foundation’s website here
My Queer Blackness, My Black Queerness runs from 3 – 28 July 2023. For more information and to stay during this period, book online or email [email protected]