Tertulia near Florence
in Italy 🇮🇹 tertulia.farm 
✉️
since 2020, offering:
Reviews we don't rate spaces—please interpret other's opinions per your own values
Tertulia is the perfect place for remote workers who love the countryside and nature and want to live in community ♥️🌱 In tertulia I met incredible people from different countries, with whom we organized activities every week: shared meals, trekking circuits, meditations, workout, yoga, etc.. The place has the best panoramic views and the best sunsets. The hosts are always very friendly and take care of your needs. Super respectful with the environment and very open minded. They are the best creating a very good atmosphere for the community!
I stayed in Tertulia for 6 amazing weeks.
I just read the bad reviews and I am appalled. I can get that an old farm isn't everyone's ideal setting, but what is described is oh SO far from my experience, which was SO AMAZING! But the one that really makes me absolutely furious is the one star review from a guy who didn't even come to Tertullia in the first place. He just concludes that it's bad based on reading reviews and hearing comments... How dare you leave a bad review of a place you didn't even visit????
So, since people giving bad reviews seemed to be all about giving future co-living a fair view, here is my fair view based on their comments. Because damn, if I had read those reviews and decided not to come because of it, what an amazing slice of my life I would have missed!!
So:
It's an old looking place, where not everything is perfect : yes, absolutely. It's also a place with the most amazing gigantic fireplace in the kitchen, making you live moments of ancient time few people ever get to experience nowadays. The yoga/event room is not only beautifully ancient yet practical, it also has an incredible long form stove that takes a few hours to heat, and that transforms a bench made of clay into a "sauna bench". I experienced some of the most magical moments of my year in that barn, following workshops lead by a friend of the co-living space.
Making a very old building thrive is honestly darn difficult, and Francesco is doing all he can and is doing a great job in my opinion.
I did not experience any bad odor or bad plumbing, or anything of the kind during my stay. One time the handle of my otherwise perfectly working shower broke, and Francesco went and bought a replacement and fixed it in a couple of hours. Yes, this place is remote, but so most of the other co-livings I have been to, and there was always enough cars around to organise shopping. I never had to pay for transportation.
Yes, there wasn't a volunteer. All the 4 other co-livings I have been to were functioning with different settings, and this is just another different setting. Francesco gave us ideas of things to do every time we asked, it really wasn't hard to get the info.
I had zero problems of dirty water in the sink for the 6 weeks I was there. I was just surrounded with great people. Maybe previous co-livers were unlucky with their group. It only takes one bad player to turn everything to hell sometimes... But please don't blame it on the owner! Because some co-livings are so thoroughly organise doesn't mean we should all turn into children who can't think and get organised by ourself! Co-livings are not nurseries!
You also should remind yourself that most co-living owners have another job on the side. Because having a co-living isn't the most lucrative thing in the world to do. Francesco also happens to be a farmer: one of the most demanding of jobs in terms of time there ever was, and also one of the least paid job. If you're in Europe as I write this, you must have heard of the crisis surrounding the survival of farmers. You know how tough it is for them. So to say that all Francesco cares about is collecting the money, after all he does for almost nothing! That is such a huge misunderstanding of the truth. The truth is: it is really darn hard to make ends meet having to take care of a farm and a co-living, and Francesco is giving it all he has, because he loves it. He loves the sense of community, and having a purpose, and believing that what he does makes the world a better place.
He is an extremely kind hearted man, and him, his family and the place easily deserve the 5 stars I can give them. I loved the other co-living I went to. But this was my best experience, for all the uniqueness it could bring, and it will be the first co-living I will go back to, if I decide to go somewhere a second time.
Oh, and did I mention the most amazing landscape and sunsets ever?...
Actually I considered not to post a review because I want to be sure that there will be a spot for me when I want to return next autumn! But this is a place that needs to be shared.
Francesco and Georgia have an amazing place and I am happy that they want to share it. They are building on their mission to create a community around Tertulia and it works.! I felt part of a community, I made new friends and it feels like a place where I can always come back. I hope to see you there!
The only regret I have about my time in Tertulia is that I could not stay longer than a few days. I really need to come back. Still, I try to figure out what makes this place so special? Sure, it is an amazing landscape with stunning sunsets over Mugello valley. The morning fog between the old chestnut trees. The hidden paths in the surrounding forests, adventurous to find the way home in these times of abundant water. But even more I guess it is about the people that give the place its soul. Francesco and Giorgia seem to have a rare gift: to make people feel welcome and connected, without pushing them to anything. Being yourself and sharing with others is possible in this place. Potentials unfold. There is some kind of magic at work here. After staying in Tertulia for some months, several beautiful individuals had decided to change the course of their lives and moved into the vicinity! What a magnetism. Life is slower. Healthier. More human in a way.
I need to come back.
I stayed for a month last year and had such a great time at this coliving. I've now stayed at another coliving so have something to compare it to, and this one is vastly superior in fostering a sense of community. Francesco and Giorgia were very welcoming without being overbearing and there's a weekly meeting where new arrivals introduce themselves and people discuss things to do during the week. Yes, a lot of it is 'low-key' activities and shared dinners and walks, but that is exactly what I was looking for. The location is beautiful and peaceful. It is probably a bit too remote for my liking, but that's just a question of personal preference.
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