One family, eight houses
We began with a ruin and a promise to fix the roof. Fifteen years later we still answer the phone ourselves.
Casalta started in 2009, when Livia Rossetti bought a farmhouse with no roof and a fig tree growing through the kitchen. Her brother Marco, a stonemason, said it could be saved. It took three summers and a great many favours, and when it was finished they decided to do it again with the next ruin, and the next.
Today there are eight houses and four of us. Marco still leads every restoration. Matteo cooks, and sources the oil, bread and lamb that fill your fridge on the first day. Sofia, Livia's daughter, keeps the calendar and meets guests at the village houses. Livia answers the email she says she is going to stop answering.
We are small on purpose. Every house is within twenty minutes of the next, which means one of us can reach any guest in the time it takes to put on shoes.
The people
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Livia Rossetti
Founder and host, since 2009
Livia bought the ruin that became Podere Alloro in 2009 and has not stopped since. She answers the emails and welcomes guests at Ginestra.
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Marco Rossetti
Restoration and maintenance, since 2009
A stonemason by training, Marco leads the restorations and knows every roof tile in the collection by its leak.
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Matteo Ferrante
Chef and food, since 2014
Matteo cooks the dinners, runs the grocery deliveries and has strong views on tomatoes.
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Sofia Rossetti
Guest welcome and bookings, since 2018
Sofia manages the calendar, greets guests at Casa del Fico and Pietrafonte, and keeps the whole operation organised.
How we look after houses
Restore, do not replace
Original stone, tile and beams stay wherever they can. New work is plain and honest about being new.
Plant, do not pave
Gardens are olive, rosemary and lavender. Pools are sized for people, not for photographs.
Know your neighbours
We buy bread, oil and wine locally, hire from the village, and keep guests away from private lanes.
Fifteen years, briefly
- 2009
Livia buys a roofless farmhouse near Collebruno for the price of a small car. It is Podere Alloro today.
- 2012
First guests, five weeks in the summer, no pool. Marco builds the pool the following winter.
- 2014
Il Frantoio, the old mill, is converted after a two-year argument with the building inspector.
- 2018
Sofia joins to run bookings; the calendar moves from a paper diary to a screen.
- 2020
Torre Colombaia, the dovecote tower, becomes the smallest house in the collection.
- 2023
Villa Rosmarino is rebuilt from a ruined barn and opens as the eighth and newest house.
Come and see for yourself
Or call us on +1 555-0176. We answer between 8:00 and 20:00.