Tertulia Coliving

My recent stay at Tertulia was bad enough that I ended up leaving early, and I wasn’t the only one to do so. I hope this review will provide more insight of what daily life is like there. Having no volunteers dedicated to the upkeep of communal areas, especially the kitchen, led to consistent clutter and filth, with the sink often clogged with 10+ cm of standing water, littered with dirty pots, dishes, and wooden utensils. This wasn’t a one-off event, but an almost daily occurrence. The multiple dogs made peaceful nights a rarity. Despite being in a distant room and using noise-canceling headphones, the barking kept me awake most nights, and the dogs appeared to be quite uncared for, unclean, and unhealthy, which was very disheartening. The house was plagued with bugs, from mosquitoes and flies in common areas, especially the kitchen, to an unsettling number of stink bugs in my bedroom — on my pillows, in my clothes, and even on my bed. My room's window screen, with large holes and gaps, did little to keep them out. I eventually had to keep all of my clothes vacuum sealed all the time, and I'd have to check the blanket, sheets, and pillows for bugs before I could get in. And then there was the decaying mouse in the kitchen (eventually found under one of the refrigerators), which remained for almost half of my stay, and made me wretch and gag every time I was in there. The outdoor area is more dust than grass, leading to a very dusty interior as it blew in. The house had consistent plumbing issues, the kitchen sink was rarely not clogged, showers often led to standing in accumulated water, and the bathroom emitted a persistent sewage odor. Most colivings facilitate community bonding through organized activities but at Tertulia, due to its isolation, options were limited and lacking in diversity. To make up for this, we usually had an excessive amount of shared dinners instead. The essence of coliving is communal sharing, but here, it felt like every minor convenience had a price tag. This constant nickeling and diming detracted from the community spirit I’ve come to expect from a coliving. The absence of a room fan made October nights unbearable, I can't imagine the summer months. The kitchen was ill-equipped, with only a handful of bowls. To top it off, the tap water tasted excessively treated. The one positive I can give the place is that the nightly sunsets are the best, but Tertulia seriously underdelivers on its promise as a coliving space. The owner, while a pleasant person, highly prioritizes his farm and his family (including 3 children who live on the property), leaving colivers to deal with the myriad of problems. If you value cleanliness, comfort, and clarity in costs, you might want to reconsider choosing Tertulia. Updated Response to Tertulia Coliving: On the topic of non-payment, I settled over half of my reservation's initial cost despite my decision to leave early due to the challenges I faced during my stay. I firmly believe in the principle of "you get what you pay for" being a two-way street. The amount I've paid, in my view, was commensurate with the service and conditions I experienced. I've stayed at nine different colivings around the world, each with its unique character and setting. This gives me a broad perspective on what's reasonable to expect, regardless of how rural or urban the location might be, and my issue isn’t with nature but with the management and upkeep of the property. Rural does not necessarily equate to a lack of cleanliness or organization. Though it's stated that problems were rectified swiftly, many issues, like the persistent state of the kitchen and the bug infestation, were ongoing during my stay. I understand that Tertulia is a home, not a hotel, however, when you offer it as a coliving space, certain standards are expected by those paying for the experience. I genuinely hoped for a more fulfilling experience. My intention is not to diminish Tertulia's reputation but to provide an accurate account of my stay to help future colivers make informed decisions.

I came to Tertulia for 2 weeks last summer and ended up staying for over a month. Some of the highlights: - 360 views on lush mountain forest (I really didn’t know it can be so green in Tuscany!) - The hosts are absolutely lovely and make you feel very welcome and comfortable. Ditto for the colivers and for the the ex-colivers that have settled in the area over time. Tertulia really feels like a part of the fabric of local community - Solid internet (which they’ve recently made even better) and lots of space for working including a desk in each room - Kitchen very spacious and super well-equipped, we’ve made all sorts of ambitious cooking projects and found everything we needed - I was without a car and it wasn’t really a problem - there’s always someone going down to town so not hard to hitch a ride - This really feels like a coliving, there’s always something going on, not in a way that feels forced but because people genuinely want to hang out, cook and celebrate together - The property is huge so there’s also plenty of space for quiet alone time - Organic garden where if you are interested you can learn about permaculture - Special s/o for super inexpensive delicious local natural wine in the honesty bar I really loved my time here and cannot recommend it enough! Cannot wait to be back

Wonderful place! Really great hosts that integrate the coliving life into the typical Italian and Tuscan country side life. I had some heart warming experience while staying in Tertulia for a month. I still miss the place and I'll go back for sure. Wine, fire, fruits, forest, peace and meaningful encounters. Everything I was looking for at the moment I found in and around this place❤️

I’ve been meaning to write this review for some time, and I hope my points will be taken as something Tertulia can improve rather than as a hit. It has lots of potential as a coliving, but it just isn’t living up to it and I want potential colivers to have a honest reflection of the current situation. My boyfriend and I stayed there in July 2023 and when we booked it based on instagram, photos and reviews, it looked communal, organic and a great coliving to base ourselves for July. I’ll start with the good: 1. It has the best sunsets. I really enjoyed spending my time outside, even in the hot July summer. 2. The owner is kind and has a good heart. 3. Wifi is good. My concerns were: 1. Lack of interested volunteers: good volunteers or hosts is key to a good community, and this is definitely something Tertulia lacked. Just before Tertulia, we stayed at an amazing coliving in Bulgaria, and after a few weeks in Tertulia, we definitely missed the community feel. Yes, in Tertulia there is a weekly meeting where activities for the week are discussed, but I felt that most of the events spoken about never came to fruition, and I think that is mainly due to a lack of dedicated volunteers. 2. Cleanliness: The cleaner who came twice weekly did her best to clean the communal areas, but it’s hard to clean a place that is already worn and dirty. Our room felt stuffy, and the window cover had holes letting in bugs and lots of mosquitos. The kitchen wasn’t a great place to cook and felt consistently dirty (due to clutter, dirty dishes, mouldy food, etc). 3. No good coworking spaces: There was a small room with a table and a few random chairs inside and some outside tables to work from, but there were no official coworking spots with office chairs and desks. Because of this, neither of us felt productive in Tertulia. 4. Lack of organisation: even at the end of our one-month stay, we felt that we still had no idea what there was to do in the area (best hikes, swimming spots, and places to visit). It’s something that could be set up in a Word doc, but because of lack of organisation, it means guests aren’t getting the most out of their time there. 5. Remoteness: We had no idea how truly remote Tertulia was until we arrived. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing if you rent a car.

I have had the most amazing experience staying at Tertulia! Apart from the quiet secluded location the amazing views from my window all the way to Vicchio village in the distance. The Tuscan mountains ever changing light and colours show me why so many grate artists have been inspired by this amazing landscape. This combined with warm hospitality with an emphasis on living harmoniously in nature with real organic foods grown on the property and produced in the local area, I left feeling healed and recharged.