Just a half hour drive from the centre of Florence, La Casermetta is hidden on a hill 3 kilometres of winding, partially dirt road above the village of San Polo in Chianti. San Polo is in the shire of Greve in Chianti, the acknowledged centre of wine production in the region. It is just 10 kilometres from Grassina off the famous Chiantigiana which links Florence and Siena.

La Casermetta is tucked well away from the autostrada and other busy roads. You cannot see, hear or even imagine a main road at La Casermetta. Nevertheless the autostrada entrances both south and north, as well as the superstrada to Siena, can all be easily reached in less than half an hour’s drive.

Although not strictly a tourist town, San Polo in Chianti is one of the few remaining villages in Tuscany which still pursue the ancient tradition of iris farming. If you’re lucky enough to be there in the spring the slopes around the village will be dotted with fields of blue.

At the end of flowering the bulbs are harvested and carefully divided. One half is returned to the earth while the other is trimmed and sun-dried for the French perfume industry. Each year there are a few less fields as the old contadini retire but an iris festival held each May helps keep this charming tradition alive.

A few intrepid tourists also seek out a little jewel known as La Pieve di San Miniato a Rubbiana in San Polo – the tiny, ancient church (consecrated in 1077) which you pass on the road to La Casermetta.