“The pandemic was, of course, unexpected, however in a certain way it has added value to guests staying at our villa,” Venturi told me, during a recent visit to the hotel.

“Villa La Massa offers natural social distancing within its estate, gardens and [other] external spaces, while distancing is also guaranteed in our restaurants, Il Verrocchio and L’Oliveto Bistro, and also by the pool.”

Venturi said these selling points, which are all the more valuable now clients are seeking safer ways to travel, mean “our guests feel extremely comfortable in this kind of environment.”

L’Oliveto Bistro is a new addition to Villa La Massa, transformed this summer from the on-site hayloft into a place where guests can dine beside the pool at lunchtimes.

The pool is new for 2020 too, having been relocated and upsized on the villa grounds earlier this year in order to provide guests with more privacy.

Two of the five buildings on the Villa La Massa site – La Limonaia and Villa Hombert – have also been recently refurbished.

While Villa La Massa’s room occupancy rate this month is just 30%, a 40% decrease on September last year, Venturi explained this is “a much lower drop in comparison to [our competitor] city-centre Florence properties”.

“September is always a good month to visit the villa as temperatures drop and the days are still long enough to enjoy beautiful evenings and sunsets,” he added.

Villa La Massa is just a 20-minute drive from the centre of Florence, so guests can explore both rural Tuscany and take one of Italy’s most popular city breaks in one trip.