In this piece, I share the quiet poetry of Villa Olivia as it wakes to a new season — the soft light, the voices, the scents, and the small gestures that make hospitality a true presence.

Every new season begins with expectations… and a thousand questions.

The one that echoes the most within me is about myself:
will I be able to carry out this task — to welcome guests into my large yellow house with its white balconies?

A house that offers those who seek it a “refuge” from the everyday.
Where the morning birdsong, the cicadas’ chirping in the warmest hours, and the soft rolling of trolley wheels along the path signal the beginning of a meeting.

—

There is a ritual that repeats itself every time:

mine, towards those who arrive — with the desire to make them feel welcomed and listened to —and theirs, often tired from a long or complicated journey, finally drawing near.
Two worlds brush against each other, recognise one another.

Sometimes, only a few gestures are enough: a key handed over discreetly a fleeting smile, a vase of flowers placed on the table.

It is in these small details that hospitality truly begins.
Not in perfection, but in presence.

—

In the months leading up to the tourist season, the house also prepares itself.
It is as if it were waking from a long quiet, from a well-deserved rest,
as if a veil that dulled it were finally being lifted.
The façade regains its colour — a beautiful yellow — and the balconies turn white again.
The lawns are mowed, new flowers are planted in the beds and along the borders.
And when the guests unpack their bags, beach towels in bright colours
begin to sway once more in the breeze.
The house breathes again!

—

You hear words in different languages,
in the evening the solar lights under the terraces glow… atmosphere is created.

And then comes the moon.

And then the stars.

The scent of mint and rosemary drifts through the air.

—

At the end of the holiday, whether long or short, there are goodbyes —
ometimes tinged with regret — and the promise to return.
Because every arrival is also a small new beginning for me.

And that is what keeps me here, year after year.