Le Molina B&B is housed in a typical Tuscan stone farmhouse, with white windows and mint green doors. All around the poetic atmosphere of an olive grove. Inside you can find collections of antiques, which recall a sunny summer in Provence. And it is here, in Le Molina district in Massa and Cozzile, that Barbara organizes cooking classes (she is an excellent cook) and photography courses with Sara Stefanini of Mes Objets de Charme (super her works made with iron wire).

“It all started as a game. For a long time my husband and I were looking for our dream home, and then we found this farmhouse immersed in a fabulous olive grove. For us it was too big, so we decided to rent two rooms. Today the B & B Le Molina also includes a third bedroom, created in the old barn” says Barbara.

A genuine space, with a Provençal touch, through which Barbara wants to transmit her greatest passions: the brocante, Provence and good food. Many items are recovered, some of the furniture are treated and repainted by her in shades of serenity: “The bed and breakfast Le Molina, as long as markedly brocante, does not have a precise style. The furnishings and objects in the breakfast room and in the rooms are purchases made over the years in my wanderings for markets. Late nineteenth-century French porcelain is flanked by industrial furniture, like the breakfast room counter that was originally used in a factory in Northern Italy.“

Where the inspiration for the furnishings comes from? “Pinterest and Instagram are continuous sources of inspiration … I would spend hours! Inspiration is looking at photos, moving furniture or painting a wall. I try, I make daring combinations (like the black walls of the Fienile room bathroom) until I’m sure it will work!"

And the passion for vintage? "When I was a child, I often went to play with my cousin and invariably my aunt always found me in the attic amid old stuffs, games and books. I can say that I have always loved old things. The first date with my husband was in a flea market ... "

The furnishings Barbara could not do without:

1. The bed where I sleep in our room, it was my grandparents bed, when I was a child I often went to sleep with them and that seemed so big. I could never separate myself, the emotional bond is too big.
2. The pharmacy furniture we have at the entrance of our house. My husband and I saw it by chance on a Sunday afternoon while coming back from the sea … and we felt in love. The previous owners had dyed it with various layers of color, it was difficult to fix it, but today it is beautiful with all its drawers and its original ceramic plates from the late 1800s.
3. The French dishes in Terre de Fer. I have more than 100 excluding cake stands and soup bowls… They are all perfect and I use them only on special occasions or to make a guest feel special.

Antique markets in Tuscany: what are Barbara's suggestions? “Tuscany is full of markets, every Sunday you could go around following the markets! The most beautiful is in Lucca (although a bit ‘tourist), where it takes place in the historic center every 3rd weekend. Along with the second-hand dealers there are real traders, then very beautiful objects and therefore also expensive. The 4th weekend of the month there is the market of Bientina, a market almost purely dedicated to junkyards , often there are beautiful objects at a good price."

A highlight of B&B Le Molina is breakfast … “I started experimenting and trying every kind of croissant and pan brioche, cakes and pies recipe. I liked to prepare a nice table even if we were just my husband and me. I still have this passion, and now I like to pamper my guests with different desserts every day. I prefer single portions and I use special molds, to avoid waste and propose fresh and different sweets every day. The jams are strictly organic, homemade with seasonal fruit and without add any additives."

“Cooking is my kingdom! When we saw the house for the first time I immediately imagined my kitchen, and I imagined it as it is now. A perfect mix between the clean style typical of Ikea, industrial handouts and brocante objects ” (Lovely the mega marble worktop and industrial style lamps purchased in a French market and in Bientina).

At the B & B Le Molina you can taste light dinner (a cutting board full of typical Tuscan products accompanied by a freshly baked focaccia) or attend cooking classes: “I organize for my guests cooking classes. Explaining the various types of flour, the rising times, and then finally enjoy together a nice plate of homemade pasta or a pizza. Foreigners are crazy about it!”

Where to eat in the neighborhood? In Montecatini Terme the atmosphere of the Osteria di Poneta is very nice. And then a tour in Montecarlo, a small village perched in the hills. Here you could have a quick lunch at Piccola Enoteca.

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