The House on the Bridge - Storytime
JESSICA, TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF!
I come from a small island in Tuscany, from theisland of Elba, but from a very young age, it was evident that my desire for nomadism and to get away from the rock was prevalent, and so very young, around the age of 18/20, I decided to embark on tourism, which was then also my first working love . I worked 20 years in this industry.
I landed in Egypt, where I stayed for eight years, and held a variety of positions between the villages and offices in Cairo. It was awonderful experience, both on a work level and on a personal level, and very formative.
Then I decided to move to Zanzibar, and a few years later I decided to return to Piacenza, where my mother lives. But the eagerness and desire to travel was still very strong. And so I did an experience in America with a food/events company in Chicago for four years and then a few months in Los Angeles.
They were also very different experiences because of the cultures, but although they were wonderful experiences at some point I said, no! now I want peace of mind and a somewhat more “radical” life, although I don’t really belong to that word, but if nothing else I want to resign.
when was the idea of bed and breakfast in the province of piacenza born?
It comes from seeing this house in the Trebbia Valley, precisely.
Val Trebbia is a valley located in the province of Piacenza, very close to the city in Emilia and also very close to Liguria. Ernest Hemingway called it the most beautiful valley in the world. It was just looking at this house that was meant to be simply that, a country house or at any rate a house to go to on the weekend, that I immediately saw the potential.
The house is located right on the Trebbia River, which is a swimming river. I really fell in love with this place and I immediately saw the possibility, the opportunity and the potential, obviously of the place.
How is the b&b structured?
It is structured on 3 floors, 5 rooms and sleeps 6. It is an early 20th-century stone house, so the renovation work that was done was more to preserve what the structure already had that was very nice, going to combine a little bit of what is our taste and a touch of modernity with a 1,000-square-meteroutdoor area. In short, a beautiful garden, plenty of spots where you can relax, and direct access to the beach. Because, as I said before, the Trebbia River is a swimmable river.
In fact, one of the reasons why people come to the Trebbia Valley in summer is precisely because of the swimmable river. As well as the proximity to the city of Piacenza, Liguria. There are, then, other distinctive features of the place such asfood and wine (for me the most important because Emilia is a land really very rich in food and wine: we are working to grow food and wine tourism in our area) andhiking (via river, so through with kayaking, trekking, horseback riding) which is the most naturalistic part.
What philosophy do you adopt in welcoming your guests?
Ibelieve that it is the people who make the places, so this is my philosophy. The first reason is because having been to so many places in the world myself, I strongly believe that hospitality is about making people feel right cultured in the sense of the little touches, attention, but also with conversations. I like to listen to stories, but also to tell them. So, my philosophy is just that.
What were the main difficulties in arriving at today's structure?
Then the work took a long time partly because of the historical period we are in since it is really hard to get materials resulting in higher prices. So, they were very difficult years to be able to get to where we are today.
And the challenge then the most important one, which is then the one on which I wish to work together with the rest of the Trebbia Valley community, is to make us known outside of the Trebbia Valley, and to date we are known mostly by the neighboring regions. The big challenge, though, is to do communication and reach out as well.
What other marketing strategies do you use on platforms?
In terms of communication I use, of course, the Facebook and Instagram platforms and I’m also trying to make myself known by word of mouth, which I think in any case is still very important, it’s perhaps, indeed that, the thing that works best still and fortunately it does.
What are the future plans?
I have big plans but as I said before the big challenge is to make ourselves known outside our territory and, so in the future, I would like to see La Casa sul Ponte, somewhat as a reference point in the Trebbia Valley of many activities, both for those who come just for hiking, so both for the tourist who wants to relax and wants to experience the Trebbia Valley through experiences, but also for those who choose smart working.
so, would you like to target the digital "nomads"" who are increasingly on the rise?
Of course, more and more activities can be done in smart working, and The House on the Bridge can be a great base for working well.
Jessica thank you for being in our company. Do you want to give greetings or thanks?
Of course, thank you for this opportunity.
