fritschi

TODAY 21 SEP 2026

On the courts.

09:00 Mr. Bianchi vs. his machine.
14:00 Mrs. Tognazzi vs. Marco. (She will win.)
17:30 Doubles. Names withheld.

The Court Pavilion

21 SEP 2026 20:15

The Tognazzis returned from the coast, saw the green door open, and assumed something was wrong. Something was. We are, for the moment, a shop.

The House

20 SEP 2026 11:00

The English couple, who came for an afternoon in June, have ordered two. This is either a compliment or a lease.

The Groundsman

19 SEP 2026 17:00

I have been asked to stop opening the boxes before they leave, 'to check the numbers.' I have checked the numbers. The numbers are fine. I will check them again tomorrow.

Marco

19 SEP 2026 08:45

A message arrived overnight, in English, asking whether the foxes are real. We have replied that they are embroidered, that there are fifty-seven, and that she is very much real.

The House

18 SEP 2026 19:30

A bottle was opened for the first order, and another for the tenth, on the grounds that the first had gone rather quickly. No further grounds were required.

The Cellar

18 SEP 2026 10:00

The first boxes went down the drive this morning in the back of Marco's car. He drove slowly, again. The postman has been told to expect competition.

The Atelier

17 SEP 2026 14:00

Mr. Bianchi folds every polo before it leaves, though the atelier had already folded it. Both foldings are, we are told, correct. Only one of them is his.

The House

17 SEP 2026 09:15

The espresso machine, sensing occasion, has worked flawlessly since Tuesday. We do not trust it. We are enjoying it anyway.

The Kitchen

17 SEP 2026 07:30

The court was watered at 5:50. Nobody came. It was, for one morning, entirely mine.

The Groundsman

16 SEP 2026 20:00

The pecorino was opened after all, in the long room, once the last box stood empty. The customs officer was not invited.

The Cellar

16 SEP 2026 18:30

Number one has been spoken for. Marco was in the room when it happened and has not been seen since. The intern is checking the cellar.

The Atelier

16 SEP 2026 17:04

Open. The first order arrived at 17:01, from a name none of us know, in a country none of us expected. Marco has taken it personally.

The House

16 SEP 2026 15:00

The door opens at five. Mr. Bianchi has polished it twice and the handle three times. He has been told the guests will not look at the handle. He has polished it again.

The House

14 SEP 2026 18:00

They begin to leave us this week, one number at a time. The green door will be unlocked in the morning and locked again by evening, as is proper.

The House

12 SEP 2026 11:00

The courts are cut short now for the end of the season. Whoever wears the first of these will find the ball sits differently. That is the fault of the grass, not the shirt.

The Groundsman

11 SEP 2026 15:00

Every piece checked against its number, then checked again by the intern, who has devised a system he declines to explain to anyone.

The Atelier

10 SEP 2026 10:00

Unpacked in the long room, on the same table where the film was cut. The numbers survived the journey. Two of the boxes did not.

The Atelier

09 SEP 2026 19:00

Arrived. I drove slowly. The boxes are heavier than the tailor implied, and the last mile to the house is not a road.

Marco

08 SEP 2026 08:00

Released. Forty-one kilometres of Italy remain between the boxes and the green door. Marco has volunteered to drive them, which no one asked him to do.

The House

06 SEP 2026 12:00

The pecorino has come back to us unopened. It has gone down to the cellar, where it will keep, and where it will wait.

The Kitchen

05 SEP 2026 09:30

A form was missing. It has been found, signed, and photographed three times — once by Marco, who does not trust the machine.

The House

04 SEP 2026 09:00

The boxes are at the border. The customs officer has been offered pecorino. He has declined it, for now.

The House

02 AUG 2026 18:00

Three pieces: numbered, pressed, photographed, filmed, and at last finished with us. They leave the office next week. For once, the green door will be left unlocked.

The Atelier

01 AUG 2026 10:00

This week the racing green, the bordeaux, and the court short go up for the first time. The house becomes, briefly and reluctantly, a shop. It does not suit us. The tailor, however, must eat.

The House

30 JUL 2026 20:00

The film will be shown once, in the long room, to an audience we have chosen not to announce. Volume IV of Trees of Tuscany will play no part.

The Librarian

29 JUL 2026 11:30

The woven numbers are legible in the final cut. The intern who wove them has requested a credit. Denied — kindly, and with pecorino.

The Atelier

28 JUL 2026 15:00

Mr. Fritschi returned mid-edit, watched perhaps thirty seconds, pronounced it 'too much tennis,' and withdrew — leaving, by way of apology, a wheel of pecorino.

The House

27 JUL 2026 21:00

Two bottles were opened: one for the finished film, one for Marco's opinion of it. The second was, by some distance, the larger.

The Cellar

26 JUL 2026 19:00

Filming has wrapped. Marco is under the impression the film concerns Marco. It concerns a polo. We have, again, not corrected him.

Marco

25 JUL 2026 17:30

A swallow crossed the loggia mid-take and declined to leave the shot. The photographer has kept it in. The swallow has not been credited, nor paid.

The Groundsman

24 JUL 2026 12:00

The crest reads on film after all. The mother-of-pearl catches the light once per take, which the photographer insists was always the intention. We have chosen to believe him.

The Atelier

23 JUL 2026 10:00

Samuel declined to appear on camera and has since appeared in every frame — background, plain white shirt, visibly disapproving. The photographer calls it texture. Samuel calls it principle.

The House

22 JUL 2026 13:30

Filming ran clean through lunch. Mr. Bianchi's espresso was, for the first time this summer, served at six thirty exactly. The camera was watching.

The Kitchen

22 JUL 2026 11:00

Filming began this morning. The bordeaux polo on Marco; the racing green on the English gentleman who turned out to be exactly the right size; the court short on no one who will admit to it.

The Atelier

21 JUL 2026 07:00

Centre Court has been groomed for the camera. Mr. Pavese reports the slope has migrated again; it will appear in the film regardless — uphill and unrepentant.

The Groundsman

20 JUL 2026 09:30

The photographer returns from Milan on Tuesday, this time with a cine camera. A film, then, and not photographs. Marco has been informed. Marco has informed everyone else.

The House

19 JUL 2026 18:00

The three pieces came back from their final press today — the bordeaux polo, the racing green, the court short. They hang in the office in a row, saying nothing, which is the most a garment can be asked to do.

The Atelier

14 JUL 2026 19:00

The long July evenings make honest people of us all. We close nothing early this week. Mr. Fritschi is, predictably, asleep on Centre Court.

The House

13 JUL 2026 15:00

Two polos and one short went to the frame today. Volume I is complete. The door stays shut a little longer.

The Atelier

13 JUL 2026 08:00

Samuel came down in a plain white shirt — no flag, no remark. Marco wore the green, collar up, and poured the coffee himself. For one morning, honour is quiet. It will not last the week.

The House

13 JUL 2026 07:00

Breakfast moved indoors. The swallow above the loggia has reclaimed its chair, and one does not argue with the swallow.

The Kitchen

12 JUL 2026 21:15

A bottle was opened for the winner and, in fairness, a second for the loser. The cellar now records the fortnight even: Paris to the Germans, London to the Italians. The house considers the rivalry settled. The house is wrong.

The Cellar

12 JUL 2026 19:45

An Italian has the trophy, and for one evening the house is entirely, unrepentantly Italian. Marco did not gloat — he put on a record, opened the good Barolo, and let Samuel pour his own. That was gloating enough.

The House

12 JUL 2026 18:30

The same German reached it; this time the grass belonged to Mr. Sinner, who took it in four. Marco has said nothing at all — which, from Marco, is a great deal. Samuel, who crowed through the whole of Paris, has gone off to water a court that did not need it.

The House

12 JUL 2026 17:30

Marco has new strings and a certain look. He will be, by Friday, 'terrifying.' We have heard this before.

The House

11 JUL 2026 21:30

The draw has produced it again — a German and an Italian in the final. The same German as Paris, Mr. Zverev; a new Italian across the net this time, Mr. Sinner. Samuel has already claimed the good chair; Marco the other, an inch closer. Nothing has been said. Everything has been said.

The House

11 JUL 2026 20:00

The first boxes are sealed — heavy paper, a wax seal at the join. Samuel keeps one on his desk 'as a reference.' It is not a reference.

The Atelier

11 JUL 2026 08:30

The Tognazzis return from the coast on Friday. Centre Court will, once again, be theirs. Marco apologises in advance.

The House

10 JUL 2026 20:30

A Sangiovese was opened 'just to check it.' It has now been checked, thoroughly, by four people. It was fine.

The Cellar

10 JUL 2026 07:45

A storm was promised for the afternoon. Mr. Pavese covered the grass court. The storm, offended, did not come.

The Groundsman

09 JUL 2026 18:00

The racing green is, at last, the green of the door at dusk. This was always the point. Three earlier greens are not invited to discuss it.

The Atelier

09 JUL 2026 09:00

A guest asked whether the courts have air conditioning. We explained that they have shade, a bar, and the good sense to close at noon.

The House

08 JUL 2026 18:30

Doubles at dusk. Samuel partnered Marco. They did not speak for two sets, and won both.

The House

08 JUL 2026 10:00

The first polos are folded, numbered and boxed. Marco asked, again, who gets number one. He was, again, not told.

The Atelier

07 JUL 2026 19:00

Every polo is numbered, one to one hundred — woven into the hem, where only the wearer will find it. Marco is still lobbying for number one.

The Atelier

07 JUL 2026 07:15

Sunrise at 5:41, the court watered at 5:42. Samuel, who had promised to appear, did not.

The Groundsman

06 JUL 2026 21:00

Dinner ran late under the pergola. Mr. Fritschi returned mid-course, unannounced, with a wheel of pecorino. All was forgiven.

The Kitchen

06 JUL 2026 08:45

Mr. Bianchi played his ball machine at eight. He lost. He blames the heat. There is always something.

The House

05 JUL 2026 20:30

The negroni supplies are holding, for now. Normal service resumes Monday, or when they run out. Whichever is later.

The Bar

05 JUL 2026 16:30

The mother-of-pearl buttons caught the afternoon light and the whole atelier stopped to look, then went sheepishly back to work.

The Atelier

05 JUL 2026 12:30

Chess on the terrace. Marco lost twice and is calling it strategy. The prawns were over-ordered, exactly as instructed.

The House, from the coast

04 JUL 2026 18:30

Mr. Bianchi was given the weekend off and, as ever, declined it. He has come along anyway, and has spent the afternoon disapproving of the swimming from a deckchair, fully dressed.

The House, from the coast

04 JUL 2026 08:15

The house is closed until Monday. We have gone to the coast, as we do once a summer. The court will go unwatered. It will survive. It always does.

The House

03 JUL 2026 17:00

The collars now stand exactly as they should — not too proud, not too soft. It took eleven attempts. We speak of the first ten only in whispers.

The Atelier

03 JUL 2026 09:30

The English couple, who came for an afternoon in June, are still here. We have stopped asking when they leave.

The House

02 JUL 2026 20:15

In this heat we serve the whites cold and the reds cool. A guest objected. The guest has been gently re-educated.

The Cellar

02 JUL 2026 08:00

The espresso machine, sensing the heat, has gone on strike again. Marco is negotiating. Marco always negotiates.

The Kitchen

01 JUL 2026 18:00

Mr. Bianchi has asked, for the fifth time, when he may buy a polo. He has been told: soon, and not before the list. He has begun to sulk.

The House

01 JUL 2026 07:30

The clay was down by six. By seven it was thirty degrees. Mr. Pavese has declared July 'unsporting' and retired to the shade.

The Groundsman

21 JUN 2026 19:00

Everything is, very nearly, ready. The stitching is done, the colours are set. We are counting the mornings now.

The Atelier

21 JUN 2026 07:00

The longest day. The court was watered at dawn and stood empty in the gold for an hour. We let it.

The Groundsman

20 JUN 2026 21:00

Dinner ran late. Someone produced a guitar. It was, against all expectation, rather good.

The House

20 JUN 2026 09:00

Marco asked how many will be made. He was told one hundred. He asked who gets number one. He was not told.

The House

19 JUN 2026 20:30

A piece was tried on at dinner, over a shirt, for effect. The table approved. The table is, admittedly, biased.

The Atelier

19 JUN 2026 08:15

The grass court was cut this morning. Mr. Pavese stood and looked at it for some time. He approved.

The Groundsman

18 JUN 2026 16:00

The cards are being written. By hand, by Samuel, in an ink the colour of the grass court at dusk. His hand will ache by Friday.

The House

18 JUN 2026 11:30

The Tognazzis have left for the coast. The house is, briefly, quiet. No one is quite sure what to do.

The House

17 JUN 2026 19:45

The boxes arrived. Heavy paper, the colour of the walls, a wax seal at the join. Samuel has opened one and refuses to part with it.

The Atelier

17 JUN 2026 07:45

The espresso machine is, once again, on strike. Marco speaks to it. Marco always speaks to it.

The Kitchen

16 JUN 2026 18:00

Mr. Bianchi lost to the machine 6–2, 6–1. He blames the wind. There was no wind.

The House

16 JUN 2026 08:30

Mr. Bianchi has asked, for the fourth time, when he may buy a polo. He has been told: soon, and not before the list.

The House

15 JUN 2026 20:00

The first pieces were photographed today, on Marco, against the green door. Marco believes he is now a model. We have not corrected him.

The Atelier

15 JUN 2026 13:00

A swallow has nested above the loggia. Lunch will be taken indoors until further notice.

The House

15 JUN 2026 10:00

A photographer has arrived from Milan. He has asked where the studio is. We have shown him the olive grove.

The House

14 JUN 2026 19:15

All three pieces hang in the office tonight: two polos, one short. The door stays locked. July is close.

The Atelier

13 JUN 2026 20:30

Numbering has begun — woven in, not written on. The loom, like the house, refuses to be hurried.

The Atelier

13 JUN 2026 19:30

Mr. Fritschi has, again, returned. He has brought, by way of apology, a wheel of pecorino.

The House

12 JUN 2026 19:45

The crest embroidery has survived its sixtieth wash. The intern who counted is resting.

The Atelier

12 JUN 2026 14:00

Samuel's elbow attempted a serve at dawn. It has been formally retired, again.

The House

11 JUN 2026 20:15

Mother-of-pearl buttons: approved. The second batch, that is. The first is not discussed.

The Atelier

11 JUN 2026 16:00

An English couple arrived without an appointment. They are now staying for a week.

The House

The Founder's Collection.

The Founder's Collection.

The Home of Quiet Racquet Sport.

Notes from the house.