Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

Away From The Flock respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us, request information, subscribe to our mailing list or make an enquiry about a stay.

1. Who we are

Away From The Flock is operated by:

Legal name: Massimo Lauro
Trading name: Away From The Flock
Registered address: [INSERT REGISTERED OR BUSINESS ADDRESS]
Country of establishment: [INSERT COUNTRY]
Email: info@awayfromtheflock.com
Telephone: +39 3311341185
Company or registration number, if applicable: [INSERT NUMBER]

For data-protection purposes, Away From The Flock is the controller of the personal information described in this Privacy Policy.

2. Information we collect

We may collect the following types of personal information.

Information you provide directly

This may include:

  • your name

  • email address

  • telephone number

  • country or location

  • preferred travel dates

  • group size

  • details about your accommodation requirements

  • information about weddings, retreats, celebrations or experiences

  • messages and information submitted through our contact forms

  • newsletter subscription preferences

  • correspondence with us

  • booking and payment information, where relevant

Please avoid sending sensitive personal information unless it is necessary for us to respond to your request.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, including:

  • IP address

  • browser type

  • device type

  • operating system

  • pages visited

  • time spent on the website

  • referring website or source

  • general location derived from your IP address

  • cookie and analytics information

This information is generally used to operate, secure and improve the website.

3. How we collect your information

We may collect personal information when you:

  • submit a contact or enquiry form

  • subscribe to receive A Slow Guide to Val d’Orcia

  • join our mailing list

  • contact us by email or telephone

  • request information about a villa, wedding, retreat or experience

  • make or discuss a booking

  • interact with our website

  • communicate with us through a booking platform or travel partner

  • respond to an email campaign

We may also receive information from third parties, including:

  • Squarespace

  • Airbnb or other booking platforms

  • travel agents or wedding planners

  • payment providers

  • accommodation or experience partners

  • analytics and website-service providers

4. How we use your information

We may use your personal information to:

  • respond to enquiries

  • provide information about the villas and estate

  • help plan a stay, wedding, retreat or experience

  • manage bookings and related communications

  • provide customer service

  • send the guide or other information you request

  • send occasional marketing emails where you have agreed to receive them

  • manage subscriber preferences and unsubscribe requests

  • improve our website and services

  • understand how visitors use the website

  • maintain the security and proper operation of the website

  • comply with legal, tax, accounting and regulatory obligations

  • establish, exercise or defend legal claims

We will not sell your personal information.

5. Our lawful bases for using your information

Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases.

Contract

We may process your information where it is necessary to:

  • respond to steps taken before a booking

  • manage or perform a booking

  • provide requested accommodation or services

  • communicate about your stay

Consent

We rely on your consent where you:

  • subscribe to our mailing list

  • request our downloadable guide

  • agree to receive marketing emails

  • accept non-essential cookies, where applicable

You may withdraw your consent at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or contacting us.

Legitimate interests

We may process information where necessary for our legitimate business interests, including:

  • responding to enquiries

  • operating and improving the website

  • preventing fraud and misuse

  • managing our business and customer relationships

  • understanding general website performance

We consider whether these interests are balanced against your rights and expectations before relying on this basis.

Legal obligation

We may process information where required to comply with legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or law-enforcement obligations.

6. Contact enquiries

When you submit a contact or enquiry form, we use the information you provide to respond to your request and help plan your stay.

Submitting an enquiry does not automatically add you to our marketing list.

You will receive marketing emails only where:

  • you have subscribed separately; or

  • another lawful basis permits us to contact you and you have been given a clear opportunity to opt out.

7. Newsletter and marketing emails

When you subscribe to receive A Slow Guide to Val d’Orcia or join our mailing list, we may send you:

  • the requested guide

  • local recommendations

  • Journal updates

  • news about the estate

  • availability or future-stay information

  • occasional information about weddings, retreats or experiences

We use a confirmation process to verify subscriptions.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or contacting us at info@awayfromtheflock.com.

Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent us from sending necessary messages relating to an active enquiry or booking.

8. Cookies and website analytics

Our website is hosted by Squarespace.

Squarespace and related services may use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • operate the website

  • remember visitor preferences

  • maintain security

  • measure website traffic and performance

  • understand how visitors interact with the site

  • support embedded or connected services

Some cookies are necessary for the website to function. Other cookies, including analytics or marketing cookies, may require your consent.

You can manage your cookie choices through the cookie banner or your browser settings.

For more information, please see our [COOKIE POLICY OR COOKIE SETTINGS LINK].

9. Who we share information with

We may share personal information with trusted service providers where necessary to operate the website and provide our services.

These may include:

  • Squarespace, which hosts the website and email campaigns

  • email and mailing-list providers

  • payment processors

  • accountants, lawyers and professional advisers

  • booking platforms

  • travel agents and event planners

  • villa-management and guest-support providers

  • local experience providers, but only where needed to arrange a service you request

  • analytics, IT and security providers

  • public authorities where required by law

We require service providers to use personal information only for the purposes for which it was shared and to protect it appropriately.

10. International transfers

Some of our service providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom or European Economic Area.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards where required, such as:

  • adequacy regulations or decisions

  • standard contractual clauses

  • the UK International Data Transfer Addendum

  • other legally recognised safeguards

Squarespace may process information internationally and states that it uses recognised contractual safeguards for relevant international transfers.

11. How long we keep your information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

Our general retention approach is:

  • Contact enquiries: 24 month after last contact

  • Unsuccessful booking enquiries:  2 years

  • Booking and transaction records: 10 years or applicable timeframe based on Italian law

  • Marketing subscribers: until you unsubscribe or we determine that the information is no longer active or necessary

  • Suppression records: we may retain minimal information to ensure that we respect an unsubscribe request

  • Website analytics: according to the settings and retention periods used by Squarespace or other analytics providers

We may keep information for longer where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

12. How we protect your information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:

  • unauthorised access

  • loss

  • misuse

  • alteration

  • disclosure

  • destruction

These measures include using reputable service providers, access controls, password protection and secure website services.

No internet-based system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Your rights

Depending on where you live and the applicable law, you may have the right to:

  • ask for access to your personal information

  • ask us to correct inaccurate information

  • ask us to delete your information

  • ask us to restrict how we use your information

  • object to certain uses of your information

  • withdraw consent

  • request transfer of your information

  • object to direct marketing

  • complain to a data-protection authority

You have an absolute right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact:

Email: info@awayfromtheflock.com
Postal address: [INSERT POSTAL ADDRESS]

We may need to verify your identity before responding.

14. Complaints

Please contact us first if you have any concerns about how we use your personal information.

You may also complain to the relevant data-protection authority.

If the business is established in the United Kingdom, or regularly serves people in the UK, the relevant authority may be:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

If the business is established in Italy or another EU country, the relevant supervisory authority may be:

Authority name: Garante per la protezione dei dati personali
Website: garanteprivacy.it
Address: Piazza Venezia 11, 00187 Rome, Italy
Telephone: +39 06 696771

For an Italian-established business, this may be the Garante per la protezione dei dati personali.

15. Children’s privacy

Our website and services are not directed at children.

We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children for marketing purposes.

Where information about children is provided in connection with a family stay, it should be provided by a parent, guardian or responsible adult and limited to what is necessary to arrange the stay.

16. Third-party websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including booking platforms, restaurants, attractions, experience providers and social-media platforms.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties. Please review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in:

  • our services

  • the website

  • legal requirements

  • our service providers

  • the way we use personal information

The latest version will always be published on this page, with the date of the most recent update shown at the top.