Incredible luxury hotel in the Tuscan countryside! Situated on a hillside overlooking the south…read moreTuscan countryside, above the Banfi winery, this is a beautiful boutique hotel. One has to drive around the hillside if you are approaching from Rome, so you get to appreciate the majestic buildings. The road in is cypress-lined and magnificent. The car park is a little ways away from the hotel, so th staff comes out with a golf cart to bring you and your luggage up to the reception, where you get greeted by a glass of Banfi wine! It is always available as courtesy either in the reception or the library (which is in the castle). The 14 rooms are in the old homes of the supporting help for the castle, so each is different and unique. We had the Principessa, located just across the cobblestone path from the cafe/bar and the swimming pool. It was the old schoolroom for the children of the workers, with a beautiful view to the west, overlooking the vast vineyards extending down the hill. There was a courtesy bottle of Banfi prosecca awaiting us. Since the weather was so hot (~40 degrees C), the fact that we had excellent AC was much appreciated.
We enjoyed the solitude of the swimming pool at sunset, the bar with excellent wine and cocktails and small plates, the breakfast buffet and the excellent gourmet restaurant. Dining outside late in the evening, we enjoyed a thoroughly leisurely Italian dinner, with some excellent local recipes updated for the modern palate.
The location is perfect for exploring the town of Montalcino and the surrounding countryside, i.e., wineries! Poggio Antico is nearby, but our favorite, Caparzo was a little drive on the opposite side of the town.
A car is a must to get around Tuscany, but well worth the cost. Our biggest problem was finding and figuring out the car washes (lavatorias), since the dusty back roads left the car covered in dirt!
We thoroughly enjoyed our few days in the countryside before heading onto the cities of Siena and Firenze. Now we just need to figure out when we can go back!