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Podere Terreno
Roberto Melosi left a promising hotel career at London's Savoy to become chef
and host of an agriturismo--an inn on a working farm in Italy. His Paris-born
wife, Marie-Sylvie Haniez, who had owned a modern art gallery in Florence,
decided the only proper way to run an agriturismo was to share communal dinners
with their guests in the French table d'hôte style. Together, they manage a
restored 16th-century farmhouse, which has seven country-comfy rooms furnished
with a hodgepodge of painted metal bedsteads, carved wood vanities, and worn
terra-cotta floors. Credit for the vineyard's light, organic Chianti Classico
goes to Marie-Sylvie's adult son, Pier Francesco, who gave up dirt bike racing
to study viticulture and enology at the University of Florence. Wine obviously
means a lot to the family: Vineyards encircle the house, and each guest room is
named for a local grape.
Visit Lake Garda Italy
Doubles $231, with breakfast and dinner.
Near Radda
in Chianti, Contact +39
0577 738312
www.podereterreno.it
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Malvasia, Trebbiano, Vernaccia, and Ciliegiolo are all
on the east side of the house, which has the best vineyard views. In summer,
guests enjoy that same view from the patio during three-hour family-style
dinners that may include lasagne, steaks, and stuffed tomatoes. The room's seven-foot fireplace, which
dates back to the 14th century, is surrounded by armchairs and a sofa that
Athena (Roberto and Marie-Sylvie's miniature schnauzer) is happy to share. In
the spring of 2004, Podere Terreno's simple operation got a bit swankier,
inaugurating a wine-tasting cantina and a tiny spa with a Jacuzzi and massage
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Hotel Cosimo de'
Medici
The Florence Cosimo
de’ Medici is located in the heart of downtown Florence and
within moments of the Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, Fortezza da Basso
and the remarkable Ponte Vecchio. When not exploring the
monuments guests will find an amazing array of shops and
restaurants. Exploring the cobblestone streets and the magic of
Firenze is a breeze from this Florence city centre hotel.
Conveniently
located just 100m from Santa Maria Novella station and
within walking distance of all of Florence’s major
attractions, the Firenze Hotel Cosimo de’ Medici is the
perfect base for your Florentine experience.
Check out
the website for the lowest prices and offers!
Contact +39
055 211066
www.cosimodemedici.com
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Castello Ripa d'Orcia
Once you settle into a cavernous room in this medieval castle village three
miles down a curving, bumpy dirt lane, the only contact with the outside world
is the pay phone in the restaurant. Accommodations are gorgeous in an antique,
minimalist sort of way: very rustic, with massive ceiling beams, thrilling
countryside views, and no TVs to disturb the calm--just birdsong in the mornings
and the chirping of cicadas on hot summer afternoons.
There's a long, narrow
garden with a fountain and sunning chairs, battlements once patrolled by
soldiers (now guarded by flowerpots) that make for a nice stroll, and an old
granary lined with books, gaming tables, and a fireplace for guests. The owner,
Countess Laura Aluffi Pentini, is part of the Piccolomini family. The Countess lives in the castle, but is only guaranteed to be
around during check-in time (2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.), which adds to the feeling
that, in passing through the tower gate, you've stepped out of the modern world
and its frenetic pace.
Doubles $147--$180, with breakfast, two-night minimum,
breakfast
included.
About five miles south of San Quírico d'Orcia
Contact +39
0577 897376
www.castelloripadorcia.com
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Villa Rosa
di Boscorotondo
The villa was built by a French ex-pat in
the early 1900s, and many of the original elements remain: octagonal red and
black stone floor tiles, little sitting rooms, and terra-cotta stoves that once
warmed the rooms. The Avuris have added their own touches, including TV sets
here and there, canopied beds under high ceilings, funky lamps and sconces made
by a local design company, and a swimming pool on the hillside under a
neighbour's grapevines. In spring and fall, breakfast moves from the patio to the sunken
cellars that once held barrels of vin santo, Tuscany's "holy wine," so sweet
it's served for dessert.
Doubles $115; $141 with terrace,
included breakfast,
open Easter--mid-November. On the main SR 222 road south of Panzano in Chianti,
en route to Radda
Contact +39
055 852577
www.resortvillarosa.it
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Il Poderuccio
Il Poderuccio lies
just down the road from Sant'Angelo in Colle, a hilltop medieval village in the
heart of Brunello wine country. Guests, upon arrival, will find a welcome basket
in their apartment filled with provisions for breakfast.
Many of the items are farm produced, the cakes are all
home-baked.
A tourist information booklet is available for perusal,
packed with local information, itineraries, opening times of
swimming pools, museums and fortresses etc, and includes a
guide to local restaurants and much, much more. Mountain
bikes are available for guests’ use for excursions along the
paths of the Val D’Orcia, which may be guided if desired.
The farm
produces a superb extra virgin olive oil made with the
olives growing on Olivastra Seggianese trees planted on the
groves of the slopes of Monte Amiata, at an altitude of
approximately 500 metres above sea level. Growing at such an
altitude, the olives yield a golden, sweet, smooth and
lightly scented oil that is delicately fruited. Guests may,
if they wish, take part in the harvesting of the olives and
observe at close hand all the various procedures that go
into producing the farm’s olive oil.
Doubles $109, with breakfast, open
Easter--November. Near Montalcino
Contact +39
0578 748343 -
0564 950585
www.poderuccio.it
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