22 DEPARTURES TRAVEL LIE OF THE LAND The Temptations of Tuscany The preeminent Italian wine region has outdone itself with new and new-look destinations that combine fine wines and heartfelt hospitality. by Delia Demma Artist Miroslaw Balka’s Red Nerve installation at Castello di Ama ROLLING HILLS, MEDIEVAL HAMLETS and vineyards as far as the eye can see. This has long been the sun-dappled stereotype of Tuscany – but it is also, at the moment, more true than ever before. A handful of utterly charming properties have been renovated or unveiled recently, offering a selection of delights that would impress even the most indulgent of the Medicis. Take Castello Del Nero (comohotels. com), a sprawling medieval castle which, over the course of the last 900 years, has belonged to three ALESSANDRO MOGGI
Agnolotti stuffed with Chianina beef (above), served in the baroque dining room of La Torre at Castello Del Nero (right); below: the Renzo Piano-designed barrel room at Rocca di Frassinello FROM TOP: MARTIN MORRELL (2), MATTEO SERPI noble families, including the Del Neros, a onetime rival of the Medicis. Reopened last spring under the auspices of Como Hotels, it induced love at first sight for Christina Ong, the hotel group’s founder. She gave Italian designer Paola Navone free rein for a facelift to the 50-key resort, and chef Giovanni Luca Di Pirro has taken the helm of the Michelin-starred restaurant, La Torre, which makes deft use of local produce, much from the estate’s own garden. The 1,000sq m spa has been upgraded substantially, kitted out as a holistic wellness sanctuary with ten treatment rooms, a 25m pool and the deep, healing expertise for which the brand is known. Another beguiling destination, this time perched in the hills of Chianti, is on a much smaller scale. Castello di Ama (castellodiama.com) has just five suites, offering intensely personal experiences on an estate that features fine wine and world-class, site-specific art. Every year, an artist carefully chosen by Lorenza Sebasti – who runs the property alongside oenologist Marco Pallanti – is invited to stay at Ama, listening to its stories, breathing its air, enjoying its wine and eventually creating an installation. So far, 16 boldface names have accepted the invitation, including Anish Kapoor, Hiroshi Sugimoto and Michelangelo Pistoletto. In October, Miroslaw Balka’s Red Nerve was unveiled in the darkest reaches of the cellar, where the must turns into wine. A similar marriage between design, wine and hospitality can be found in the first and only cellar designed by the Italian starchitect Renzo Piano. Rocca di Frassinello (roccadifrassinello. it) rises above the hills near Grosseto, an architectural tour de force that is seamlessly integrated into the surrounding nature – and features an 23 DEPARTURES
