Check In: An Idyllic Retreat in a Tuscan Hamlet

Bernard Touillon

The Val d'Orcia suite at the Hotel Monteverdi.

Rooms start at 325 euros, about $426 at $1.31 to the euro.

Basics

A very likable couple from Cincinnati read an article about Tuscany, came to the tiny hilltop hamlet of Castiglioncello del Trinoro on vacation and proceeded to buy, renovate and refurbish the better part of the village. Monteverdi, which officially opened last August, is a collection of three villas, a seven-room hotel, a restored 13th-century chapel, and a farm-to-table cafe. It took almost a decade, but the result is the ultimate romantic Tuscan idyll.

Location

You will get lost. Accept this fact and think of it as part of the charm. The hotel is midway between Rome and Florence, in the heart of the Val d'Orcia — the Unesco heritage site that is arguably the prettiest pocket of Tuscany. And really it's only the last half-hour that will give you trouble. This is partly because the directions on the Web site are surprisingly, and deceptively, brief. But it's also because one curvy, dusty, bumpy Tuscan road looks an awful lot like the next curvy, dusty, bumpy Tuscan road. And there aren't many road signs. The signs that are there are small and easy to miss. On the upside, locals are incredibly accommodating when you — invariably — stop and ask for directions.

The Room

Because of low occupancy, I had the family room but no family, which meant that my friend Lisa and I each had our own room, our own bathroom and an adjoining hallway so that we could yell to each other about how outrageously plush our own beds were. The bones of the room are classically Tuscan: stone walls, wood-beam ceilings and views laid out like paintings from every window that made the room feel molto autentico. But the rooms, with surprisingly good Wi-Fi service, are highly styled and designed (in a good way), with gauzy drapes, recessed lighting, modern furnishings and lots of natural light.

The Bathroom

It's a little weird to say it, but it's possible that the bathrooms are the nicest part of the hotel. Carrara marble floors; open-air, waterfall showers; and incredibly cool-looking sinks carved from a single piece of stone — you will find reasons to spend time in your personal mini spa. (The well-stocked collection of La Saponaria toiletries helps, too.) The only thing missing was a big, luxurious (and I suppose wasteful) kind of bathtub. Some rooms have them; mine did not.

Amenities

The concierge at Monteverdi is more like a really nice, knowledgeable English-speaking friend — he'll be your best source for pretty much everything. Most of the amenities at Monteverdi when I stayed there in September were ... coming soon. A pool, a state-of-the-art gym, a full-blown restaurant were all in the works (the pool and gym are now finished; the restaurant will open in the summer). For the moment, there is the Caffè Monteverdi, where the executive chef and overall charming Italian Paolo Coluccio whips up fresh and delicious dishes like apple and arugula salad, zucchini crostini, burrata with cherry tomatoes, and lavender risotto, using the herbs and vegetables from the garden outside. Here's my advice: order whatever antipasti they are serving that day, take your complimentary glass of prosecco, snag a table on the balcony and enjoy the view of the entire Val d'Orcia laid out before you until it's time for bed.

Breakfast

This is Italy — coffees are small and eggs are scarce. But breakfast is actually far more impressive than you would expect considering it's included in the price. Technically, there is a menu, but I found that the chef was happy to make pretty much anything, provided he had the ingredients. On the first day it was a simple croissant (cornetto semplice) and espresso, but by my final morning, I was living it up with a bowl of yogurt and homemade granola topped with fresh cuts of apple and a frothy cappuccino.

Bottom Line

Monteverdi is gorgeous, comfortable and amazingly romantic, with the rustic surroundings only adding to the charm.

Monteverdi, Via di Mezzo, Castiglioncello del Trinoro; (39-057) 826-8146; monteverdituscany.com.

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