60. Tuscany, Italy. A weekend in Castello Vicchiomaggio in Greve, Chianti, Tuscany, Italy.
Have you ever wanted to visit the wine region of Tuscany in Italy or be under the Tuscan sun? Well keep listening as we transport you to the stunning Tuscan hills and believe me it was stunning.
We spent 2 days in a Castle on top of a hill in Tuscany and it was every bit as idyllic as you can imagine.
Listen to hear all about the Castle we stayed in, how we were gobsmacked with our room. Actually not just our room – everything about this place was spectacular.
We describe the views, the gardens, the vineyards and my favourite the infinity pool. Wow it was amazing.
We tell you about the wine tour we did which included a tour of the vineyard, the wine cellar with all the barrels under the castle and then to top it off a five course banquet dinner with accompanying wines in the beautiful restaurant at the castle.
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Enjoy Episode 60 all about Tuscany.
SHOW NOTES AND PICTURES BELOW
Tuscany is a region in central Italy with an area of 23,000 square kilometres and a population of 3.8 million. The capital is Florence, but it is best known for being a wine region with some of the most idyllic villages and vineyards in Italy.
We spent two amazing nights in Castello Vicchiomaggio which is an operating vineyard. The accommodation used to be a castle and the surrounding buildings and gardens are stunning. They have different size rooms. The one we stayed in was huge with a separate bedroom, large living room with small kitchen and luxurious bathroom.
The views from all over the castle gardens were picture perfect. You can have lunch outside under the trees overlooking the view. The lunch menu is extensive. Of course, the wines are made at the Castle and they have white, rose and red wines.
Apart from the gorgeous accommodation and views, the Castello has an infinity pool. There are plenty of comfy banana chairs and umbrellas for everyone. The pool itself has probably the best views in the whole Castello. We swam on both days and I went to the pool early in the morning and later in the day just to take more photos.
There are towels and bottled water in a special pool bag supplied in your room. There are a few rules to follow like, you have to shower before getting in the water, you have to cover up to walk to the pool and no music unless you have headphones. You can also take a bottle of wine to the pool, as they supply plastic cups for drinking by the pool. The pool is lined with flowering trees, lavender bushes and rosemary, so as well as the spectacular views, the smell is divine. If you want to spoil yourself then this is certainly the place to stay.
There are a number of ways to sample the wines at the Castello.
You can do the Count Agostino’s Wine and Gastronomy Lunch from Monday to Sunday. Here you do a tour of the vineyards, visit the historic cellars and have 3 wine tastings with lunch in the garden (weather permitting).
Next you can do the Gold Wine Tour which is from Monday to Friday 3.30 to 5.30pm and once again includes a tour of the vineyards and visit to the cellar. This one though includes 4 wine tastings and tuscan bread with olive oil in the Cantinetta San Jacopo, with panoramic views overlooking the Greve Valley.
If you just want to call in the the wine cellar door you can taste the wines from Castello Vicchiomaggio from Monday to Sunday 10am to 6.00pm.
We were lucky to be staying on a Monday night when the Castello puts on a banquet for the guests. This includes a vineyard tour, visiting the cellar and learning all about how the wines were made and then the most delicious four course dinner and 5 wine tastings. We had a lovely guide, Cecilia, tell us all about the wine making process, the Chianti Wine region and how the wine is stored. The owner of the Castello Mr John Matta came and said hello and thanked us all for coming to stay at the Castello.
After the cellar tour we headed up the the restaurant where we had a welcome rose wine in the historic courtyard. Next we headed into the restaurant. The food was so good, the wine amazing the the atmosphere incredible. There was a pianist that played for two hours while we had dinner. It was really the perfect evening.
We absolutely loved our stay in Tuscany. It was everything you can imagine Tuscany to be. We would definitely recommend staying at Castello Vicchiomaggio and this is one place in Italy that we can’t wait to return to.
If you would like to know more details about our stay in Tuscany, then click the podcast player above where we tell you all the good stuff.
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