Tuscan Lifestyle

Dream of a Life

Dream of a life lived in a poetic, timeless landscape of soft rolling hills.

Of a life where there is time: time to savour all the flavours, aromas and scents of the traditional Tuscan way of life. Of days lived to the full, days filled with laughter and simple, sun drenched pleasures.

A long wooden table, draped in linen and laid up for lunch under the gentle shade of a vine drenched pergola. A cool glass of wine, sipped slowly on the terrazza watching the sun drop slowly down behind the hillside. A shared moment; sharing the passions, warmth and endurin spirit of the Tuscan people.

Awaken Your Senses

Vivid red poppies splashing the fields, violet grapes dripping from the lush green vines, black silhouetted cypresses studding the bluest of skies, ancient olive groves shimmering with silver leaves, scarlet geraniums brimming from sun drenched terracotta pots, acres of brightest yellow sunflowers nodding in the summer’s warmth. And everywhere the richest golds of the earth, the stones and the sunsets of these gilded rolling hills of the Siennese land.

 

Be still while butterflies swirl through a haze of lavender. Breathe in the jasmine scented night as the magical fireflies light a moonlit path. Listen to the silence.

Or listen to the sounds of life as you stroll; of barristas preparing the perfect espresso, the clattering of plates in the trattorias or the drumbeat announcing the arrival of the flag thowers leading the procession through the cobbled streets.

Flavours of Nature

The finest fresh ingredients from the land paired with the skills and traditional techniques passed down through the generations; coming together to produce the outstanding local foods and wines.

Drawing on 2,500 years of wine growing tradition the vineyards and wineries of the area that produces some of the world’s greatest wines such as the rich ruby reds of Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The soil, the air and the gentlest breezes work their magic in the olive groves to produce award winning extra virgin olive oils whilst in the Val d’Orcia precious saffron grows, with its ancient, enticing aroma.

 

San Giovanni d’Asso is renowned for its highly prized white truffle. Sample it at the annual Truffle Festival in November or at one of the many good restaurants in the area. Pienza is the home of the archetypal Tuscan cheese, pecorino, made with ewes milk from the sheep which graze the unique herb scented pasturelands of the surrounding hills.

Taste the Dream

A crumbly wedge of aged pecorino cheese, from the sheep that graze the surrounding hillsides, drizzled with chestnut honey and served on with platter of local proscuitto crudo ham and a juicy purple fig plucked straight from the tree. To follow, the famed white truffle of San Giovanni d’Asso gently grated over a plate of steaming fresh pasta.

 

Dream of Life's Pleasures

Follow one of the many trails: on horseback, by bike, run or just walk. In the unspoiled beauty of this quintessential Tuscan landscape, the pleasures of sport and exercise are multiplied by the breathtaking vistas laid before you.

Golf in Tuscany is a perfect combination of sport and pleasure played amidst the best of natural settings. Tuscany is rich in golf courses, offering a variety of 9 and 18 hole courses surrounded by beautiful scenery, where the tranquillity is only disturbed by the swish of the golf club.

To see even more of this enchanted land, take a balloon trip from Montisi itself, rising up into the air from a hidden valley at dawn, followed by a champagne breakfast.

And to swim look no further than the glistening waters of the pools of Podere Ampella.

Pure Relaxation

Experience the vitality and wellbeing for body and soul provided by the precious natural thermal spas of Tuscany. Less than a quarter of an hour’s drive from Podere Ampella, are the mineral enriched waters of Bagno Vignoni which have been highly valued by so many throughout history, from the Romans onwards.

 

Bathe in the warm, healing spring waters surrounded by the tranquil beauty of the Tuscan countryside, steam in the regenerating saunas and baths or relax with a massage. Let the stresses of modern world be washed away naturally in the oasis of wellbeing provided by these ancient thermal spring waters.