COMO Castello Del Nero
Singapore-headquartered company’s first continental European hotel lies deep in the Tuscan countryside.
COMO Hotels and Resorts founder Christina Ong has long loved Italy and its design aesthetic, so it’s hardly surprising the Singapore-headquartered company’s first continental European hotel lies deep in the Tuscan countryside.
Ong fell under the spell of the ancient Castello Del Nero hotel on holiday in 2007. Then last year, COMO purchased the entire estate, called in Milanese designer Paola Navone to work her magic, and unveiled the revitalised hotel in March.
The 12th-century COMO Castello Del Nero, Tuscany sits on a 300ha estate, half an hour from Florence, complete with vineyard, beehives and olive groves.
Fifty guestrooms and suites, plus day spa and restaurants, have been “softly adjusted” to offer a “lighter, more modern aesthetic” while not messing with the castello’s ancient terracotta flooring and decorative features.
Accommodation is bright and airy in pale colours, slotting contemporary furniture into the bones of the ancient building and ramping up the glamour in the marble and mosaic bathrooms.
The three heritage suites are especially lovely with original 18th-century frescoes lining the walls and vaulted ceilings.
The hotel’s Michelin-starred La Torre restaurant is located in the old stables but moves to the garden terrace in summer with much of the produce grown on the estate. A more informal restaurant is located in the atmospheric 12th-century kitchen.
Alongside a signature COMO Shambhala wellness centre, there are tennis courts and an outdoor heated swimming pool.
Activities include hiking, cycling tours, cooking classes and truffle hunting in season. And if you fancy a spot of stylish sightseeing, the hotel keeps a fleet of classic Vespas and Fiat 500s for guests to hire.
Rooms from €660 ($1063).
Also try Palazzo Margherita, Basilicata, Italy; Raffles Europejski Warsaw.
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