The Tuscan villa of your dreams has been found, and it’s better than you imagined
This place is a poetic realisation of the Under the Tuscan Sun fantasy, complete with infinity pool overlooking ancient rolling vineyards.
In Tuscany, the golden hour arrives just before sunset. As the sweltering humidity of the afternoon eases and the sun fades into peach-coloured streaks across the sky, the air fills with the scent of lavender. Cicadas buzz like small aircraft in the towering cypress pines, and from somewhere at Villa Petriolo comes the drone of a tractor working late among the rows of grapevines.
Sunset means hanging up the swimsuit for the day. It’s time for wine, for bread with olive oil from the estate’s olive groves, hand-rolled pasta with fresh tomatoes, gelato, conversation and music under a velvet sky.
Not that it will be dark for a while; if sunset is at 8.30pm, dinner will be in an hour or so. In Italy you dine late, sleep late, wake late.
At Villa Petriolo, life becomes dreamlike. Wake, eat, swim, relax, swim, drink, eat, sleep. There’s no need to hurry. The villa has existed for more than half a millennium. Rush? No one’s going anywhere fast. Why would you?
It has taken me a couple of decades to experience the Tuscany of my imagination as sweetly as this. Until now, I have had an unromantic relationship with Italy’s most celebrated region. It’s not that I didn’t love the concept of Tuscany. I read the books, cooked the food, and watched the travelogues featuring ruddy-faced poets and chefs. But the first time I visited this scenic part of Italy’s northwest, I rode right through it in a train at night, missing it completely. Another visit yielded no more than an exasperating trip to a hot and touristy Florence. A third, more concerted attempt involved days of beautiful drives in the vineyard-strewn countryside. But the hotels were appalling. One night we witnessed a riot – complete with fires and smashed windowpanes – near our dilapidated pensione after Italy was knocked out of the FIFA World Cup in a quarter-final.
Friends said the best way to enjoy Tuscany was to hire a villa with a group and self-cater. Self-catering, to me, negates the idea of a holiday, and as for going in a group, no thanks.
Happily, recent years have seen a change in these parts. Hoteliers, responding to the demand of tourists looking to find the Italian dream without the hassle, have started converting larger villas into small luxury hotels; the villa you have always sought, in fact, only run by professionals.
And so we have found Villa Petriolo, an hour’s drive west of Florence. Opened in 2021 after a two-year, multimillion-dollar restoration by hotelier Daniele Nannetti, with backing from a Mexican investor, Villa Petriolo is a poetic realisation of the Under the Tuscan Sun fantasy, complete with infinity pool overlooking ancient rolling vineyards.
A working estate, Villa Petriolo fits into the Italian concept of “agritourismo”, a farm with rooms. Only what a farm, and what rooms. “This is a farm who looks like a resort,” Nannetti tells me one night, stopping by our table to offer some of the estate’s excellent rosé. “But it is a farm.”
The 170ha property has been lavishly and lovingly restored in accordance with Italian laws that prohibit new structures from destroying the region’s timeless landscape. The hotel has thus emerged from the original grand homestead that was constructed about 1485. Built by a Florentine noble family who made their fortune in banking, the property served for centuries as a country retreat and shareholding. But it fell into disrepair after the family “became extinct”, as Nannetti puts it in his inimitable way. When he bought the property, he found 17 buildings in various states of decay, the largest of which has been restored to become the hotel.
Nannetti found, too, that the property’s extensive farm required immediate care. Spread out like an exquisite patchwork quilt over gently undulating hills, the vineyards and olive oil groves have been returned to commercial operation. The farm can now yearly produce 150,000 bottles of wine, three tonnes of olive oil, and a tonne of honey. Then there are new herds of goats and sheep for meat, milk and cheese, plus wild boars, which enjoy free rein in a dedicated forest on the property. The animals are protected by a pair of Maremmano-Abruzzese sheepdog, tasked with staving off the native wolves that occasionally stop in to use Villa Petriolo, as Nannetti puts it, “as a supermarket”. Near the forest, a small lake has been built, creating an ecosystem for birds, including flamingoes, some of which we see on our first evening.
The farm is organic and sustainable, with an orchard that supplies most of the food for the hotel. What doesn’t come from the farm is sourced strictly locally. “Everything must be from Tuscany,” says Nannetti. “If you want a Coca-Cola at Villa Petriolo, no. We want this to be a 100 per cent real Tuscan experience.”
Nannetti, who has a degree in Italian history, a passion for the region and a fourth-generation hotelier’s eye for detail, found much to love on the estate, including original frescoes in the main villa, now restored, a huge stone-lined olive oil vat underneath what is now the dining room, a cellar inclusive of old wines, and an underground larder.
The hotel has 35 rooms, each slightly different, all charming. Our room (the Soppalco Suite) has a four-poster bed and a spiral staircase winding to a bathroom with a claw-foot bath and rainwater shower. The rooms are Tuscan in feel; modern but not soulless. Breakfasts are taken on the terrace and feature farm produce – eggs and prosciutto, handmade ricotta, hazelnut cake, apricot tart, flaky pastries, fresh fruit, bread, juice, coffee and more – and there’s a poolside bar that operates all day for those who want to have lunch in. At night, two restaurants, one casual, one Michelin-starred, are for guests and locals. Sit alfresco at twilight eating pasta with tomatoes, eggplant, garlic and zucchini, and drink the beautiful Villa Petriolo wines, or dine at PS Restaurant, the fine diner of chef Stefano Pinciaroli, who creates contemporary dishes featuring Italian flavours. There’s also a lovely terrace bar with vineyard views and organic cocktails from locally distilled spirits and sodas. Dinner and drinks are extra but the main restaurant, in particular, is affordable.
By day, we explore the countryside. One day we visit Florence; another day, San Gimignano, the most beautiful of the Tuscan towns, with its clifftop location and prominent spires. Dating to the 10th century, the terracotta-and-stone town is World Heritage listed, and mesmerising. But you also may want to stay in. Villa Petriolo’s infinity pool on a hot Tuscan day is a magnificent location to while away hours in total relaxation. Slip onto a shady sun-bed for a day of iced espressos, cocktails and bar snacks, interspersed with cooling dips in the water and a midday siesta. You may find Florence can wait.
A wellness centre was being built in another of the revived ruins during our visit. With spa treatment rooms, hot and cold baths, saunas, massage tables and more, it promised to be another incredible element to the property.
Villa Petriolo is virtually unknown to Australians. During several weeks in Italy, it is the only place we visit with no other Aussie tourists. But the word will get around, because it is too good to be kept secret. Finally I’ve found the Tuscan villa of my dreams, and probably yours.
Do: Hire a car to explore the countryside. San Gimignano is Tuscany’s most exquisite village but other beauties include Volterra, Montepulciano and Collodi. Nearby cities include Lucca, Siena, Pisa and Florence, each extraordinary in its own way.
Getting there: We hired a car in Lucca for the 45-minute drive to Villa Petriolo. You could also travel from Florence or Pisa. Taxi drivers will drive you to the hotel from nearby cities.
Stay: Villa Petriolo (7 Via di Petriolo, Cerreto Guidi, Province of Florence, Italy) is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World network; rates start at $355 per night ($420 including breakfast and taxes)
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