TRAMONTI

With the gentle slopes of the Val d’Orcia stretching out along the horizon, and views extending as far as Siena and the imposing medieval towers of San Gimignano, the owners of this attractive 400-year-old farmhouse were drawn to its commanding hilltop position at the heart of Chianti’s beguiling wine region. Just a five-minute drive from the centre of Castellina in Chianti — a quintessential Tuscan town with its labyrinth of cobbled streets, 14th-century castle, and a handful of low-key taverns serving local produce — Tramonti’s surroundings are intoxicatingly beautiful, a patchwork quilt of twisting olive groves, terraces of world-famous Sangiovese vines, and castellated villages.

The villa’s modern interiors belie the stone building’s ancient foundations. Meticulously renovated using local materials wherever possible, the house has been tastefully designed and filled with a fusion of contemporary and period furnishings, including custom-made sofas and even a Tracey Emin neon piece sitting beneath original antique beams. The light-filled ground floor includes a dining room and two large sitting rooms, one of which doubles as a cinema room. The kitchen is helmed by the delightful in-house chef Mara, who prepares delicious farm-to-table cuisine using vegetables, eggs, and olive oil produced right on the estate, following recipes passed down through generations of her family. Upstairs, each of the five en-suite bedrooms is exceptionally comfortable, with the master suite even featuring its own working fireplace.

Alfresco dining takes place beneath a spectacular, lemon-scented stone loggia — complete with pizza oven and outdoor kitchen — set between the main house and the glassy infinity pool. From here, guests enjoy panoramic views over wildflower-filled gardens, rolling hills, and towering cypress trees beyond. Across the lawn, a separate guest house offers accommodation for four further guests, with direct access to a second, shallower swimming pool, tucked discreetly out of sight behind a screen of olive trees. The estate itself includes six acres of working vineyard, and beyond the immediate grounds, guests will find endless hiking and cycling trails to explore.