Hotel Castello Banfi - Il Borgo "Relais & Chateaux" (Montalcino, Italy)

About Castello Banfi - Il Borgo "Relais & Chateaux"

At Castello Banfi il Borgo, the 14-room boutique is only the keep to this Tuscan castle-on-a-hill — the castello is the headquarters of the working wine estate, while the borgo is the boutique hotel that’s been fashioned from the adjoining village buildings. If the property ended at the sandstone walls, it would still be a must-visit for anyone passing through the countryside near Siena. Thankfully, there’s also the small matter of a seven-thousand-acre vineyard, sloping gently down from the fortress to meet the surrounding valley. The postcard-ready look of the castle lording over its lush domain is a pretty good indication of what you’ll find within the walls: exposed stone arches, vaulted ceilings and sturdy timber beams. It’s all very well preserved and restored, and while modern amenities abound — flat screen TVs and wi-fi, et cetera — they tend to exist unobtrusively so as not to disturb one iota of the hotel’s period elegance. There’s actually quite a bit of variation between the guest rooms, although floral patterns tend to creep up consistently (think of them as top notes). Between the swimming pool at the edge of the vineyards and the wine-cellar taverna, there’s no shortage of luxury, but some of the more intriguing aspects of the estate hint at the richness of the experience. The 13th-century wing houses a museum of glass that features artifacts from ancient Rome to the present. If pitchers and urns aren’t really your thing, get this: they’ve recently unearthed a complete whale skeleton on the estate grounds. Castello Banfi il Borgo: come for the wine, stay for the giant fossils.