.jpg) ITALY
Florence, golfing in the Medici's
gardens
 Where
to stay
Outside the traffic of Florence yet only
a few minutes from the historic and shopping center, Fiesole
is the hill with an outstanding view over Florence where the
first local settlements took place: Roman, Etruscan, Carolingian…
Nowadays it is a residential village with luxurious villas
hidden in the trees but, there are still some remnants of
the past like the archeological zone or the magnificent Villa San Michele, ancient monastery
which façade has been designed by Michelanagelo.
Perched on the hillside with flowered terraced gardens, surrounded
by woodland, Villa San Michele is a unique hotel, acquired
and renovated by Orient-Express Hotels,
Trains & Cruises. It offers 38 rooms and suites,
each unique in style (one in the ancient library of the monastery
is called the Michelangelo suite and the junior suite are
immersed within the gardens with private gardens or terraces).
The Tuscan cotto and pietraserena, which are typical of historic
buildings in Florence, abound throughout the hotel giving
it a warm feeling of comfort and peacefulness.
The ancien open-air courtyard of the Cloister
has been enclosed with a glass roof and transformed in an
elegant and cosy indoor restaurant. Exquisite Toscan and Italian
specialties are served by the chef Attilio di Fabrizio as
well at the more informal Loggia
overlooking Florence and Arno Valley. If possible, order pigeon
(or partridge in season) with a vintage Solaia, Antinori's
Chianti. Gods' delight!
Conveniently located 15 minutes from Florence International Airport and just over an hour
away from Pisa International Airport, Villa San Michele also provides a complimentary
scheduled shuttle running between the hotel and the historic centre. It is the perfect
base from which to discover this beautiful region: Siena, San Gimignano, Arezzo, Volterra,
the Chianti region… all less than an hour's drive from the hotel. And the concierge,
the always smiling Maurizio Ammarazini, knows everything and everybody and his advices are
very useful.
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While visiting the Chianti
region, some tourists (Mrs Bush and her friends)
like to stay in "agri-tourism" old farmhouses, inside
the vineyards, to enjoy the harmony and peacefulness of the
Toscan countryside. In that prospect, Fonte
de Medici, owned by the famous wine producer Antinori,
at S. Maria e Macerata, is a good example. Located at about
midway from Florence and Siena, it comprises three clusters:
Borgo Santa Maria e Macerata, Podere Tignagnelo and Podera
Vivaio, made of refurbished, refurnished and comfort equipped
farmhouses with pool, restaurant, conference room…
But even if you don't stay there, make a stop at Tavernelle
Val di Pesa. Out of the majestic Benedictine Badia (abbey),
there is an inn, la Osteria di Passignano,
where to taste vintage Chanti from Antinori's
winery while having a choice of Toscan specialties served
in a cellar ambiance: a large ancient grape press sits enthroned
in the middle between the restaurant and the shop where they
will take your wine, grappa liquor or olive oil orders and
ship them to your address all around the world.
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Hotel in a monastery,
elegant restaurantin the Cloister,
garden junior suites
with view on gardens at
Villa San Michele,
an Orient-Express Hotel
Agri-tourism
at Fonte dei Medici in Chianti.
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