Castello di Vicarello

Castello di Vicarello sits a good hour’s drive from Florence, high on a hill near Poggi del Sasso in southern Tuscany, a 12th-century castle that Carlo and Aurora Baccheschi Berti turned into a boutique hotel when they traded Milan for a slower life. A house dog usually dozes somewhere in the sun while 360-degree views open across centuries-old olive groves and vineyards. Seven suites, rustic beams and Indonesian antiques from the couple’s years in Asia speak of a life that has settled into a different pace. Those after something especially romantic book Villa Chiesina, once the castle chapel, now with its own kitchen and terrace. Aurora cooks for her guests herself, depending on the season, sometimes in the courtyard, sometimes by the fire. Add two infinity pools, a spa with a genuine Ayurvedic masseuse and cooking classes with no formality attached, and the good life here is learned almost by accident.