Castello di Volpaia

We stayed at the Castello di Volpaia in March of 2024 as part of our bucket list trip to Italy which had to include a stay in a winery in Tuscany. Volpaia is a tiny village that dates to 1000 AD when the Romans built a castle. Today it is a winery and four restaurants without losing any of its medieval charm. After the hustle and bustle of Venice and Florence this is a tranquil paradise. It is difficult to describe the incredible kindness and warmth of the staff - they are all five stars! The “hotel” has different types of accomodations and we chose the upgraded regular room. Extremely cool 2nd floor room with whitewashed beams and ceiling. Modern bathroom and a comfortable bed. We were lucky to have a private balcony and lower terrace with loungers overlooking the understated pool area but every room is different. We had friends in the same class of room but had a very different but positive experience except for a hard bed. Our mornings started with the breakfast buffet that was much more. Go, the lady in charge is wonderful along with her young and capable assistant. They provide a great continental buffet but also cook eggs to order along with porchetta which is the local equivalent of bacon but so much thinner and crispier. You can’t believe it until you try it! And the cappucino was amazing. What a great way to start the day. The delightful thing about Volpaia is that this quaint medieval town hides a modern winery which produces beautiful Chianti Classico and Reservas as well as others. The wine tour was as interesting for its vinicultural experience as for the exposure to the ancient architecture. The village has four restaurants, all wonderful in their own right, which I will post separately: Osteria Volpaia, La Bottega, La Piazzetta Bar-Ucci and the Pizzeria. No exaggeration that this was one of the best travel experiences of my life. Now for a strange personal story that accentuates the kindness of the people of Volpaia. My wife and I decided to drive to Siena on one of our days there. We had been advised by the car rental company to use Waze rather than Google Maps. That turned out to be questionable advice. Our suggested “shortest” route took us out of the back of the tiny village through a narrow walled archway that was impossible to pass without scratching the back fender. I know you are thinking “what a dumb tourist” but reversing seemed more daunting than hoping for the best. After that we quickly left the paved road for gravel that descended to dirt and rocks but again with little options for reversing course. Eventually we ended up in the bottom of a vineyard unable to continue up steep slopes. I called the emergency number for roadside assistance and was informed we were not covered for roads without pavement. We were f*cked. I left my darling to “guard” the car and walked back up a long hill for two kilometers to the charming village of Volpaia. I staggered into the reception of the hotel / Cast

The entire location is very charming and romantic. It gives you the feeling of living in a small castle but with all the comfort you need. The rooms are freshly renovated and the breakfast is also very good. We also enjoyed the peace of this place at the pool.

Acquistare un tour con degustazione attraverso l’utilizzo dei punti accumulati presso un supermercato della GDO si è rivelata un’ottima scelta. Abbiamo così scoperto Volpaia il piccolo borgo nella zona del Chianti. Molto brava la nostra guida, un ragazzo giovane (non gli abbiamo ahinoi chiesto il suo nome..) grazie al quale abbiamo conosciuto Volpaia e la sua storia e come vengono prodotti i suoi vini, degustandoli insieme anche all’olio prodotto qui in un carinissimo locale all’interno della torre che si trova all’arrivo al borgo. Un luogo che merita sicuramente una visita.

Soggiorno indimenticabile nell'incantevole borgo. Personale gentile e competente. Le camere sono ricavate dalle antiche abitazioni, minuziosamente ristrutturate al loro interno e dotate di ogni comfort. Già la prima camera che ci era stata assegnata era davvero curata nei minimi particolari, con bellissima mobilia e suggestiva vista sull'oliveto. Un problema di serratura alla porta di ingresso ci ha offerto un up-grade inaspettato...camera ancora più grande e più lussuosa! Nonostante fosse maggio inoltrato il tempo è stato poco clemente...la camera riscaldata era proprio piacevole. Avevamo prenotato il tour con degustazione, sia per conoscere meglio il luogo, sia per avere una panoramica dei vini ed olii prodotti: il gentilissimo ragazzo che ci ha fatto da guida é stato davvero competente e disponibile a soddisfare tutte le nostre curiosità. Avevamo inoltre prenotato la cena (riteniamo che in questi piccoli borghi sia consigliabile organizzarsi per tempo), che pur avendo un menu ridotto causa covid, offriva gustosi piatti tipici con interessanti rivisitazioni. La colazione, servita in un locale con antiche mura, travi a vista, ed arredato con gusto, era abbondante e variegata e davvero buona. Abbiamo inoltre acquistato il vino della tenuta Volpaia. P.S. Parcheggio vicino e gratuito per gli ospiti della struttura.