Rothwell Rose

The ancient stone buildings of Castello Banfi rose up in 17th and 18th centuries beneath the walls of the medieval fortress Castello di Poggio alle Mura to serve as housing for the farmers that served the noble landowners. Nowadays they have been renovated into luxurious rooms and suites, creating a luxurious gem of a boutique hotel in this picturesque part of Tuscany.

The hotel has been beautifully designed and is a wonderful place to relax and enjoy the surrounding countryside. Many places of historical note are within easy reach, as is the marvellous Tuscan seaside. Lunch can be enjoyed at La Taverna under an ancient vaulted ceiling, whilst dinner is served in the elegant Sala dei Grappoli. The Enteco Wine Bar offers a range of the estate’s wines, grappa and extra virgin olive oil, as well as several local artisan food and crafts. Here you can enjoy wine tastings paired with delicious local cheeses and prosciutto. The hotel also offers cooking classes, where you can spend half a day with the chef preparing a wonderful 4-course Italian lunch. The concierge at the hotel are also more than happy to arrange for various other activities such as hiking and cycling, massages, yoga and private sightseeing tours. Castello Banfi is also the sponsor of the Jazz and Wine festivals held in Montalcino each summer, where various concerts take place in town as well as on the estate making it a wonderful destination for music lovers.

There are various areas of Castello Banfi reserved exclusively for hotel guests to relax in, such as the reading room furnished with it’s backgammon and chess tables and a range of novels and travelogues; the pergola garden with it’s dramatic views of the river valley and hills, the hotel breakfast room, a fitness room, and most popular of all the heated swimming pool, secreted behind the castle’s western wall, set into the hillside overlooking the vineyards and providing a wonderful spot for witnessing dramatic Tuscan sunsets. Weather permitting guests can also enjoy light lunches and drinks here.

Each of the hotel bedrooms is luxuriously decorated and have a king-size bed (the suites also have an additional queen-size sofa bed in a separate room). All the rooms have wonderful views of the vineyards and are equipped with all of the modern amenities you could wish for, such as flat screen televisions, Wi-Fi, safe, a complimentary minibar and Nespresso coffee machine.

Castello Banfi is located in the beautiful region of Tuscany, just 16km west of the small town of Montalcino. Within easy reach are also the historical cities of Siena, Florence and Rome as well as the beautiful Tuscan seaside. Castello Banfi was once an ancient stone hamlet and today it's exterior still retains that historic Tuscan architectural style whilst the interiors have been restyled into a jewel of luxurious Italian hospitality.

Castello Banfi is particularly beautiful in our opinion because of its interesting design. Rather than being just a typical hotel building it feels more like it has grown together piece by piece. The hotel is really a small hamlet, with the bedrooms housed in restored village houses, facing each other across a steep lane. One room, which is particularly suitable for couples on a romantic break, is the former primary school. This luxurious Tuscan retreat is the beating heart of a 7,100 acre vineyard estate and the perfect place to experience Tuscany at it’s finest.

Castello Banfi is located approximately 20 minutes west of the small city of Montalcino, a one hour drive south of Siena, a one and a half hour drive south of Florence, and a two and a half hour drive north of Rome.

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