Le Fontanelle: An Authentic Country House in Tuscany's Chianti Region

This and much more is Le Fontanelle: a five-star hotel whose luxury is discrete, intimate and true, a charming hotel in which spending a vacation means living a real emotional experience. The Hotel overlooks a silent valley in the area of Pianella, not far from Castelnuovo Berardenga, the heart of Chiantishire.

The restoration work by architect Margherita Gozzi. The Hotel Le Fontanelle has been built from the recovery and restoration of buildings originally intended as residences and agricultural uses, built over time since the sixteenth century. The architectural work lasted for several years: in a first time the construction company worked on the recovery of the properties through the careful preservation of the features of all the original structures. At the same time they worked on the arrangement of all the open spaces so to create a harmonious and enjoyable relationship with landscape. The restoration work didn't forget all the typical elements of rural buildings such as arcades, lodges, source, oven, barnyard. The construction company respected the traditional and local materials: stone, brick, wood, and also for the open spaces they worked to maintain an environment as natural as possible where there are still crops of vineyards and olive trees, typical of Tuscany landscape. Most of the original material has been preserved and maintained without altering the original structure, new buildings and the interiors have been made through the intervention of local craftsmen. The result is a place where human work and nature live together in harmony and balance in a total compliance with history and landscape.

Once inside, you breathe in the atmosphere of an old country-house with its lounges and silent courts, a garden with a swimming-pool, stone vaults and verandas. You will see the renowned Florentine fired bricks everywhere (the cotto) and the old vaulted roofs; in the rooms you will find the traditional bed linen and towels. There are 25 rooms, each one quite different from the other; some with a private patio and a garden. The large windows open wide onto the rolling green hills of Chianti. There are no curtains and each window becomes the frame of a different picture changing colours as time goes by. The pale stones reflect light thus maintaining a quaint rural charm, typical of local structures. Halls and common areas are spacious and overlook the green countryside, with its vast skyline of ancient olive trees, vineyards and majestic cypress trees.

A restaurant, a Spa, a library and a botanic garden with a variety of aromatic herbs are all important part of the Le Fontanelle offer to its guests. Le Fontanelle is the ideal starting point of a cultural tour to get to know Siena and the surroundings, thanks to the daily shuttles to the city provided. It is also a perfect setting for a romantic weekend as well as a vacation with your children in joyful afternoon making slow trekking or excursions with a bicycle at guests' disposition.

The "La Colonna" Restaurant, with its spectacular view of the surrounding hills, offer a. Special gastronomic experience. Guests are welcome to taste and purchase the "Chianti Classico Sole di Sesta", a red wine and the extra virgin olive oil produced, by the same firm and available in the Hotel wine shop. With the beginning of the season the kitchen opened its doors to a new chef: Daniele Canella, young and Tuscan with eleven years working in the most important and award winning kitchens of restaurants and hotels. Daniele has the special talent to create menus based on typical Tuscan tradition, creating sophisticated dishes, elegantly served. The basis of any recipe only seasonal ingredients and Italian creativity.

A Spa with a view. The silence, peace and tranquillity of the Tuscan countryside envelope the Spa's guests: here the culture of well-being is combined with genuine natural surroundings and careful and highly specialized service. The Spa's vast windows open onto the rich green surroundings, in an endless array of colours and sensations. In the Spa one can enjoy specialized treatments resulting in total relaxation: sauna, Turkish bath, whirlpool, gymnasium and an indoor heated swimming pool. Nature is the top priority on every level, right down to the ingredients used in each single treatment: high quality biological products.

Le Fontanelle is open from April 1st to October 31. www.hotelfontanelle.com; info@hotelfontanelle.com