Castello di Volpaia

We loved the village of Volpaia. This is not a hotel in the normal sense, although there is a nice pool and well-designed rooms. These are spread throughout the houses in the village, and makes for a very charming stay. Breakfast was very good and there are 3 incredible restaurants to choose between for lunch and dinner. We had a delicious simple pasta and salad lunch at the bar, and a fine dining experience at the Osteria. Highly recommended.

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