Odes have been sung to Paris in the springtime but not to Tuscany, and with good reason. Yes, this land of lush beauty is steeped in history. Yes, its food and wine are almost unparalleled in quality. And yes, it is a mere two-hour flight from London. But then there’s the rain…
I should admit that I Googled the region’s average temperature in April before booking a trip and hubristically concluded that it must be wrong. Between 10C and 19C I read. “But this is Italy!” I scoffed. “It’s got to be better than England!” I refused to believe that it could ever be as cold or damp in the Mediterranean as in the UK.
And so flights were booked, hotels arranged and swimsuits flung into suitcases.
The plan was to take my husband, four-month-old son and three-year-old daughter to Borgo Pignano – a countryside hotel set amid Etruscan ruins and rolling hills, just over an hour’s drive from Florence. During our stay booked through Mr & Mrs Smith, we would then drive an hour and 45 minutes to Precise Tale Poggio Alla Sala, another hotel surrounded by the best of rural Tuscan beauty, this time bordering the medieval town of Montepulciano, and within day-tripping distance of the Unesco-recognised city of Siena.
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Our arrival at Borgo Pignano was met with a bone-biting downpour, fortunately offset by the warmth of the umbrella-wielding staff who rushed to greet us.
Borgo Pignano would have been our own garden of earthly delights had the weather been more compliant. The cypress tree-lined estate is a hive of activity during the warmer months, offering a range of outdoor pursuits from horse riding to beekeeping to truffle hunting. There are also bikes available for both leisurely and more challenging cycle routes, and eight designated walking trails of varying lengths and difficulty. The indisputable highlight has to be the swimming pools: one, an infinity pool carved from the bones of an ancient limestone quarry; the other, a smaller pool that’s perfect for kids.
It was thanks largely to the staff that the rain failed to dampen our spirits. Our obvious despondence stirred them into action, and they soon transformed the hotel’s communal TV room into a play area for the stir-crazy kids – providing board games and a few toys to keep them entertained. Meanwhile, my husband and I made the most of the hotel’s indoor facilities, taking it in turns to use the well-equipped gym or indulge in some relaxing treatments in the spa.
A couple of days in, not only were our moods sunnier but we were also treated to some breaks in the rain, so we seized the opportunity to visit Volterra. This walled, mountaintop town is just a 20-minute drive from Borgo Pignano and has all the cultural fixes a day-tripping tourist could ask for: impressively-preserved Roman, Etruscan and medieval ruins, and a string of family-run trattorias. We followed the advice of Vittorrio, one of the hotel’s charming concierges, and ate at La Vecchia Lira – an osteria located just off the main square, serving hearty, well-priced Tuscan dishes, which was reassuringly full of locals.
The following day we again took advantage of some sporadic dry spells and made the meandering 30-minute drive to San Gimignano. This Unesco World Heritage site is renowned for its stunning medieval architecture – most notably its skyline of majestic 11th-14th century towers, which has earned it the nickname, the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages”.
We spent the late morning strolling the cobbled streets before enjoying lunch in another hidden-gem restaurant recommended by Vittorrio. This one, called La Mandragola, was again set away from the bustle of the central square and boasted its own courtyard garden. Here, we feasted on the likes of homemade tortelli stuffed with artichokes and truffles, and grilled lamb chops.
We then ambled over to the town’s main plaza where we joined a long queue for Gelateria Dondoli – an award-winning gelateria that serves inventive and seasonal ice cream flavours including sheep’s milk ricotta and blueberry, and saffron with Pisa pine nuts.
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The following morning, we set off for Precise Tale Poggio Alla Sala, hopeful for sunnier days at our new hotel. The grandeur of its golden-stoned buildings is a fitting tribute to the splendour of the surrounding countryside. The hotel, which is surrounded by a seemingly endless patchwork of pristine hills, vineyards and olive groves, enjoys ample grounds. Among these, guests will find three outdoor pools, a playground, a spa and a glass pavilion containing the gym.
The hotel’s 71 rooms and suites are divided between two buildings, the most striking of which is a newly-renovated 18th-century neoclassical villa. The interiors of both are a tribute to the history of the area, through which the Silk Road once wove: vaulted ceilings, terracotta floors and rich Italian frescos meet pots of towering banana leaves and vintage rattan peacock chairs – adding a colourful touch to a more traditional Tuscan aesthetic.
This homage to the region’s East Asian roots extends to the hotel’s restaurant, La Via Della Setta. Here, the dinner menu consists of broadly European dishes which have been given an Asian twist, such as seared octopus with violet potato purée, and amberjack sashimi with green gazpacho. The same menu is served at the hotel’s other dining option, the Marco Polo Bar, but the return of the April showers meant that we retreated indoors to eat our meals rather than sit at the poolside bar.
No amount of intermittent rain would come between our daughter and the basic but colourful playground, and we were only able to coax her indoors with the promise of the kids’ club: a pastel-toned playroom containing toys, puzzles, colouring pens, a play kitchen, and a teepee filled with plushies and cushions. During high season, the club is overseen by trained staff, who run a range of age-appropriate activities throughout the day. And whilst the club wasn’t officially open yet, the kids were able to enjoy the facilities under our supervision.
We certainly rolled with the punches on this trip. Yet, despite the grey skies and unused swimwear rattling about in our suitcases, we came away from Tuscany itching to return.
Next time, we’ll visit Tuscany in June or September and be sure to visit some of the hotspots we missed, namely Florence, Montepulciano and Siena. And next time, I’ll also take heed of the forecast and pack some waterproofs, just in case.
Harriet Brewis and her family stayed at Borgo Pignano and Precise Tale Poggio Alla Sala as guests of Mr & Mrs Smith.
Rooms at Borgo Pignano start at £349.31 per night.
Rooms at Precise Tale Poggio Alla Sala start at £305.48 per night.
How to get there
British Airways runs direct flights from London Heathrow and London City to Florence. Flight time is around 2 hours 15 minutes.
