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Località Querceto, 53031 Casole d'Elsa (SI).Show on map
Expert Rating
This is the Tuscany experience made comfortable for pampered international travellers
Guests can trek or mountain-bike on miles of marked trails without ever leaving the property
Dominated by natural earth tones, the 41 rooms and suites are done out in a safe but successful Euro-antique country-house style
Relax in huge Simmons beds and rain-head showers
Levels of comfort and service are extremely high, and there's a generally sophisticated atmosphere
Travel writer Lee Marshall moved to Italy in 1984. Currently based in Umbria, a couple of miles from the Tuscan border, he spends many of his weekends exploring the byways, vineyards, trattorias and historic hilltowns of a region where landscape and culture go hand in hand.
Who goes?
Castello di Casole is part of the Timbers Resorts group and its US imprint is easy to spot (this must be the only place in italy to offer 'standard' and 'large' pasta portions). Its core clientele is American, though on our visit Australians and Brazilians were much in evidence too; in fact, the one nationality missing was Italians. Though high-end, it's a family kind of place, with children's menus and yummy gelato served all day in the informal pizzeria.
Read more: the best hotels in Tuscany
Dominating glorious wooded countryside from its hilltop near the town of Casole Val d'Elsa, the Castello is surrounded by its own 4200-acre estate: guests can trek or mountain-bike on miles of marked trails without ever leaving the property. Florence, Siena and Arezzo are all comfortable day-trips away; Chianti's many vineyards and cellars are even closer.
This is the Tuscany experience made comfortable for pampered international travellers, and the place can feel rather like a gated resort for guests who need a buffer between them and the strangeness of "abroad'. But levels of comfort and service are extremely high, and there's a generally sophisticated atmosphere. An indulgent spa with pools inspired by ancient Roman thermae in the castle's former wine cellar completes the experience.
The staff are helpful, and good at suggesting excursions or arranging tours and experiences. The full-featured Essere spa, scenically located in the estate's former wine cellars, is a recent addition to the hotel's impressive range of facilities.
Dominated by natural earth tones, the 41 spacious suites are done out in a safe but successful Euro-antique country-house style, with huge Simmons beds and rain-head showers in the sizeable bathrooms.
Food and drink
The resort's flagship Tosca restaurant has an admirably Tuscan menu, albeit with a creative, international twist. Having an informal all-day pizzeria and trattoria too was a good idea, as was the decision to give such a family-oriented luxury resort a grown-up wine and cocktail refuge (the Visconti Bar, named after film director Luchino, who owned the castle in the 1960s).
Value for money
Prices at Castello di Casole are fully in line with the luxe décor, the high standards of service and the hotel's well-heeled customer demographic.
Access for guests with disabilities?
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Address Località Querceto, 53031 Casole d'Elsa (SI).
Telephone 00 39 0577 967 560
Website www.castellodicasole.com
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