Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Castello di Velona, near Montalcino
Facts in brief
Official star rating 5
Location The hotel is 20-minutes' drive from Montalcino
Annual opening All year except from 6 January to 14 February
Closest airport Pisa, Florence or Rome
Distance from airport The hotel is 2-hours' and 25-minutes' drive from Pisa Airport
Hotel facilities and services
2 Restaurants, Bar, Lounge, 2 Outdoor Swimming Pools and 2 Indoor Swimming Pools, Pool Bar and Restaurant open seasonally, Thermal Spa with 5 Treatment Cabins, 1 Couples' Treatment Room, Steam Room, Sauna and Emotional Shower, 24-hour Room Service and Concierge Service, Winery and Wine Tasting of the property's wines Rosso and Brunello di Montlacino, Outdoor Gym, Babysitting (must be booked in advance), Dry-cleaning and Laundry Service, Complimentary outdoor valet parking, Sightseeing tours and Limousine service on request.
Complimentary
WiFi, Spa access, outdoor valet parking.
Out and about nearby
Cooking Classes on request, Wine Tasting, Olive Oil Tasting, Truffle Hunting, Siena, Pienza, San Gimignano, Sant'Antimo Abbey. Monte Amiata, Chianti.
Sports nearby
Cycle Hire, Horse Riding.
We particularly loved the Hotel del Sogno on Lake Garda for its character, beauty and amazing views. Great service too from the reception staff. Also they gave us great recommendations for restaurants.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Castle junior suite for 7 nights
From about
£1,570
Holiday Code IE118
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Castello di Velona, near Montalcino
Situated just south of the lovely Tuscan town of Montalcino, in the Val D'Orcia Natural Park, the Castello di Velona perches on a small outcrop amidst the gently-rolling Siennese hills. Built in the 11th Century, the castle's original function was to protect the road from ancient Etruria and Rome and was also the scene of many clashes between the warring rulers of Siena and Florence. The oldest surviving part of the hotel is the 12th Century watchtower and the rest of the buildings date back to the Renaissance when the castle was converted into a residential villa.After significant renovation, the hotel re-opened in 2011 offering 46 rooms and suites and a new restaurant with a beautiful panoramic terrace. The emphasis here is truly on relaxation in beautiful Tuscan surroundings and the spa offers any treatments using local produce and olive oils. The natural hot spring water in the spa flows at 50 degrees, the hottest in Tuscany, and is classed as 'hyper-thermal', rich with minerals and salts. There are two outdoor panoramic pools, two indoor thermal pools with Jacuzzis, five treatment rooms plus a treatment room for couples, two steam baths, and a sauna.All the guestrooms are individually furnished with a blend of modern design, period furniture, and antiques, and, as an added luxurious touch, have thermal water running from the bath taps in the en-suites. There are two restaurants: the Il Vignale, or 'inn' which is a cosy trattoria serving delicious Tuscan dishes, and the Abbazia fine dining restaurant, which serves regional food with a slightly more refined flair. The wine list is topped off with Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino produced on the hotel's own estate. Both restaurants serve meals outside, on the beautiful terraces, in the summer months. Guests can also partake in cookery classes, wine-tastings, astronomy lessons, yoga classes, painting classes, horseback riding, trekking trails, and bike rides through the Val d'Orcia hills. There is also an informal pool bar which serves lunchtime snacks and drinks. If you can tear yourself away from this beautiful hotel, then there are numerous places to visit nearby, from the internationally renowned wine villages of Montalcino and Montepulciano, to the historic Siena and San Gimignano.
Room descriptions
Castello di Velona has 45rooms and suites with bath or shower and wc, satellite television, air conditioning, internet connection, hairdryer, mini-bar and safe.
We particularly loved the Hotel del Sogno on Lake Garda for its character, beauty and amazing views. Great service too from the reception staff. Also they gave us great recommendations for restaurants.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Castle junior suite for 7 nights
From about
£1,570
Holiday Code IE118
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Castello di Velona, near Montalcino
The journey and how you get there
For a holiday to Castello di Velona in Tuscany, our clients usually fly to Pisa or Florence airport or arrive by train at Florence Santa Maria Novella railway station. We recommend the use of a hire-car for a stay at this hotel and we would include it in the price of holiday.
Additional information
Children: Children are welcome and those under 11 years are accommodated for free when sharing a room with their parents.
We particularly loved the Hotel del Sogno on Lake Garda for its character, beauty and amazing views. Great service too from the reception staff. Also they gave us great recommendations for restaurants.Mr and Mrs S, June 2023
Holiday price guide Sample prices are per person based on two people sharing a Castle junior suite for 7 nights
From about
£1,570
Holiday Code IE118
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Luxury bespoke holidays and tours to Castello di Velona, near Montalcino
About Tuscany
An Expressions tailor-made holiday in Tuscany allows you to appreciate its classical landscape of rolling hills and vineyards dotted with olive and cypress trees, its misty green-grey mountains that are never too far distant, and hill-top towns of rich brown and gold stone houses. This combines with the beauty of the works of art contained in the towns and villages throughout Tuscany to create an inspirational union of the spirit and the senses. There is an intrinsic comfort in the supposed contrast between the delicacy of a Botticelli and the heartiness of Ribollita soup, yet both are typical of this fascinating region. As birthplace of the Renaissance, the impact of Tuscan and particularly Florentine traditions and culture on European heritage is fundamental to our way of life. In addition to the obvious attractions of the scenery of Chianti and the art cities of Florence and Siena, there are the less well-known regions south of Siena with its moon-like landscape of hills, the patchwork vineyards of Montalcino, the coastal marshlands of the Maremma, the spas of Montecatini and Saturnia, the islands of Elba and Giglio, and the Casentino with the source of the Arno and abundant mushroom crops. Wherever you travel on holiday in Tuscany, you will be inspired by the beauty of your surroundings and the way of life, which is quintessentially that of Italy too.
Highlights of Tuscany
Famous vineyards producing wines of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Alabaster is produced in Volterra. Gold and silver are worked in Florence and the Ponte Vecchio is lined with jewellery shops. Marbled paper and stationery is a speciality of Florence. Ceramics and hand-painted majolica from raw terracotta from Impruneta to the glazed pottery of Siena are to be found throughout Tuscany. Lucca has traditionally produced silk and hand-woven fabrics. Leather goods including shoes, handbags and belts are to be found from market stalls to designer shops such as Gucci and Ferragamo. Interesting markets include the Mercato dell' Antiquariato which sells furniture from antiques to bric-a-brac in Arezzo on the first weekend of every month, in Pisa on the second weekend and in Lucca on the third weekend. The 'wild' Maremma is known for its long-horned white cattle and cowboys (butteri) and natural springs including Saturnia.
Cultural highlights of Tuscany
As birthplace of the Renaissance, Tuscany contains a wealth of treasures: Giotto`s Campanile and Brunelleschi`s Dome in Florence, the Tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo in Florence`s Santa Croce, Botticelli`s `Birth of Venus` and `Primavera` and the portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca in the Uffizi, Michelangelo`s `David` in the Accademia, the architecture of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, `The Tuscan Maremma` painting by Giovanni Fattori in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Piazza del Campo in Siena, `The Legend of the Cross` frescoes by Piero della Francesco in Arezzo, `The Creation` fresco by Bartolo di Fredi in the Collegiata in San Gimignano, Romanesque church of the Collegiata in San Quirico d`Orcia, 14th Century Fortezza of Montalcino, Renaissance masterpiece of the church of Madonna di San Biagio at Montepulciano, the abbey-church of Sant`Antimo, mediaeval Lucignano and the towers of San Gimignano, the Etruscan Museum in Cortona.
Festivals in Tuscany
Many of Tuscany`s festivals resound with the flamboyance of the Renaissance and keep Tuscans and visitors alike in touch with the region`s rich history. Others are linked to Tuscany`s hearty traditions of eating and drinking. The most famous is Siena`s Palio which takes place on 2 July and 16 August each year. Others include the Sagra del Tordo (Festival of the Thrush) in Montalcino on the last Sunday in October when there is an archery contest and charcoal-grilled thrush are a delicacy. In Florence, Calcio in Costume (a football match played in mediaeval costume) takes place in June. Pisa has the Giocco del Ponte (Game of the Bridge), a mock battle in Renaissance dress also held in June. Viareggio celebrates Carnival on Shrove Tuesday with a huge display of flamboyant floats. In May and August Massa Marittima holds the Falcon Contest.
Gastronomy in Tuscany
Simple country food is at the heart of Tuscan cooking. Regional dishes include Bruschetta (bread or ciabatta toasted and rubbed with garlic, olive oil and salt), Ribollita (bean, cabbage and bread soup), Pasta with hare or wild boar sauce, Porcini mushroom and truffle dishes, Bistecca all Fiorentina (thick cut of sirloin and fillet beef), Cantucci (almond and honey biscuits) served dipped in Vin Santo, Panforte (chocolate, nut and spice cake). Pecorino cheese made from sheep's milk. Local wines include the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the Bianco di Pitigliano. Famous reds include Chanti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Vin Santo made from semi-crushed grapes left for several months is an excellent dessert wine.
