A short drive from the hilltop town of San Gimignano and its Medieval towers, Borgo Pignano is a 750-acre estate where time stands still in the warm haze of the Tuscan countryside. Laid out around an 18th-century villa with 14 rooms and suites, the borgo is a working estate with kitchen gardens, olive groves, vineyards and a winery; the fruits of which can be sampled at two elegant on-site restaurants. There’s also a Flour Lab where fresh bread and pasta are made daily from ancient grains grown on the estate, an apiary that produces organic honey, and a herb garden stocked with fragrant and medicinal plants used to make perfumes and scented oils used in the Pignano Wellness Centre and for guest bathroom amenities.
In addition to the accommodation in the main building, a collection of maisonettes and private villas are scattered around the grounds and their Etruscan-era hamlet, boasting views of the surrounding landscape from a privileged position 500 metres above sea level.
This year sees the return of Villa La Fonte, a sprawling farmhouse in a quiet corner of the estate surrounded by gardens and fields that has been fully refurbished to make the most of the space. Five en-suite bedrooms provide plenty of scope for extended families or groups to travel together, with private swimming pool, fully equipped kitchen and a generous outside terrace where al fresco meals can be enjoyed while looking out across the Tuscan landscape. From US $3,040 per night.
April will see the addition of the brand Villa La Lavandaia, a two-bedroom abode at the highest point of the borgo, with a gorgeous terrace and swimming pool that looks out across the rolling hillside and a fully-equipped kitchen in which to make the most of the region’s delicious produce. From $1,459 per night.