Castello del Nero: under the Tuscan sun

“Dai! Dai! Dai!” With that sharp utterance - meaning ‘Come on!’ - our guide, Jacopo, turned and sprinted through the trees.

Turns out he wasn’t talking just to his dogs, Pia and Ufo, who were crashing through the undergrowth with him. Bewildered, our small group dutifully followed Jacopo through the forest, dodging branches and gnarly roots, before catching up with him under a tall tree.

Pia was digging frantically at a spot on the forest floor. Jacopo shoved her aside and started burrowing at the same spot with a sharp implement (a vanghino), stopping briefly to sniff handfuls of dirt. Soon he held up a marble-sized piece of earth, triumphantly. Catching a whiff of its aroma on the autumn breeze, we realised why Jacopo was so pleased with his discovery – the dirty marble was in fact a prized white truffle encased in earth.

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We were in a forest in the picturesque valley of Pesa in Tuscany, roughly halfway between Siena and Florence and only a few minutes’ drive from our hotel, Castello del Nero. Truffle-hunting with Jacopo Nardi is an add-on excursion for guests at the five-star hotel, and highly recommended for the joy of witnessing the extraordinary synchronicity between Nardi and his canine pals. In just over an hour of hunting, they had unearthed 200 euros’ worth of white truffles, and soon we would have them for lunch, shaved over everything from pasta to steak, at a charming nearby eatery, Ristoro L’Antica Scuderia (‘The Old Stable’), that’s included in the excursion price (from 130 euros).

It’s all part of the Castello del Nero experience, offering guests the chance to savour an idyllic slice of Tuscan life. Olive oil and wine tasting sessions, winery tours and mixology lessons are also on offer, as well as cookery classes with executive chef Giovanni Luca Di Pirro . This last was a particular treat – in our hour-long session the acclaimed chef taught us how to fashion tortelloni by hand and proved that an authentic tiramisu can be made in under five minutes.

But guests may opt instead simply to indulge in the luxury afforded by the Chianti region’s first five-star hotel and one of the first to have its own Michelin-starred restaurant. Its 10,000-square foot ESPA spa with ten treatment rooms is one of the biggest around – the giant outdoor heated jacuzzi, secluded behind a greenery, is a bubbling oasis, and the signature aromatherapy massage using olive oil from the estate will transport you to new realms of calm.

The aesthetics of the hotel are eye-poppingly pleasing. It looks like something out of Eat, Pray, Love - an imposing historical castle surrounded by Italianate gardens and lines of cypress trees; its panoramic terrace, imposing tower, private chapel and 400-year-old Cedar of Lebanon tree all beg to be photographed.

Once a 12th-century castle, Castello del Nero was reopened 13 years ago as a luxurious retreat from the tourist hordes that flock to the nearby towns. The hotel even operates a free shuttle service to Florence and Siena, ensuring that guests can retreat from the crowded cities to their peaceful environs for relaxation and pampering.

The hotel’s Italian-American owner, Robert Trotta, who bought the castle in 2000, restored it in painstaking fashion under the beady eye of the Italian Fine Art Commission. As a result, its original fabric has been beautifully preserved, and guests in six of its suites can gaze from their beds at original 18th-century wall and ceiling frescoes. The reception area retains its original terracotta floor and many rooms boast oak-beamed ceilings. A pocket-sized chapel adjoining the main hotel would be perfect for an intimate wedding ceremony.

A mix of 18 deluxe suites and 32 doubles make up the hotel’s 50 rooms, divided between three buildings. The original castle boasts the finest, and among its treasures is the Galway Suite, named after the Irish flautist James Galway, a close friend of the owner. Its living room features frescoes and Greek-style columns, the bedroom boasts a four-poster bed with snaking posts, and an ample terrace offers picture-postcard views for private dining or small receptions. Other grand accommodation includes the Presidential Suite, a sumptuous room crowded with original frescoes that are pleasingly complemented by green floral décor.

In my double room in an outbuilding called the Annex (once a carpentry workshop), the original terracotta floor and dark antique desk exuded a sense of heritage that fit well with sumptuous burgundy fabrics and luxe soft furnishings. I pulled back the curtains of the shuttered windows each morning to a life-affirming view of shimmering Tuscan hills.

Bathrooms are mosaic and marble wonders, particularly in the ground floor Superior Suite, with its vaulted ceiling and walls that are a riot of late 18th-century Pompeiian-style frescoes by Pietro Sacaglioni.

Emerging from these little havens of luxury, guests are welcomed into common areas that capture the hotel’s heritage while enveloping them in five-star comfort. When the weather is fine, guests flock to the vast terracotta terrace with its own bar for pre-dinner Prosecco and to savour sigh-inducing views of the hotel’s Italianate gardens.

In colder months, they retreat to the hotel’s bar – once the castle’s kitchen, it’s a handsome space of ancient brick walls and wood panelling dotted by dark leather sofas and chairs. A fire in the open hearth becomes a focal point as guests sip artisan cocktails infused with local herbs or wine made from the hotel vineyard’s grapes and bottled at a nearby winery.

Food is a centrepiece of Castello del Nero, where a groaning breakfast buffet features pizza, fresh fruit and honey from the estate’s beehives. It’s served in the La Torre restaurant, which doubles as the hotel’s Michelin-starred eatery at dinnertime. But book early, because La Torre is as popular with locals as hotel guests. Executive chef Di Pirro sources food locally for an innovative menu that uses olive oil made on the estate.

We kicked off our dinner with amuse-bouches of macarons of beetroot filled with duck, followed by delights that included a spectacular pumpkin millefeuille and superb gnocchi made with local chestnuts, pine nuts and goats’ cheese. It was accompanied with wines that included a 2016 Chianti Classico by Castello di Monsanto. For more relaxed dining, the hotel’s other restaurant, La Taverna, offers Tuscan specialities such as pici con pomodorini – homemade Tuscan pasta with a sauce made from the hotel garden’s tomatoes.

Chianti-shire has long lured Brits to its cypress-covered hills for its promise of a slice of la dolce vita. Those calming vistas of silvery olive groves, historical towns of aching beauty, and pasta that tastes as if it were lovingly handmade by an ancient nonna represent ideals that are all within reach for guests at Castello del Nero. At the same time, they can be swaddled in luxury and enjoying the highest standard of service and food. They can even help dig up their own truffles if they like.

A stay at Castello del Nero Hotel & Spa starts from €344 (approx. £310) per night for a Double Superior Room with breakfast. See here for more details.