Precise Tale Poggio Alla Sala

Style

Culture smash

Setting

Rustic Montepulciano outskirts

It may be true that ‘east, west, home is best’, but family-friendly Tuscan hideaway Precise Tale Poggio Alla Sala – inspired by the Silk Road that travelled through the region centuries ago – is a home where both sides merrily meet. In classically Tuscan grounds (cypresses, vines, olive trees…) a spa offers Ayurvedic healing and oud-scented rituals; a restaurant replete with delicate frescoes serves handmade pastas and pizzas alongside sashimi or exotically spiced meats; and rooms are styled with a restrained light minimalism. It dabbles in the precious and rich (vino nobile tastings, starlit sauna sessions), but luxurious to the core and ever so welcoming, there are no trade-offs here.

Facilities

Rooms

60, including 23 suites.

Checkout

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

More Details

Rates include a buffet breakfast of plenty, with treats from the pastry chef, fruit, yoghurt, salad, juices, coffee and a selection of hot dishes; and free access to the spa’s ‘water zone’.

Also

Some of the hotel’s rooms are accessible.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Spa with two saunas and a Jacuzzi, gym, kids’ club, gardens, concierge, charged laundry service, and free WiFi. In rooms: smart TV, minibar, air-conditioning, and Etro bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

The hotel’s rooms and suites are simply dressed, letting the Tuscan countryside do the showing off, but should you feel cheated of a fresco, some suites in the main neoclassical, 18th-century villa have them. For a Jacuzzi steps from your bed, book the spa suite; for a private terrace, book the Junior Suite; and to survey all the splendour of the surrounding countryside, stay in the villa’s tower, which has 360-degree views.

Poolside

There’s a quartet of pools to choose from. The main pool is in a picturesque patch of the grounds (close to the main villa), and surrounded by palm trees and shaded sunloungers; a fountain spritzes out from the centre, there are Roman steps for easing yourself in, and the Marco Polo bar supplies thirst-quenchers. The second adults-only pool is behind the villa secluded away behind a stone wall; a third is child-friendly and shallower, set alongside the main pool; and the spa has a heated hydrotherapy pool that’s more for soaking than actual swimming.

Spa

As well as Poggio Alla Sala’s decor and dining, its spa also merges eastern and western wellness, with Ayurvedic facials, various massage styles using oils with Asian-inspired scents, Sodashi products and oud rituals. And, with mint-scented foot rubs and mani-pedis, this is true top-to-toe spoiling. There’s also a jetted pool to wallow in, a Finnish sauna and a wet sauna with a starlit ceiling, and an indoor plunge pool.

Packing Tips

Bring all your ‘see, swirl, smell, sip and savour’ savvy for wine-tastings and appropriate footwear for ancient streets.

Also

The restored farm buildings housing the spa, gym and more aren’t far from the main villa but staff will scoot you hither and thither on request if needed.

Children

Bambini are very warmly welcomed here, with some rooms that have a sofa-bed or interconnect, a sweet-as-can-be kids’ club (parental supervision needed), and dedicated spa and dining menus.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Pop the cork on your Valdobbiadene prosecco under one of the white parasols on the terrace.

Dress Code

Culture clash east and west, with acid silks, exotic embroidery and statement jewellery.

Hotel Restaurant

The hotel’s eatery La Via Della Seta is vividly painted with pink-and-sage frescoes, eye-watering in their detail. Huge plants spread up to the tips of arched windows, and the menu is a caravan of delicious Silk Road-inspired dishes: short rib in an espresso-cardamom glaze; salmon sashimi in a ginger, melon and basil sauce with a sprinkling of pistachios; fritto misto with harissa aioli. Plus Italian stalwarts in the form of fresh handmade pastas or pizzas topped with bolognese or prosciutto and stracciatella.

Hotel Bar

There’s an antique, vaulted stone wine cellar where you can embark on the hotel’s ‘vino voyage’, a very merry odyssey through Tuscan wines. Montepulciano bianchis e rossis and local beers can also be taken in the cinematic hall of La Via Della Seta, and after a few rounds of Marco Polo in the pool, you can order cocktails for sunlounger sipping from the bar named after the great explorer himself.

Last Orders

Breakfast is 7.30am to 11am, lunch 1pm to 3pm, and dinner 7.30pm to 10pm.

Room Service

For an intimate in-room meal, room service is available during restaurant hours.

Planes

Perugia’s San Francesco d'Assisi Airport (just over an hour’s drive away), or Florence’s Amerigo Vespucci Airport (a 90-minute drive away) are the closest international hubs. Or Rome Fiumicino is about a two-hour drive away. Transfers can be arranged through the hotel in a Mercedes E-Class or Viano.

Trains

Montepulciano’s train station is just a 20-minute drive away. From here you can transfer to Italy’s most laurelled cities via Siena or Chiusi. Transfers can be arranged on request.

Automobiles

Tuscany is prime ‘whipping along country lanes in a classic car’ territory; and out in the countryside wheels are needed; the hotel has free parking onsite, and the bellboys are on hand to valet.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Precise Tale Poggio Alla Sala lies close to mediaeval hilltop town Montepulciano, but amid the estate’s holm oaks and cypress-lined paths, strips of vines and olive groves, you’ll feel like you’re living in a landscape painting. Onsite, days pass slowly with a swim here, a spa visit there, some wine tasting… And, things don’t get much speedier offsite, but there’s a wealth of history to sniff out and plenty of vino nobile to sip. Wander along Montepulciano’s Il Corso, looking out for Renaissance churches, noble palazzos, and the Punch-topped Torre di Pulcinella; and swing by the Piazza Grande, known for its grand 16th-century manors and as the setting for The Twilight Saga: New Moon. There are two Unesco-protected areas of extreme natural beauty within reach, the Lucciola Bella park with its sprays of colourful wildflowers, and the Val d’Orcia, Tuscany’s quintessential postcard snapshot. Siena is about an hour’s drive away, and is best known for its breathtaking Palio horse race (held twice a year in July and August) and colourful cathedral and duomo. It’s sort of a mini-me of Florence’s Santa Maria del Fiore, which you could also see IRL, as the city of the Uffizi, Accademia, Ponte Vecchio and more lasting landmarks is an easy day-trip, a 90-minute drive away. Now, about that vino… The countryside is awash with it, and the hotel’s own cellar Tenuta Poggio Alla Sala Winery is a short drive away for tastings of Rosso di Montepulciano and Chianti Colli Senesi. Or sip your way through La Ciarliana, Azienda Agricola Canneto, or Golo (we recommend a designated driver, because the list goes on).

Staff can supply you with mapped-out routes to ensure you don’t miss the region’s hidden treasures, say from Siena to San Francesco Church, passing the Contrada della Civetta, fortified mansion of Castellare degli Ugurgeri, Santa Maria in Provenzano church, and Museo Diocesano d’Arte Sacra. From Montepulciano through the wooded Val di Merse, spying 7th-century Etruscan palaces and Romanesque abbeys; walk the wynds of the Val d’Elsa’s teeny villages (stopping into crystal shops along the way); or chase Chianti classicos through the wine’s namesake region.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .