Pieve Aldina

Style

All fresco

Setting

Classic Chiantishire

With a real-life landscape painting for a backdrop, Pieve Aldina in the hazy Chianti countryside is ready with all the frescoes, bell towers, episcopal summer houses, and rolling hills you need for a non-hallucinatory trip to Tuscany. The pinch-me panoramas are a reality around here and they’re available from every window. There’s an enoteca on the estate for pasta-making lessons, a glass of (locally produced, obviously) wine with some cheese and charcuterie, or an espresso with an almond biscuit or 12. For something a little heartier, the main restaurant Le Rondini awaits, with typical Tuscan dishes served after summertime drinks in the parish priest’s garden. We did say it was idyllic.

Facilities

Rooms

22, including 16 suites.

Checkout

Noon. Earliest check-in, 4pm.

More Details

Rates usually include breakfast.

Also

One room at Pieve Aldina has been adapted for guests with mobility issues.

Hotel Closed

The hotel shutters up for winter between November and March.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Free WiFi throughout, 10th-century church and yoga classes. In rooms: tea- and coffee-making kit, Susanne Kaufmann bath products, air-conditioning, minibar, TV (added on request), and free bottled water.

Our Favourite Rooms

Most of the rooms have a quintessential Chiantishire view, but for extra pastoral-perfection points, request one overlooking the bell tower. Families can close off rooms 10 and 11 so that they have their own entrance at the bottom of the stairs. Or for an especially peaceful slumber, book Signature Loft Suite room 22, which has a soothing white and dove-grey palette in the bedroom and rolling-countryside views in each direction.

Poolside

As with most corners of Pieve Aldina, the pool has a view – specifically, of the bell tower. It’s open for scenic swims between 7am and 9pm.

Spa

Don’t sit up too quickly in the couples’ treatment room at the spa (sloping beamed ceilings are everywhere around here). As if things weren’t serene enough, the spa has a view of the manicured Italian garden and its encircling olive trees. Along with two treatment rooms, there’s a sauna and hammam.

Packing Tips

Save some suitcase space and bring extra padding to safely transport your haul of Chianti’s grape- and olive-based wares.

Also

Yoga might already have you in a state of inner calm, but we’re guessing things will be even more at peace after some sun salutations amid the olive trees – there are two classes every week.

Children

All ages are welcome and there are connecting rooms available. The Family Suite has a sofa-bed and space for a cot.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Sit out in the grassy courtyard for optimal romance levels, or pull up a seat at Mamma’s table in L’Enoteca to feast on her homemade gnocchi.

Dress Code

Renaissance beauty.

Hotel Restaurant

The chef at Le Rondini makes the most of his Tuscan backdrop, with baskets of fruit and vegetables delivered daily from surrounding smallholdings. The menu is typically Tuscan, too: traditional panzanella salads, pappa al pomodoro, spelt pici with Cinta Senese ragu and, of course, lots of Florentine beef and Chianti wines. L’Enoteca is lifted from the Fifties, with hanging hams, strands of pasta air-drying and welcoming tables to sit at and enjoy a glass of local wine with some cheese and cured meats. Here, you’ll also be able to feast on fresh pasta and almond biscuits depending on what takes your fancy, and an afternoon-tea spread is put on daily from 4pm to 5pm.

Hotel Bar

For all-Italian aperitivo, make your way to Le Rondini in time for sunset, AKA spritz o’clock. In the summer, the parish priest’s garden is the venue for early evening drinks.

Last Orders

Le Rondini serves breakfast (7.30am to 10.30am); lunch (12.30pm to 2.30pm); and dinner (7.30pm to 10pm).

Room Service

Available from 8am to 9pm. Dishes include panzanella, bruschetta and, of course, club sandwiches with a Tuscan twist.

Planes

Nearby airports include Florence and Pisa, both of which are around an hour away by car. The hotel can arrange transfers on request.

Trains

For guests arriving in Florence by train, the onwards journey by road to the hotel should take roughly an hour.

Automobiles

You’ll need wheels to fully appreciate this breathtaking backdrop – there’s free parking on the estate.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Activities at Pieve Aldina are as peak idyllic Italia as it’s possible to get: picnics in the olive groves, pasta-making classes, locally made wine and olive-oil tastings, Vespa rides through the Chianti countryside… You’ll also be able to ride e-bicycles, horses and hot-air balloons, visit ceramic workshops and hike scenic Sienese trails. The hotel offers garden tours, yoga sessions and an outdoor cinema (in July and August). Within day-tripping distance are Siena and Florence. And as if everything wasn’t impossibly photogenic enough, the mediaeval village of Volpaia is on hand to make you swoon some more.

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. .