The historic properties offer modern amenities within centuries-old walls
TEXT BY
SUSAN MOYNIHAN - Posted April 5, 2016
Who among us hasn’t dreamed of dropping everything and moving to Italy to live in a historic villa? It’s perhaps not the most realistic fantasy, but luckily you don’t have to buy a villa to enjoy the experience of sleeping inside storied walls. Many have been converted into grand accommodations that showcase the best of modern luxuries while maintaining their design ancestry. (With such a rich artistic history and dedicated craftsmen trained to honor tradition, renovating villas is an art form here.) From a Tuscan estate with guest rooms carved from the stone wine cellar to a Baroque showplace loaded with reflective detail, these seven villa hotels are all worth a visit just to see the handiwork—but best appreciated when you can check in and stay awhile.
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Castello Banfi Il Borgo
One of region’s largest wine estates, Banfi’s Montalcino property includes a magnificent hilltop castle-fortress, Poggio alle Mura, which first appeared in regional documents in 1318. The castle now houses the winery’s tasting room and restaurant, and the stone homes that made up the workers’ village in the 1700s have been converted into a 14-room hotel. Beamed ceilings and stone archways prevail in the country-chic lodgings, which offer scenic views over 7,000 acres of hillside vineyards.
Link: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/luxe-villa-rentals-italy