THE BEST LUXURY HOTEL IN TUSCANY!

I don't know about you, but every time I watch a movie that is filmed in Italy, I fall more in love with the country! "Under the Tuscan Sun" is a movie that had me dreaming of Tuscany for many years and I knew it was somewhere I would eventually explore, but I also felt it was a place made for romance.

I'm happy that I waited to share it with someone I love. It's definitely not a region to travel solo, in my option, despite the fact that Diane Lane in the movie moved there alone in desperate need of solitude and change.

I spent numerous days and countless hours researching different properties to stay in Tuscany and decided upon "Borgo Santo Pietro" a 800 year old property that has been renovated with modern touches, while still holding that classic Tuscan atmosphere.

When you arrive at this property, after a long trip of winding roads that might make you nauseous (although beautiful scenes along the way) you see elegant gates surrounded by large Italian cypress trees.

Slowing the entrance doors open and you drive into another world! A world where you're surrounded by only beauty, serene views and peace felt in the air! If you look to your right, you'll see adorable ducks swimming in a pond and if you look straight, eventually you arrive at a charming Italian Villa with a small fiat and scooters that help you feel the Italian vibe.

Upon check in, you enter into the Villa that instantly leaves you in awe and the host escorts you to a living-room filled with books and lit by a gorgeous chandelier, to have a cup of coffee, tea, water or anything you prefer.

As they took our passports, I couldn't control my urge to explore inside the Villa while we waited to be assisted to our room. There are 22 luxury rooms and suites on the property, each one with an individualized special touch and on the website you can choose which cozy small Villa you want to call your home for a few nights!

As I toured the estate, I thought, This was once someone's home!" Enchanting décor and cozy ambience from the chandeliers throughout the property, candles lit and numerous fireplace. I knew before even making it to my suite, I never wanted to leave and at some point in my life, I'd love an extended stay on this property.

When I visit properties like this that has a special energy about it, I like to envision what it would have been like years ago to live there and what it would be like if I lived there in present time.

As we waited to be escorted to our private suite/villa I could not resist exploring outside of the main house/ villa, and seeing what was beyond the large brown doors that I noticed to the left of it, when I walked in.

I quickly went outside and walked through those large brown doors, only to be transported into what felt like another world, realm or existence. I was speechless. The beauty of the rolling hills that Tuscany is known for that appear to go on for acres. The chairs that overlooked the breathtaking view. I couldn't help but feel so grateful that I was witnessing this beauty with my naked eye and thought to myself. How did I go 34 years without ever knowing something like this existed? Borgo Santo Pietro is a world within itself that makes you feel disconnected from reality of your life that might include stress, work, or anything you wish you didn't have to think about. It's truly a hidden gem with a warm and inviting energy that makes you never want to leave.

That attention to detail and exceptional service. The farm to table restaurants and the ability to tour the property and take goat milking classes to learn how they make cheese from it or the ability to go to their farm on property and pick your own fruit and vegetables. The products such as; soaps, lotions and scent infusers for the villas that smell amazing!! All come from ingredients on their farm.

It was raining prior to arrival so some parts of the property were cloud covered or puddles. But that didn't take away from the beauty of this estate.

Further into the blog, you will find photos of the property in greater detail with the sun shining bright!

It was time to finally check into our private villa called "Casa Ellen."

As we walked the path that led to our private suite / Villa, we passed many others along the way, which makes it feel like a small community on acres of land. They literally look like small villas each down a different path and when you stay in one, you actually feel like you are at home due to its private front door, spacious bed and living room and private outdoor back area with patio furniture.

The only thing missing is a kitchen and honestly who needs that when you have exceptional room, service, and farm to table restaurants on property.

Upon entering the private doors to our Villa, I began to feel an overwhelming energy of gratitude and awe.....was I really living this life? Was I really in such an unbelievable region of Italy and this particular property? It felt surreal as I walked into what felt like a home away from home. My Tuscan Villa!

The attention to details that made it so inviting: The pot outside the front door that held umbrellas, the 2 cozy chairs on the front patio and then when you enter and the scent of their unique infuser (I bought them and now at home in Miami, I am always reminded of Tuscany), the king bed that looks royal, the ambience of the living-room that has a fireplace and warm lit chandelier and the color palette that spoke to my soul.

As I entered the suite and took in that moment, I couldn't wait to explore every inch of this property, knowing that what I was observing seemed like it couldn't get any better, but somehow I knew that there was so much more to experience and beauty waiting to be discovered!

I looked out the French doors/windows and stared at the nature surrounding me. My private chairs and living space outside with a separate fireplace and.....chandelier! Beyond the back door was a garden waiting to be found. It was a large pond where ducks were swimming and a preservation of nature that Monet would have painted. A fountain and bench that was inviting you to sit and stare into the abyss.

On the desk you find a schedule with activity you can participate in every day at different times and a summary of the estate.

"Immerse yourself in the Borgo experience by meeting the farmers and culinary gardeners who produce the harvest for the table, exploring the 13 acres of gardens for a flower-arranging lesson with our in-house florist, or setting up a canvas next to the resident artist for an art lesson by the lake. Take a cooking lessons at the Borgo Cooking School with our local 'Mamma Olga' and stretch out in the abundance of nature on our 300 acres. Visit our artisan dairy and taste the delicious varieties of savory cheeses that we make fresh daily from the milk from our livestock of 300 sheep. Roam our forests past 100 acres of rolling green pasture land alongside the River Merse to immerse yourself completely in nature. Wander through our vineyards and try Cooking School, our different wines, Explore our 6 acres of organic herbs fields, then see where the herbs are blended by hand for our natural skincare line, Seed to Skin in our science lab."

If there was any chance of me relaxing, I knew first I needed to explore the property and take as many photos of all the things my eyes were drawn to. Photography has always been a passion of mine and a landscape like this, I cannot get enough photos. 54 photos later and this isn't even all of them!

It did begin to rain, but that only added some additional feelings of exhilaration.

This property had me feeling like I was in a fairy tale.

Now that I had explored most of the common areas, although I did want to experience it by night since everything looks more dramatic and different at night, especially when you're on a property that lights by hand over 200 handles throughout and that had me thinking.....how much time does that take each night and how much do they spend on candles? If I sold candles, they would be my best customer.

We had a long drive from Milan and I wanted to relax in my villa and have some delicious home-made Italian cuisine, wine and light that fire. The pizza was traditional Naples style with dough that was fermined to perfection and the al dente pasta made with fresh tomato sauce was delicious too! 

It was such an intimate and romantic setting and at the same time, I felt like I was experiencing it in the privacy of my own home.

There is something about Italy as day becomes night. The sky turns a beautiful blue that I’ve never observed anywhere else. I asked my boyfriend if we could adventure before it became dark and take some photos and absorb the ambience of the candles lit throughout the property, making me feel like I’m on the set of Phantom of the Opera or transported back in time when they used candles to light the way. It was mesmerizing to tour the estate and I’m obsessed with warm lighting, so it felt magical!

"In every walk with nature you receive more than you seek."

The next morning we awoke to a sunny day and I couldn't wait to get outside and tour the wine vineyard, nature trail, farm with animals and vegetable garden.

"And into the garden I go, to lose myself and find my soul."

It was a good thing they had signs to follow, since the property was so large, you could get lost.

We were starving and were anticipating an exceptional breakfast. We arrived at the large villa where the kitchen is and it felt like we were coming home to a chef in our kitchen that just prepared an elaborate feast. Everything you could imagine was spread out throughout the formal kitchen and anything you wanted made specific, the chef was cooking it for you.

There was eggs made to order, fresh pasties, an assortment of all types of cheese directly from their farm and fresh fruits and vegetables.

I loved the berry jam on my croissant with an egg white omelet and cheese.

We sat outside and admired the view of nature, while hearing the birds chirping is the distance.

After breakfast we decided to take the scooters and tour Siena. The region of Tuscany we were in. We found an abandoned villa on a mountain and a cathedral.

Borgo Santo Pietro has a tranquil pool over looking the landscape so we wanted to get back and relax before lunch and spend time being in the moment now that the sun was shining on us!

We spent a few hours by the pool and wanted to return to our room to shower and nap before dinner. We were supposed to have a farm to table dinner in the garden with other guests, surrounded by fruit and vegetables and hand choose ones we wanted to have for dinner, but due to a heavy amount of rain the night prior, we were unable to do that since the garden has to much mud. It worked out anyways, we ate at one of the restaurants that has a nature lovers dreams décor. I am a lover of nature, specifically trees and the restaurant was built around a tree that stand directly through it. You become one with nature.

They have in Borgo fashion, a chandelier and candles hand lit throughout the restaurant inside and outside.

After dinner and watching the sunset, we had a drink cozy by the fire pit outside the restaurant and eventually got back to our suite where the fire was lit for us and we ordered a bottle of wine.

"Designed around a large spreading oak tree with rustic interiors that evoke an elegant expansive tree house, our Trattoria Sull'Albero offers a laid-back lounge and dining ambience overlooking the fields and forest of Valle Serena. The classic Tuscan Menu of our "farm to plate" showcases our organically cultivated ingredients sourced from our farm: freshly picked vegetables, artisanal cheeses from our dairy, free range eggs, inhouse prosciutto ham and zero idiometer sourced meat.

Guests can enjoy a delicious drink ether inside by the cozy fire. With our open plan kitchen, you can watch our pizzaiolo make and twirl a pizza from scratch before siding it into the wood-fired oven and serving it, sizzling, onto your plate.

Every Wednesday and Sunday evening, SulfAlbero plays host to our gourmet

Farmers Market, where guests are invited to take their pick on the spot, and dine in a convivial atmosphere of live music."

The following morning we had a private art lesson in nature. Alex was awesome! She taught us techniques to easily paint flowers with watercolor. The painting area was surrounded by a pond where we heard loud frogs and saw ducks. It was enchanting! I felt like I was in a fairy tale forest and disconnected from reality, in a good way!

After painting we went to see the baby goats and learn how they milk them. It was interesting, but disgusting at the same time.

Then night came and before I knew it, it was the next morning and time to leave.

I wish I could have spent more nights there but I had strategically mapped out the trip and only had a specific number of days in each location.

Borgo has a special feeling in my heart and as I mentioned before, every day I am reminded of it when I smell it as I walk in my front door or sit in my living room and smell the infuser they use on property.

Ciao Borgo, until next time.....