I arrived in Bruges on a day when a furious late-winter storm was making headline news across Western Europe. The one-minute walk from the train station to the cabstand was sufficient to seal the fate of my umbrella. A short ride later I was delivered damp and chilled at the Romantik Pand Hotel. My spirits soared as I stepped into the foyer. The gracious home-like atmosphere and welcome had the warmth of a summer’s afternoon.
Le Capanne was a short two-hour drive from Florence, and a world away. The magic began to unfold with the last mile of our journey, as we started up the narrow, intermittently paved country road to Camporsevoli. It meandered steeply upward, each turn revealing more spectacular views of the valley below, a rolling landscape of vineyards and olive groves punctuated by centuries-old farmhouses. Soon a discrete wooden sign announced Le Capanne; an unassuming name ( capanne is Italian for shacks) for this superb $2.5 million fieldstone villa perched on five acres (two hectares) of beautifully landscaped grounds. It turned out to be merely an allusion to the humble origins of the villa. Le Capanne was for centuries one of the many farmsteads on the 500-acre (200 hectare) hillside Camporsevoli Estate. It was only recently restored into a five-bedroom rustic beauty with an inviting country Tuscan décor and the latest comforts and conveniences, including satellite TV, WiFi and a large swimming pool. The housekeepers, Francisco and Maria, were on hand to welcome us and ensure we were happily settled in.
Tuscany is famous the world over for its rich history, its artistic status as the cradle of the Renaissance, its magnificent churches and palazzos filled with stunning art and its picturesque countryside of rolling hills dotted with sun-baked medieval villages. All have contributed to making this 8,880 square mile (23,000 square kilometer) triangle of land, barely the size of New Hampshire, one of travelers’ favorite places to visit in Italy, a country that is itself one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. While Tuscany’s regional capital, Florence, is said to lure close to ten million visitors a year, it is but one of six United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites in the region. The remaining five, also vastly popular destinations, are the historical centers of Siena, San Gimignano and Pienza as well as the square of the Cathedral of Pisa and the Val d’Orcia, a remote valley south of Siena.
We much enjoyed our brief stay at the Hotel Bareiss, a family owned and managed resort with an emphasis on quality and being one of the best resort properties in Europe. From our arrival on a quiet late winter day we discovered an exceptional property.
Arriving at the Bareiss Restaurant at the tail end of a two-week visit of Southwestern Germany where we had been repeatedly surprised with the quality and refinement of the restaurants, we had high expectations of this establishment. We were delighted to find the restaurant met and surpassed them with room to spare.
Arriving at the Bareiss Restaurant at the tail end of a two-week visit of Southwestern Germany where we had been repeatedly surprised with the quality and refinement of the restaurants, we had high expectations of this establishment. We were delighted to find the restaurant met and surpassed them with room to spare.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the small restaurant tucked discretely within the outstanding Bareiss complex.
Passione Rossa, a small family owned restaurant set in a former potato storage shed within the Romantik Hotel BollAnt’s im Park near Frankfurt, was a gourmet surprise. The first hint of the pleasant and tasty meal that awaited us was the friendly welcome we received on our arrival at the restaurant on a quiet winter Sunday.
The refined and delicate dishes we were served contrasted with the old farm setting.
