Where to stay
Tenuta di Paternostro
Vetralla, Lazio
With its wide-open views, this country house (tenutadi paternostro.it) distils the wild yet elegant spirit of the swathe of northern Lazio known as Tuscia. At the centre of a huge 31-hectare property, where guests can take part in foraging expeditions or explore Etruscanera caves, is a cluster of restored rural dwellings. Inside the terracotta-hued main house are five lovely guest suites, decorated to reflect the owner’s globetrotting lifestyle and playful design sense. Horses, once bred for steeplechase races, wander freely, within sight of a long pool and an old hay barn that’s now a sunset drinks and candlelit dinner venue. With its luxuryresort-level service, the Tenuta also works brilliantly as a wholevilla rental, sleeping up to 12.
Fonteverde
San Casciano dei Bagni, Tuscany
The ultimate Tuscan spa hotel, Fonteverde (fonteverdespa.com) centres on a sumptuous villa built in 1607 by Tuscany’s former Medici rulers around a thermal spring, which today flows into a modern pool so large you can barely see the other side through the rising steam. The best of the 63 rooms, all refurbished in 2020, are in the historic villa, which also houses the resort’s fine-dining restaurant, Ferdinando I. The caressingly hot water and vast range of spa treatments make this a great autumn or even winter destination.
Pieve Suites
Città della Pieve, Umbria
Before this good-value place opened in 2018, there was no truly stylish accommodation in the historic centre of one of Umbria’s most charming hill towns. Pieve Suites (pievesuites. com) consists of three miniapartments, one with a small vine-shaded garden, all done out in contemporary style, an enjoyable contrast with the ancient, flower-decked lane outside the front door. It’s only a minute’s stroll to friendly café-bakery Caffè Matucci (Piazza Matteotti; +39 057 829 8830) – just one of the many entries in a printed guide of personal recommendations that the owner has compiled for her guests.