Castello di Tornano Wine Relais

We recently spent a week at the Castle and it is a beautiful hotel in the most stunning surroundings but the thing that made our stay extra special was most definitely the staff. They were all so friendly and eager to please but a special thanks has to go to Alex, our waiter, who was exceptional. Our room was perfect, retaining the charm of the building whilst providing everything you would hope for. The restaurant food was absolutely delicious and consequently we ate there most evenings. We can’t recommend this hotel highly enough and would definitely return.

My partner and I stayed 4 nights at Castello di Tornano and it was a truly memorable experience! The location is fantastic, with beautiful views of the Tuscan hills and vinyards, and mile after mile of protected wild forest. Despite Florence and Siena being very easily reachable it felt so peaceful, and a real respite from hustle and bustle with the only noise usually being the birds. The castle also has so much history to appreciate, the swimming pool used to be the castle moat! You can go up to the top of the tower for a gorgeous 360 view of the landscape, and with so little light pollution we'd really recommend it for a bit of romantic stargazing. Our room was very comfortable, with a wide (and long!) bed and a great shower (good temperature and water pressure). The castle is elegantly decorated with both modern and ancient pieces, such as several suits of armour but also abstract paintings by local artists. There's obviously been a lot of effort put in by the management to retain the original castle feeling while still providing modern luxuries, which we felt they've done very well. The staff was so helpful and nice, without exception they made us feel very welcome! We would highly recommend the cooking class, where we prepared a full Tuscan menu with local ingredients, including herbs from the castle's own garden. Another day we took the e-bikes and explored the local area, very recommended! These are perfect for the Tuscan hills, and you do not need to be in great shape to ride around :) We ate two nights at the restaurant and everything on the menu was delicious. It is hard to find something specifically to recommend as it was all so good, but we would have to suggest the game meat, the cold cuts, any pasta, the sirloin, and the unexpectedly tasty salt and olive oil ice cream. Matteo is an artist at the grill, and we will remember the Flintstone-sized bistecca for years to come! Despite being gluten free, we never felt limited or like we were settling for second best. The chef was great at adapting for gluten free food, and the allergens were clearly indicated. The wines were also superb! One thing to note: the last mile to the castle is a rather steep, unpaved track, which at first glance looked a bit more adventurous than we were expecting. However, we were able to traverse it easily with a tiny 0.7L Lancia Ypsilon, so if we could do it, anyone can!

A fabulous location with stunning views. The rooms are spacious and well appointed, and there is a lovely feeling of history all around the hotel. The staff are really friendly and speak excellent English. The food is excellent, and the Bistecca alla Fiorentine steak cooked over the open wood fire was amazing, as was the wild boar ragout. There was also lots of choice, so we had something different each night. There are lots of picturesque villages to explore, and nearby Siena is also great for sightseeing and shopping. We’re looking forward to going back and would definitely recommend!

Castello di Tornano is an ancient castle with real character and charm. It has a beautiful hilltop location with wonderful views out over the Tuscan countryside. We stayed there for four days, hiking and e-biking and exploring the old villages of Chianti. The team (and the new owners) are clearly working extremely hard to make you welcome. There’s a great breakfast with excellent home-baked pastries. The restaurant serves tasty local produce and local wine. Plenty of places to sit and admire the countryside. They aren’t aiming at the super-luxe crowd – it’s a lovely, friendly place to stay. Can recommend!

We have had the most wonderful time staying at this fabulous castle. Our room was so comfortable and beautifully decorated. The staff were so friendly, kind and helpful. The food and wine were exquisite. We especially enjoyed the stunning scenery that surrounds this delightful destination. We shall most certainly return.

Stunning castle hotel and restaurant in the Tuscany hills set in approx 300 Acres of its own vineyards, olive groves, and ancient oak woodland, full of boar, deer, and so many animals, we lost count. We saw butterflies of every kind - including an “English Blue” which is so rare as to be near extinct in the uk. The Restaurant is hard to describe - as it is so good. Exquisite fine dining, coupled with relaxed and intimate atmosphere - served by friendly and knowledgeable team which really sits well with the castle and countryside, with superb attention to detail, matched with stunning quality and taste. We did a cookery course there with the 3 celebrated chefs who run the kitchen, and this was unforgettable - fun and friendly as well as informative and interesting - including making tagliatelle pasta from scratch. Everything was carefully and thoughtfully laid out, and so much to learn. We had our own creations for dinner that night, (tidied up and beautified by the chefs). The restaurant has fantastic selections of wines - but of particular note is the fact that you can have wine grown on that very estate, with Tornano Castle on the label - and the unbelievable olive oil on salads and with bread - the waiter (Alex), picked the olives for that oil himself the season before, along with one of his colleagues, and he explained how you can harvest the olives early or later in the season to get subtle differences in the flavour of the oil. Decorations in the Castle are also a delight - wall to wall antiques from the different ages across the over a thousand year history of the castle, with a dungeon / wine-tasting area, chapel, and rooftop terrace with 360 degree views of the scented hills all around. Sofas from the baroque period, Medici era tables and chairs, and every age both before and after - with curios and decorations in every nook. After dinner there is a lovely lounge with an open oak-fire scenting the room and setting the atmosphere. Bookshelves stocked with books in every language, and the staff seem to speak all the languages there are, and are so friendly! The grounds were probably my favourite part. The unhurried and timeless character of the castle sits perfectly within the tracks, paths, and wilderness in the castle grounds, and its own immaculate gardens - and you get a real feel for how the olives grow, and how the vines develop, just by seeing how they are laid out. On the ground are fragments of marble, and every type of stone. We stayed for 2 days - and wished we could stay for 2 months it is such a great place. If you’ve read this far in the review - read no further and go ahead and book a stay there!! We stayed in the Lancelot and Guinevere rooms (2 interlinked double-rooms), perfect for a family with teenage children, in the main hotel part of the castle - or you can stay in the tower, or a couple of cottages in the grounds which are amazing, one of them even has a hot tub outside, and a log burner in the lounge,