It’s like stepping into the castle from “Beauty and the Beast,” where chandeliers, armchairs, mirrors, and other furnishings take on a cartoonish quality, multiplying and repeating in various rooms. This is the playful approach of architect Paola Navone, who tackled the vast spaces of the 12th-century manor overlooking the valley around Barberino Tavernelle. The castle features ancient terracotta floors, vaulted ceilings, frescoed halls, and vestibules over 10 meters high, all filled without succumbing to the cliché of the Tuscan country style that trivializes many other resorts in the area. At the entrance, an antique table with a row of imposing black candelabras is ceremonially lit every evening to create an intimate twilight ambiance. Chairs, sofas, beds, wardrobes, and color palettes are austere, emphasizing the unaltered beauty of the structure originally designed to guard and protect the fertile estate.

We are in the iconic Chianti region, with its hills cultivated with vines and olive trees, a gentle and delicate landscape that invites contemplation and relaxation. This was a vision grasped by the Trotta family, who in 2006 transformed the castle into one of the first five-star agricultural resorts, a trend that is very popular today. This vision was further developed by Christina Ong, founder of the Como group and the current owner, who fell in love with the place during a vacation and offered to buy it. This acquisition was completed in 2018, leading to a total renovation, first of the castle and then of the Shambhala spa, a wellness concept designed by Ong herself, which is essentially a natural lifestyle to be shared with guests. In the softest scenery of Tuscany, guests find a retreat of tranquility and meditation. They can enjoy free yoga or Pilates classes in the morning, swim in the 25-meter pool, receive holistic treatments, relax in the hot tub, take walks in the woods, and contemplate in the Italian garden or on the terrace of suites overlooking the valley. This rhythm helps distance oneself from anxieties and worries.

As the owner, who brought Prada and Bulgari to Asia in the 1990s and has always entrusted her hotels to Italian architects, admits, her connection to Italian aesthetics runs deep. She admires Italy’s ability to blend history and modernity with beautiful results. “Italians,” she says, “can be masters of the Baroque, but they understand simplicity uniquely and powerfully, from design to food.” In acquiring Castello del Nero, she inherited not only a magnificent structure but also a Michelin-starred restaurant that avoids the tedious exercises of haute cuisine, favoring genuine products, respect for recipes, and the joy of conviviality. Luca Di Pirro uses many home-grown products and doesn’t get lost in philosophical preparations; he serves at the table without fuss and teaches how to make fresh pasta. His dishes are decipherable and inviting, from breakfast options to casual lunches and the gourmet menu at La Torre.

The estate is vast, and besides the vegetable garden, wine, and oil, it produces honey. It is almost a self-sufficient and efficient system, where every small piece of land is devoutly cared for, and every stone is lovingly restored. After Podere San Filippo, one of the buildings later renovated into rental apartments with a private pool, this year’s novelty is Villa San Luigi. Secluded and independent, it has five rooms, a cinema, an infinity pool, a dedicated ambassador, a chef at disposal, and of course, all the services reserved for hotel guests.

This resort, which started slowly, is now fully operational. How do you know? Simply by the enjoyment of the stay. Worth trying.