The Ultimate Guide to the Best Wine Hotels in Italy

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Italians, famously, love their food. And good food needs good wine. The sheer geographical length of Italy means that it’s blessed with a huge diversity of wines, from sparkling Prosecco to Super-Tuscan reds. This also means that the best wine hotels in Italy are not just restricted to one or two regions.

Some of our Italy wine hotel collections:

• Wine hotels in Tuscany
• Wine hotels in Chianti
• Wine hotels in the Veneto
• Wine hotels in Piedmont
• Wine hotels in Sicily
• Best places to stay in Puglia
• Best places to stay in Lombardy

You could choose an Italian wine hotel near the shores of Lake Garda close to the Veneto region - home of Valpolicella and Prosecco - or in the coastal resorts of Sicily. Tuscany is perhaps the most famous wine region, particularly for Chianti and Sangiovese wines. The hills of Piedmont in the north-west are renowned for mighty reds such as Barolo while Puglia, down in Italy’s sun-baked south, has made significant improvements in its wine production, with wines such as Primitivo di Manduria. And then there are the sparkling wines of the Franciacorta wine route in Lombardy.

Use our guide to the best wine hotels in Italy to find familiar wine names, and make some new discoveries.

Wine hotels in Chianti

Everyone has heard of Chianti, even if they can’t place it on the map. And it does have one of the prime spots in Italy, stretching between glorious art-stuffed Florence and medieval-walled Siena. In between are a series of hill-top towns with names designed to seduce such as San Gimignano and Castellina in Chianti.

• If your idea of an Italian wine hotel is a castello, you’re in the right region. Perched on a hilltop with magnificent 360-degree views, Castello di Tornano ticks all the right boxes: bedrooms in turrets, four-poster beds and beamed ceilings. There are even stables, should you choose to arrive on horseback.
• Adding a modern spa and two swimming pools, Castello di Spaltenna also has the requisite thick walls and wooden rafters.
• Equally charming, Palazzo Leopoldo is a hilltop hotel whose terrace restaurant has lovely views over the vineyards.

Wine hotels in Tuscany (excluding Chianti)

Just saying the word Tuscany immediately conjures up rolling hills, cypress-lined roads and red pantile roofs. Its signature red grape, Sangiovese, is responsible for the distinctive flavours of Montepulciano and Montalcino wines while Cabernet Sauvignon is the main grape variety of the so-called ‘Super-Tuscan’ red wines.

Tuscany has one of the biggest collections of wine hotels in Italy, which means there are heaps of places we could recommend; here are just a few, around Montepulciano and Montalcino, to whet your appetite.

• Overlooking Montepulciano, Villa Poggiano is a classic Tuscan country house with terracotta floors, exposed beams and refined furnishings. There’s a small pool plus cookery classes are on offer, too.
• On a working farm near San Quirico d’Orcia, and with vine-covered terraces, Il Rigo combines a simple rusticity with family antiques and outstanding Tuscan food, much home-grown and organic.
• If food is your thing, check out Il Patriarca near Chiusi with its Michelin-starred restaurant.
• And if you want to splash out, Castello Banfi il Borgo is a 13th century castle surrounded by its own vineyards and boasts lush romantic bedrooms and a spa.

Wine hotels in the Veneto

The Veneto is smaller, geographically, than Italy’s other main wine-producing regions, yet produces more wine than any of them. The names to conjure with here are Valpolicella, Bardolino, Amarone, Soave and, of course, Prosecco.

• A lovely hideaway, surrounded by vineyards north of Verona, I Tamasotti has just six rooms, exposed beams, stone or wooden floors and a romantic gazebo.
• Nearby Tenuta Le Cave has boldly designed rooms - from rustic-chic to vintage - a spa and its own vineyard.
• For something completely over-the-top - fabulously design-conscious rooms, contemporary art on the walls and all hidden within a classic 16th-century exterior - check out Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amista between Verona and Lake Garda. Spa and gourmet restaurant, too.
• Prosecco-lovers will head for Villa Abbazia in Follina near Conegliano, a luxurious and traditional country-house hotel with two restaurants, both Michelin-starred.
• More modestly priced, but equally well-placed, Hotel dei Chiostri has crisp, boutique-style rooms with original paintings and private balconies

Wine hotels in Piedmont

Often called the ‘Burgundy of Italy’, the Piedmont region has more DOCGs (the highest classification of Italian wines) than any other Italian region. Just listening to these names - Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera d’Asti - and you begin to salivate. There are also the white truffles of Alba, too, to add to the gourmet mix.

• For complete relaxation, and set amongst its own vineyards, La Casa in Collina near Canelli takes some beating. This beautiful farmhouse has just six, antique-filled rooms and a pool from which you can gaze over the vines.
• Set amongst the vineyards of Verduno and Barbaresco, south west of Alba, Real Castello, as the name suggests, is the ‘real deal’: a 15th-century castle with vast, polished-floored rooms, painted wall-panels and sweeping views.
• Nearby Villa Beccaris, is a softly furnished, romantic retreat with beamed and frescoed ceilings. Walks from the villa take you deep into vineyards and truffle country. There’s also a stunning glass-walled dining room.

Wine hotels in Puglia

Puglia, the long, sun-baked region in the south, is the King of Italy’s olive production. But grapes now run a close second. Although there are vineyards throughout the region, most people feel the ‘real’ Puglia is in the south, around Alberobello - and its curious trulli houses - Ostuni, Lecce and Otranto.

• A great-value spot in the centre of Lecce, Palazzo Gorgoni has just four, simple but elegant - wooden floors, barrel-vaulted ceilings - light-filled rooms.
• Next to the town’s Santa Croce, the Baroque façade of Palazzo Personé hides crisp, minimalist rooms and an atmospheric cellar wine bar.
• South of Lecce, in Galatina, Palazzo Baldi is a homely townhouse B&B with traditional rooms with balconies overlooking rooftops, and a quiet courtyard.

Wine hotels in Emilia Romagna and Italy's "Food Valley"

Emilia Romagna may not be Italy's best know wine region, but this is Lambrusco country where they also produce a large quantity of sparkling wines.

• Roncolo 1888 is a stunning wine and balsamic vinegar estate in the heart of the region's "Food Valley", close to both Parma and Modena. Beautifully appointed rooms and suites boast plenty of period features alongside chic contemporary styling; elegance and sophistication reign supreme! Foodies will not be disappointed by the fine-dining restaurant all accompanied by the wines and vinegars that are produced on site.

Wine hotels in Lombardy and the Franciacorta wine route

Wine-lovers generally head to Lombardy’s Franciacorta region - between Bergamo and Brescia - which produces Italy’s finest sparkling wine, Franciacorta DOCG, made according to Champagne methods.

• Family-owned Relais da Vittorio, to the east of Bergamo, has soft, elegantly furnished rooms and one of the region’s finest restaurants. A definite ‘must’ for foodies!
• Villa San Pietro, to the south of Brescia, is a wonderfully inviting B&B with brightly coloured rooms featuring raftered ceilings and family antiques. Breakfast beneath frescoes or in the quiet gazebo.
• If you want to combine a luxury spa break with wine-tasting - and some of the region’s finest food - head to L’Albereta near Erbusco. This luxury hotel has the Espace Vitalite Henri Chenot wellbeing spa and is next door to the Bella Vista vineyards. L’Albereta’s chef, Gualtiero Marchesi, has been dubbed ‘the father of Modern Italian cuisine’.

Wine hotels in Sicily

Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, has long been known for its sweet wines such as Malvasia and Marsala. But these days quality table wines, such as those produced by Planeta and Franchetti, are gaining followers. The sweet wines are largely produced in the west while the mountain slopes and coastal plains of the east - particularly Mount Etna and around Siracusa and Noto - produce notable DOCs.

• Within Palermo, Principe de Villafranca is a stylish, boutique hotel with parquet floors, cool white rooms and modern art. It’s close to many bars so you can pick up tips on your wine-tasting.
• Across the island, on the slopes of Mount Etna, Monaci delle Terre Nere is a design junkies’ dream. Stone walls and wooden beams mix with shiny glass and bold contemporary furnishings. Lie by the pool and gaze up at Mount Etna, or at the vineyards fanning out below you to the coast.
• And if you really want to get away from it all, try Masseria degli Ulivi, tucked into the hillsides above Noto and surrounded by olive groves. Bedrooms are simple, cool and serene, and there’s a beautiful infinity pool and open-sided dining room.

Unlike other European countries, in Italy there’s less preciousness around the business of wine drinking. This means that exploring the country’s vineyards, with our guide to the best wine hotels in Italy as your companion, is not fraught with the ‘correct’ way to do things. You can just focus on finding wines you thoroughly enjoy. If there's nothing amongst our Italian selection that fits the bill, take a look at our Ultimate guide to the best wine hotels in France.

 

Written by Helen Pickles

posted Tuesday, 19th December 2023