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Castello del Nero Hotel & Spa, Tuscany - review

Castello Del Nero
Castello Del Nero

Head into the Tuscan city of Florence and yards from the bustling Ponte Vecchio you will find the Museo Galileo, dedicated to the region’s seminal astronomer.

The middle finger of the city’s famous son can be found here - an ironic symbol of defiance for a man who spent much of his life under house arrest after being accused of heresy by the Roman Inquisition - while the rest of the polymath’s remains are entombed at the Basilica of Santa Croce a mile away, next to other controversial luminaries Dante and Machiavelli.

Although feared and dismissed in his day, the 16th century thinker has been called the father of modern science by everyone from Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking.

And it is this connection to astronomy and science that a converted 12th-century castle in the Florentine hills is capitalising on.

Castello del Nero Hotel & Spa, a five-star luxury hotel in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, has joined forces with the Astronomical Observatory of Chianti, part of the University of Florence, to offer guests their own chance to explore the Milky Way and beyond.

A ten-minute drive from the hotel, the observatory is an educational centre for schools as well as a functioning scientific hub: together with its high-powered telescopes, the site is also an important geo-seismological observatory monitoring earthquake activity which regularly affects the region, and is a weather station.

The hotel, which sits in its own 300-hectare estate of gently rolling hills, lush vineyards and beautiful olive groves, has created a glamorous, short-break package involving a three-night stay complete with a private, four-course Michelin-starred dinner and paired wine tasting, served by a dedicated waiter in the intimacy of the hotel’s Royal Suite, as well as a celestial observation from its terrace with one of the observatory’s expert guides.

The setting is undeniably fantastic, with the clear, starlit heavens a marked contrast to the muddy yellow glow of London’s night sky - although travelling the 25 miles from Florence airport to the hotel costs a rather steep 90 Euros each way.

But the trip is worth it as you step into Galileo’s shoes gazing out into space - the castle’s restoration is a triumph.

There are 50 rooms - 32 of which are double rooms - in the main house and outbuildings, as well as the Belvedere, a building behind the Castello was once used to store hay which has two deluxe suites.

Deluxe Suite (Castello Del Nero)
Deluxe Suite (Castello Del Nero)

There are four other suites including the Royal Galway Suite, named for the flautist James Galway, a friend of the hotel’s American owner, which has a frescoed living room with Tuscan columns at one end, and a terrace that commands a panoramic view and can easily hold 40 people.

Each room feels unique and is impeccably decorated - overseen by Alain Mertens, an interior designer to Sting and Madonna, as well has having all the mod cons you would expect from a five-star hotel, like free wifi and movies on demand, while the bathrooms are made from marble.

Such is the attention to detail that you can even chose from a “menu” of pillows for added comfort.

The hotel opened in 2006 after a five-year restoration project, and the current owner, an American hotelier, is currently renovating six 15th-17th century villas located within the estate’s rolling hills.

Many of the castle’s bedrooms have original frescoes, brought back to life under the beady-eyed supervision of the Italian Fine Art Commission, and there are little decorative reminders throughout the hotel of the original noblemen owners, the Del Nero and Torrigiani families, who lived here until the 1700s.

The hotel’s gated cellar holds wine produced from the estate itself, and can even double as a private dining room, while the ESPA spa is an excellent way to unwind if you decide to brave the hustle and bustle of Florence or Siena using the hotel’s courtesy shuttle - a much-needed service given the extortionate costs of taxis.

Vitality pool by night (Castello Del Nero)
Vitality pool by night (Castello Del Nero)

It features specialist showers, saunas, aromatic Turkish baths, ice fountains, a heated vitality pool, a tranquillity lounge and a fitness suite as well as 10 treatment rooms.

As well as access to the spa and other facilities, the astronomical package also includes a daily buffet breakfast in the hotel’s La Torre Restaurant.

The Michelin-starred La Torre looks and feels very impressive. It boasts mouthwatering dishes such as wild boar ravioli, suckling pig, and roast turbot. And far be it from me to disagree with the exalted Michelin Guide (and running the risk of sounding a bit Gregg Wallace) but our dinner was, unfortunately, rather under seasoned.

It was also the fastest fine dining experience of my life, with dishes whisked away in the blink of an eye, and following courses landing within seconds.

Such haste is, I was reliably informed, typical of American dining traditions where casual lingering between courses is to be avoided.

La Taverna, which is situated in the castle’s former kitchens and features more local dishes, was a much more relaxed event. But even here the prices are not particularly reflective of the more informal setting, with a child’s bowl of pasta costing an eye-watering 22 Euros, and a can of coke setting you back a further eight Euros.

Castello Del Nero property (Castello Del Nero)
Castello Del Nero property (Castello Del Nero)

If stargazing is not your thing, the hotel also offers local excursions including guided tours in intimate convoys of classic Fiat 500s or Vespa scooters, safari tours in LandRover Defenders, and tuk-tuk tours in which guests are chauffeur-driven to Chianti vineyards where they can sample the finest wines of the region.

Guests can also go truffle-hunting, hot air balloon-riding, or olive oil tasting.

Castello del Nero. 7, Strada Spicciano 50028, Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Italy. (+39 055 806470; castellodelnero.com). Double rooms start at 344 Euros (£298) excluding breakfast. Prices for the astronomical package start from 5,199 Euros (£4,512) based on two people sharing the Royal Suite. The package must be booked at least 15 days prior arrival. British Airways flies once daily from London City to Florence with prices starting at £145.70 return including all taxes and fees.