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We’ve been traveling to Italy for years, but somehow always put off venturing into the countryside preferring the cosmopolitan experiences of Milan, Florence and Rome instead. However, we vowed that the next time we were in Italy, we would spend a few days in Tuscany to test the waters and see if we liked it.

Friends had told us about an estate in the Val d’Orcia run by the Ferragamo family and we were intrigued by the fact that CASTIGLION DEL BOSCO was 800-years old and complete with a castle, a church, a borgo and winery. Once the family retreat, Massimo Ferragamo decided that the Tuscan experience should be shared, so he turned their getaway into a resort that is now owned by Rosewood Hotels and Resorts.

After a few days in Milan, we took the train to Florence and then drove to Tuscany. As we made our way on the winding roads to Castiglion del Bosco, we were awed by the landscapes that are all too familiar in Hollywood movies and we noticed that our shoulders had relaxed. We were beginning to sense a bit of la dolce vita.

Tucked away in the Tuscan hillside, Castiglion Del Bosco feels more like a small village where everyone knows your name. The suites are decorated with Italian antiques and fitted with all the modern luxuries you can imagine. There are activities on offer like golf, fitness boot camps, cooking classes, truffle hunting, wine tastings and spa treatments, however I discovered that I loved hanging out on our terrace reading a book or tucked underneath to-die-for sheets watching Italian cartoons.

Italy has a strong culinary tradition and Rosewood doesn’t skimp on quality. There’s the casual restaurant LA CANONICA (above) for tasty pastas and wood-fired pizzas and in the evening, delicious modern Italian dishes (below) are prepared by a talented chef in the elegant CAMPO DEL DRAGO.

There are several small villages within a few miles of the resort, so we spent an afternoon in MONTALCINO. The village sits high on a hill surrounded by stone walls built during the Middle Ages. After exploring Palazzo dei Priori and Piazza del Popolo, we tasted Brunello wines at Enoteca La Fortezza followed by lunch at Le Pottazine.