Forest Bathing at Castel Monastero between spa and haute cuisine

Leaving Florence in the direction of Siena, the epilogue can only be a forest bathing immersion at Castel Monastero. This manor erected by the Berardenghi and then prerogative of the Chigi Saracini, which in its almost thousand-year history has also hosted monks and peasants as well as being a military bulwark of the cruel Guido Da Montfort (brother-in-law and enemy of Henry III, took refuge in Italia at the court of Charles of Anjou). In fact, it is surrounded by dense, impenetrable chestnut and ilex groves in the green heart of Chianti among abbeys, abbeys and castles such as Montalto, Montebenichi and San Gusmè connected by white roads accessible on foot and by bicycle. The medieval stone buildings have retained their power and charm in the light of the restyling inspired by the Marcegaglia Group, making it the most charming contemporary Albergo Diffuso in the whole of Tuscany. The swimming pools and the holistic spa (it is highly regarded for its marma energy massage and ayurvedic massage, as well as its thalassotherapy path) are set amidst gardens of spices, especially lavender, thyme and rosemary, olive trees and vineyards. From the room in the tower, one has the feeling that Monte Amiata may approach from one moment to the next, while the songs of the birds play every morning. Waking up early and walking perhaps as far as Abbadia a Monastero, one cultivates the chance of coming across fallow deer, roe deer, partridge and pheasants. Instead, in the Contrada restaurant, chef Davide Canella proposes a cuisine of research and innovation whose high quality has been recognised by a Michelin star: through a secret tunnel, one descends to the Cantina, a sort of large medieval gallery used in past centuries to care for animals, where the most authentic Tuscan cuisine is now offered. And the conclusion to this itinerary can only be another garden, the Italian-style garden of Villa Chigi Saracini with its boxwood hedges of which the village of Castelnuovo Berardenga is justly proud.