Borgo Santo Pietro, Tuscany

This 13th-century villa estate is Tuscany at its finest. Think leather armchairs pulled around open fires, fresh flowers picked straight from the garden and a wine cellar lined with boutique labels. That’s without even mentioning the wine tastings and Michelin-starred restaurant.

It’s all limited to just 20 exclusive rooms, dressed in custom-sought antiques and hand-painted frescoes. Their airy interiors open onto Mediterranean courtyards and private terraces, blessed with private pools, gardens and lounge areas. Then, just beyond your private cloisters, you’ll discover thirteen lush acres of gardens, where rose-clad pergolas and secret pathways lead between intimate pavilions and glassy ponds.

If you turn out further, you’ll find that the Borgo Santo Pietro is wrapped in a 220-acre estate. Here, beautifully terraced vineyards backdrop artisanal dairies while free-range chickens peck between herb gardens and nut fields. Perhaps explore with a gentle hike or bike ride. It’s a privileged setting that seems to inform all the goings on back at the villa, from the sommelier-led wine tastings, floristry classes and lessons from the resident artist to the ingredients used in the spa treatments and fine-dining restaurants.

Of course, mealtimes are a special highlight here. The classic trattoria, draped around a large oak tree, is a delight of endless rustic charm, serving up the likes of hand-spun pizzas and show-kitchen treats to valley views over the infinity pool. However, it’s the Michelin-starred Meo Modo that impresses most, where menus follow the seasons and the best in Tuscan tradition meets the finest in locally sourced ingredients.

If the Borgo’s dining experience had to be summed up, then it would be on a private outing with the professional truffle hunter, followed by a cooking class or a wine-paired picnic in the grounds.