It is early evening, the sun is low over Castiglioncello del Trinoro and lets the quarry stone walls of the houses shine. The medieval hamlet towers over the Val d’Orcia like an eagle’s nest. A brown spotted dog trots across the village street, two old men are debating on the piazzetta next to the church of Sant’Andrea, three women are sitting on a wooden bench and enjoying the wonderful view. The Orcia Valley lies at your feet like a gently undulating patchwork quilt of fields and olive groves.
And the hotel “Monteverdi”? Only after a while do I realize: There is no hotel here in the narrower sense, the rooms are spread over several houses throughout the village. A charming idea, because each one is cut differently and individually furnished. The interior is by the Roman designer Ilaria Miani, expert in the restoration of old country houses and palazzi. Simple chic might be her style best; simple shapes, restrained colors, only the finest materials. All rooms are equipped with handmade furniture and original details.
In mine, “Il Pozzo,” it’s an 18th-century polished copper tub. The American lawyer Michael Cioffi, who owns most of the hamlet, did not skimp on the facility. But the main appeal of Castiglioncello is that not the entire village was converted into a hotel, a dozen original residents still live among the paying guests. And a tan mongrel.
Ralf Fraedtke