A visit to Castello del Nero in Tuscany is to relearn everything you believed you knew regarding Italian food. You never have actually spaghetti along with a ragu Bolognese: it is constantly served along with tagliatelle. You undoubtedly do NOT put garlic in that ragu sauce, only onions; and amaretto, or alcohol of any sort of kind, has actually no place in a tiramisu.
Tuscans are so serious regarding meals and wine that it feels on a par along with their respect for religious figures and fantastic artists, and at Castello del Nero, a 12th century castle-turned-hotel in the heart of the Chianti region, you can easily feast adore a queen while learning regarding why they enjoy the products of their land so much.
Eat, drink, pray
“Eating, drinking and praying,” is one of general manager Fabio’s mantras, and he calls the Castello’s wine cellar his ‘chapel’, where we spend an hour on our very first night. (The Castello likewise has actually its own genuine chapel, built for the Del Nero family in the late 1700s, and services are still held there.) The wine cellar is gained up of two brick and stone rooms lined along with 800 bottles from Tuscany and beyond, and the hotel runs various tasting sessions.
Most of the wine here is gained from the red Sangiovese grape, including a fruity and delicious Tignanello 2012 from Antinori, one of the very first ‘super Tuscan’ producers, and a smoother Chianti Classico, from Castello di Ama, regarding half an hour away. You can also sip grassy-smelling extra virgin olive oil directly from the glass, apparently the very best means to get hold of its full flavour.
After a hearty dinner at the hotel’s rustic La Taverna restaurant, topped off by a perfectly crumbly torta della nonna (grandmother’s cake) we roll to our rooms. All have actually terracotta floors (those on the ground and very first floors are the original cotto tiles) and mine has actually higher beamed ceilings yet still manages to feel cosy.
Truffle hunting
The next morning, after breakfast at La Torre restaurant overlooking the hotel’s sun terrace and the olive groves beyond, we head out to meet Giulio the truffle hunter and his canine Edd, at nearby Badia a Passignano, a stunning monastery. Giulio puts his finger to his lips as we follow behind your man in to the surrounding woods so Edd can easily concentrate on sniffing out the delicate fungus at the bottom of the trees.
It’s a business that needs dedication: dogs are trained for two years to search for the fungus, and Giulio says he after that spent much more compared to a year attempting to discover his very first truffle.
But it’s worth it due to the fact that the black autumn truffles found in the Tuscan woods choose about €800/kg. Edd finds 5 or six, and we consume them shaved over pasta at Ristoro L’Antica Scuderia opposite the monastery.
Our gastronomic education isn’t over for the day: dinner that night is at the Castello’s La Torre great eating restaurant, managed by Michelin-starred chef Giovanni Luca Di Pirro. We consume scallops along with a citrus and honey emulsion, foie gras risotto, roast turbot along with porcini mushrooms and a ‘seduction’ dessert of white chocolate and hazelnut sauce.
Pasta-making
The next day we get hold of down to the serious business of pasta-making. My experience along with pasta is largely one of not having anything else in the cupboard to eat, However I sustain this to myself as I watch chef Di Pirro make dough from flour, eggs, olive oil and salt, whisking them with each other along with a fork on a marble table-top.
This looks adore the enjoyable part, and I wish to have actually a go myself, However we do get hold of to put the pasta through a machine to roll it out then cut it in to strips of (quite uneven, in my case) tagilatelle, after that cut out circles to make ravioli and tortellini.
The chef likewise reveal us exactly how to make tiramisu (no lotion or alcohol – only mascarpone cheese, eggs and sugar make up the creamy section of the dish) as well as ragu Bolognese, and we get hold of a cookery certificate and recipes to take away. Finally, we sit down to consume it all at La Taverna, and it is delicious. It’s been an indulgent trip.
Three points we loved
1. The surrounding countryside. Castello del Nero has 300 hectares of olive groves and woods, and you can easily hike through them along with spectacular views of the hotel. Maps are provided, and I went for a couple of morning runs along the tracks.
2. All 50 rooms and suites are different, and some have actually original frescoes. Mine was on the top floor in the former servants’ quarters and overlooked the 400 year-old Lebanon cedar tree at the front of the hotel.
3. Despite the fact that the Castello is quite roomy and centuries-old, it still feels warm and friendly. The bar at La Taverna does an exceptional Aperol Spritz and you can easily cosy up by the fire there in colder months.
High50 insider tips
• The village of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa is regarding a 20-minute walk down a quiet road, However you requirement a auto to explore further afield. The hotel has actually a free shuttle bus to Florence and Siena, both about 30 minutes away, or you can easily hire the hotel’s own original Fiat 500.
• Castello del Nero has actually a lovely spa and I had a fantastic ESPA facial. It’s pricey though, along with treatments starting from €130 for 55 minutes. For something much easier on the pocket, the hotel has a signature Tuscan salt and rosemary physique exfoliation for €65, and express ESPA treatments are available from the same price.
• The food preparation class is much more of a demonstration, so if you do wish to get hold of much more involved in making the meals yourself, ask.
Getting there
Lucy Handley was a guest of Castello del Nero. Superior rooms are available from €430 per night, including buffet breakfast. A two-night gourmand package including a cookery lesson, wine class and four-road dinner at La Torre restaurant is from €1980 including breakfast.
Lucy Handley is lifestyle editor at High50, responsible for life, love, business and cash content. She reports on careers and culture. Twitter: @lucyhandley
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