Spring has sprung and beautiful places like Castello di Casole, A Belmond Hotel, Tuscany, reopens for a season centred on outdoor experiences, sustainability and wellbeing.
Cycle the gravel paths
New for 2024, Castello di Casole, A Belmond Hotel, Tuscany is partnering with world-famous cycle tourism brand L’Eroica, whose events attract thousands of cyclists every year from all over the world. Towering at 330 metres above sea level, the medieval castle turned luxury hotel now becomes an official Terra Eroica bike point, vaunting its own bike hub that can host up to 20 cycles, e-bike charging points, five kilometres of gravel paths crisscrossing the 1,300-hectare property in a variation on the historic L’Eroica route, and a variety of services both for hotel guests and external clients. Castello di Casole is keen to embrace the L’Eroica mindset, looking after local gravel paths, encouraging sustainable mobility and the circular economy, all the while marvelling at Tuscany’s mesmerizing scenery. Cyclists can now find Castello di Casole along the routes available to and from Siena on the Terra Eroica website and the Komoot app. On arriving at the hotel, they can have their roadbook stamped and, on prior reservation, bikers can indulge in the resort’s generous and wholesome continental breakfast, delicious lunches, gourmet dinners, and perhaps even book an overnight stay with use of the on-site spa to reinvigorate tired legs.
Walk in nature
The Breathe the Forest walking tour at dawn or dusk, when the temperatures gently warm the skin, provides a meditative experience to surround oneself in the stimulating sounds of the wild before unwinding with a guided meditation. Reap the benefit of foraging accompanied by a guide to seek out wild herbs that help your body reconnect with nature before savouring them in an afternoon tea inspired by the rose and vegetable gardens. Tuscany’s Belmond property is renowned for its illuminating workshops based on nature, such as the medicinal herb and natural remedies or cosmetics course to learn from past Etruscan knowhow, starting in Castello di Casole’s new botanical garden, where a master herbalist explains herbal properties before putting them to use in healing oils, teas or beauty creams. Another preferred activity is the eco-printing workshop, which begins by picking petals and leaves in the verdant surroundings before adorning a silk or woollen scarf or pocket square with naturally pigmented flowers or berries.
Unwind at the spa
Spring can sometimes bring a certain tiredness, which is assuaged by the signature Etruscan treatments at Essere Spa on the Castello di Casole grounds, in addition to a wide range of other messages and treatments. Open to hotel guests and external clients by prior reservation (concierge.cdc@belmond.com / +39 0577 961501), the regenerating facial massage improves circulation and re-oxygenates the skin without the need for cosmetics. According to time-honoured tradition and in a nod to the castle’s rose garden, the beauty-boosting facial uses refined massage techniques and the purest oils to achieve exceptional results. The treatment commences with a grape seed oil and Volterra sea salt scrub, continues with a rose water tonic and a rose petal beauty mask, and culminates with a rose oil and myrrh facial massage, followed by a nourishing rose cream.
Indulge in locally grown cuisine
100% organic certified, Castello di Casole embraces a farm-to-plate ethos with a one-hectare rotating vegetable garden, known as the Orti del Castello, where more than 100 varieties of vegetables, fruits, edible flowers and herbs are grown and used by executive chef Daniele Sera in his organic cuisine alongside the estate’s own wine, honey and olive oil. Reserve a table at Tosca for a sustainable fine-dining experience featuring three tasting menus or the courtyard-side Emporio del Castello for traditional Italian and Tuscan dinner classics, including pizza baked in the 17th-century wood-fired oven.
Family + friend reunions
Tuscany has long been the preferred destination for family and friend reunions undisturbed in the rolling countryside and ensconced in the true luxury of life: human connections. There’s nowhere better than Castello di Casole for this quality time with the addition of two new spacious villas, a five-minute walk from the hotel. Villa Thesan and Villa Usil (meaning “dawn” and “sun in the Etruscan language) are inspired by the property’s rich Etruscan heritage and interpreted with Tuscan flair by interior designer Alessandro Moriconi, who also curated the restyling of 18 suites on the property, blending Tuscan style and contemporary art. The private villas can accommodate up to seven guests, each boasting a private garden and terrace with panoramic vistas of vineyards and olive groves, three double bedrooms, as well as an outdoor kitchen with a wood-fired oven and use of an infinity pool.
Castello di Casole, A Belmond Hotel, Tuscany reopens on March 28, 2024.
