Detailed Review
Villa Bordoni, an idiosyncratic 16th-century noble villa, nestles in the grey-green hills immediately above the town of Greve, capital of the Chianti classico region of Tuscany. The villa commands an extraordinary vantage point over the unspoilt Chianti hills and its biblical landscape of vineyards and terraced olive groves. It was discovered by the Gardner family in the winter of 2002. For some years they had been searching for the ideal property to realise their ambition of opening a luxurious, but unpretentious country house hotel in the Florentine Chianti. When they first saw the Villa Bordoni they knew at once that they had found the right place. The villa was in a dire condition and slowly rotting into the poetically beautiful landscape which surrounds it. Little details, such as the plumbago colour of the sun-bleached facade, the more than 20 tortoises of different generations roaming around the abandoned walled garden, made the Gardners realise that they had fortuitously stumbled upon an object which contained the decayed but divine essence of the romantic Italy of the Grand Tour. After a painstaking restoration followed by Florentine architect Andre Benaim and interior designer Riccardo Barthel, the Villa has found its original spirit, becoming a boutique hotel and opening its doors to guests in the spring of 2006. The facilities The walled Italian garden and the 6 hectares of olive groves and orchards that surround it have been meticulously restored to their former glory, framing the boutique hotel with an understated natural elegance; a Garden of Eden for guests to savour. Decorative plants and boxed hedges, varieties of English roses, wisteria, palm trees, umbrella pines, ancient cypress, olive trees and herb garden; the epitome of the Italian landscape favoured as a backdrop by the great masters of the renaissance. In this painting are inserted in a discreet and harmonious manner the swimming pool area and the open-air fitness pavilion, or gym with a view’, where guests may use high-tech equipment while enjoying the serenity of the surrounding countryside. The living room and library of the boutique hotel, situated on the first floor of the Villa, with large windows that look over the walled garden has a magnificent fireplace as its centrepiece; an ideal place to curl up with a good book or conversation in the early spring or autumn with a glass of Chianti classico in hand, of course! An aperitivo’ buffet of crostini, salami, olives and parmigiano cheese is laid out in the bar every day, ideally accompanied by one of several wines available by the glass. The dining room of the boutique hotel benefits from the owners experience. The chef, Francesco Fineo, formerly worked at the Gardner’s contemporary Italian restaurant BECCOFINO’ in Florence, that counts world-renowned chefs Alain Ducasse, Annie Feolde and Ferran Adrià amongst its client list. The style of cooking celebrates the best of the territory without being imprisoned by the confines of Tuscan tradition. Don’t forget to visit the boutique hotel’s wine cellar which is carved directly out of the bedrock, and was formerly a dungeon attached to the fortified watchtower that the villa once was back in the 11th century. Guests are free to wander down to the cellar on their own to select a fine bottle to accompany dinner, or, if they prefer can delegate the selection to expert hands. The wine list encompasses a broad selection of great labels and lesser-known producers, fruit of Davids’ more than 10 years of close collaboration with the region’s best wine farms. Many hard-to-find vintages and Tuscan wine icons such as Querciabella, Fontodi, Castello dei Rampolla and Castellare are present in the list of reds, whereas amongst the whites there is a strong preference for the northern regions of Alto Adige and Friuli. The Villa Bordoni is truly a sanctuary for those with a fine palate. The rooms The boutique hotel offers 10 rooms in all; 2 suites, 2 junior suites and 6 bedrooms. Each room has its own nuances, some boast elegant 4-poster beds with swathes of Mediterranean hued linens, while others have lofts and stylish ottomans. All are furnished with flair and originality, and above all with great attention to detail. Most materials and objects have been purchased from architectural salvage. Unobtrusively installed in each room there are a mini-bar, satellite TV, DVD player, air-conditioning and an internet connection. Interior designer, Riccardo Barthel has encased high-tech mirror plasma TVs in antique mirror frames in a courageous, but ultimately successful rouse to introduce the convenience and comfort of modern living without upsetting the feeling’ of the rooms. The bathrooms are equally fetching and vary wildly in colour and design. They all have antique hand-painted tiled floors from Vietri-sul-Mare, the colours of which are echoed in the decoration of the rooms.
Press Quotes
"This elegant yet relaxed country retreat occupies a 16th-century patrician villa in the heart of Chianti with uninterrupted classic views of rolling hills, vines and olive trees. The stylish interiors are done out in strong, earthy colours; bedrooms are luxurious, bathrooms splendid. There’s an excellent restaurant too." The Hotel Guru 06
