La Scala - Montepulciano - Tuscany

Montepulciano is a hilltop town with an eye for theatricality. You simply can't help but love the atmosphere! It's one of Tuscany's more important wine towns and as such is always bursting with life. You'll find Renaissance art, well-stocked cantinas, shops and eateries aplenty and it's just 10 km from the Umbrian border. Culture buffs are spoilt for choice with all the great art on offer and all the best towns within easy reach, as a glance at any map will show. Scenic Siena is an hour's drive away and picturesque Pienza just 20 minutes; this humble little village was transformed by Pope Pius II in 1460 to become one of the earliest Renaissance masterpieces.

For the wine buff, there's the local Vino Nobile to sample in cool vaulted wineries. Slightly further afield, pilgrimages to the vineyards of Montalcino and Chianti will be the stuff of many a happy morning's wine tasting.

Podere Fontecastello's apartments are attractive and pleasingly rustic with nice touches like heirloom wrought iron beds (with comfortable, modern mattresses!) and handsome pieces of old oak furniture. The bathrooms are all fully tiled and sparklingly clean.

La Scala is above La Loggia. It's prettily furnished and includes a nice well-equipped kitchen, a double bedroom, a small room with a single bed-settee and bathroom. La Scala and La Doppia both have the pleasant garden for sunbathing and eating.

All three apartments are authentically Tuscan and the warm welcome you'll receive is genuinely Tuscan too!