As far as I understand, agriturism in Italy isn’t regulated by a rating system, which means that in one farmhouse you could be snuggling up with sheep, and in the next being served champagne by the pool before hopping into your own personal sauna. Six-room Podere Dionora fits into the latter category. As we’d approached Montepulciano, I’d been warning my husband, "this place is just a ‘farmhouse,’ so don’t expect anything too lavish." Funny how wrong I was.
Although Dionora does sit on farmland that produces olive oil, sunflowers, and wine (hence some magnificent countryside views from the pool), the experience here is nothing if not sophisticated. Our room, the "Girasole," a warm orange hideaway complete with four-poster bed and a shower that doubled as a sauna, was just the right degree of comfy. And as far from the typical image of a farmhouse as you can imagine.
Every morning, we’d head out to the breakfast room, a small square building by the pool proffering pretty views, delicious yogurt, and a mouth-watering spread of fruit, croissants, and pastries. A newspaper would be waiting, neatly laid out on our little table; and the ever-friendly Giulio—manager of the property—would be ready and waiting to whir up some cappuccino to write home about.
Beyond the room itself, the amazingly tranquil setting, and the super-attentive service, Dionora stands out from other Tuscan country accommodations in much part due to its location—only 1km outside the lovely town of Montepulciano. Whereas in some Tuscan country villas you’d need to brave narrow, hilly roads for half an hour in order to find a place for dinner, Podere Dionora was a quick 4 minutes from civilization. It just felt like its own alternative universe (and one I was sorry to leave).