It’s a balmy summer evening in Chianti. A golden Tuscan sun slips behind rolling hills — each slope brushed with vineyards, orchards and those impossibly elegant cypress trees standing guard like sentinels of old.
Down among silvery olive groves, a long table is set beneath strands of fairy lights. The air hums with laughter and the soft clink of glasses, as friends and strangers pass platters abundant with heirloom tomatoes, cold cuts, cheese boards and hunky Florentine steaks. Suddenly, a band strikes up — an eclectic trio on saxophone, accordion and a jaunty tambourine.
This could be a scene from the big screen, but this is no set piece. It’s a regular Sunday supper at COMO Castello Del Nero, a 12th-century castle-turned-luxury bolthole that brings a postcard-perfect world to life.
I’m here for a long weekend, utterly swept up in the dream that, just for a while, this castello is mine. But it’s more than a mini-break — it’s a place that seeps into your bones and stirs daydreams of never leaving. Long before I’m due to pull away down the gravel drive, I’m already plotting my return and browsing property listings, wishing for my own slice of this Italian sweet spot.
Location, location
The estate sits on a generous 740 acres, meaning solitude is part of the promise here. Yet, the must-sees are close: Florence’s Renaissance treasures are just a half-hour’s drive; Pisa’s leaning tower an hour away; and sleepy hilltop villages appear around every winding bend. You’ll want a car — or rent an e-bike — and you’ll be rewarded at every turn with painterly vistas and the lucky glimpse of wildlife padding through the woods.
Executive chef Giovanni Luca Di Pirro is a culinary artist transforming local produce into plated art
Dinner in the olive groves
A storied past
Castello Del Nero is not just another grand Tuscan pile. Once the stately seat of the noble Del Nero family and later the aristocratic Torrigianis, it carries the weight of centuries within its thick stone walls and frescoed halls. COMO Hotels and Resorts, with its signature understated elegance, has breathed fresh air into this ancient noble home — cleverly balancing respect for history with contemporary comforts. Interiors, reimagined by Milanese design doyenne Paola Navone, embrace a calm, modern palette: soft greys, muted blues and fresh whites gently lift centuries-old terracotta tiles, timber beams and Renaissance art. It’s a clever reinvention — aristocratic without being stuffy, indulgent without ever feeling overwrought.
Sleep
The 50 rooms and suites are scattered between the main castle and its ochre outbuildings. No two are the same, but each is quietly luxurious in that assured COMO way. Some of the grandest suites boast original 18th-century frescoes and fireplaces, while the split-level Lofts come with enormous beds, free-standing tubs, generous bottles of the brand’s Invigorate bath and body products, and windows framed by billowy curtains that open onto the most memorable views.
La Torre
Going truffle hunting
Dine
Tuscany demands you arrive hungry — and COMO Castello Del Nero ensures you stay well-fed. Its culinary crown jewel is Michelin-starred La Torre, set in the castle’s former stables. Here, executive chef Giovanni Luca Di Pirro transforms local bounty into edible art. His chef’s tasting menu is a study in balance and finesse. Five welcome bites start the occasion, along with arguably the best bread selection you’ll ever see. Next is a chilled soup with corn, snow peas, coconut milk and clams to start, then a sensual masterpiece with scampi, miso foam and passion fruit. A silky Mancini spaghetti glossed with butter, anchovies and a dusting of mango powder follows, before the signature Valdarno pigeon cooked on the barbecue with plums, ginger, shiso and berries. Dessert — called La Marchesa — showcases clever work with chocolate, perfectly poached pear and fresh sorbet.
At Pavilion, it’s all about al-fresco dining, best enjoyed with a glass of crisp Vermentino while the hills ripple in the heat. The bruschetta topped with sun-drenched tomatoes and generous sloshes of COMO’s own organic olive oil is like biting into summer. And the pici pasta with Tuscan ragù (which is not too heavy for the season) will, as the chef says, “hold a special place in your heart”. Teams at COMO are also producing their own sunflower oil, bottles of Sangiovese, durum wheat and white flour, as well as honey. The onsite vegetable garden brims with asparagus, aubergines, carrots, courgettes, artichokes, aromatic herbs and those aforementioned heavenly tomatoes, of which Chef Giovanni is incredibly proud.
A view of the pool at COMO Castello Del Nero
A Heritage Suite bedroom
Tuscan soil is also rich with truffles — especially in the hushed, sun-dappled forests near the Castello where gnarled oaks, stately elms and ancient hazels guard a hidden wealth beneath their roots. Here, tartufaio or hunter Andrei and his clever “sweetie” Gorgona weave among mossy trunks and tangled undergrowth in search of Tuscany’s most elusive prize. Depending on the season, they might unearth delicate spring bianchetto truffles, summer’s larger scorzone — robust and earthy — or, if fortune favours, the rare white truffle, the undisputed queen, found deep underground from October to January. Gorgona works tirelessly, her keen nose guiding Andrei to nature’s buried diamonds, sometimes teasing him with playful false digs along the way.
Accompanying this duo on a hunt is a proper adventure. And once the forest yields its treasures, you’ll return with fistfuls of knobbly finds for one of the Castello’s chefs to transform into the most indulgent of lunches: think golden poached eggs, coated in crispy breadcrumbs on pecorino cream, ribbons of fresh tagliatelle and tender steak, each dish crowned with curls of freshly shaved truffle.
Crispy poached egg on Pecorino cream with mushrooms and truffles
The Castello’s vineyards
La dolce far niente
“The art of doing nothing” is easily mastered at COMO Castello Del Nero, yet should you wish to stir from your sun lounger, there’s plenty to entice you. Days often begin with an invigorating yoga or Pilates session followed by fresh ginger tea at the COMO Shambhala Castello Del Nero — a petite but perfectly formed spa with a steam room, tropical showers and a hydrotherapy pool to soothe tired limbs.
In addition to e-biking or truffle hunting, you can pull on your shoes once more and explore the estate’s mapped hiking trails or soak up the scenery at a more leisurely pace by hopping into a vintage Fiat 500 and trundling along Chianti’s curving backroads. There’s also hot air ballooning and more — but when you need to retreat once again, a signature COMO Shambhala massage works its restorative magic.
