Fonteverde Tuscan Resort & Spa

You know you’ve hit the big time when Galileo Galilei is your children’s science tutor. Only the fabulously wealthy and influential Medici family could pull it off — they also commissioned Florence’s Pitti Palace and produced three popes, a duke, and a couple of queens. They didn’t go halfway when it came to leisure, either, a fact that’s on fine display at the Fonteverde Resort in San Casciano dei Bagni — this used to be just one of their many lavish vacation villas.

Though there’s nothing at all modern about the resort’s architecture or interiors, Fonteverde has been technologically updated to accommodate business travelers who fancy a dip in thermal waters between meetings. Today, the property’s 66 guest rooms and 14 suites are divided between the original villa and a newer building. The stately interiors blend elements of Italian Renaissance architecture with a traditional Tuscan style. Public spaces feature antique wooden furniture and rich red velvet, while private guest quarters are furnished more lightly with earth tones and white linens. Roomy marble bathrooms are stocked with spa products, high-speed internet access is available in each room, and individual balconies and terraces offer pastoral views of the hills or the valley (the latter is especially spectacular at dusk.)

One of the Fonteverde’s main draws, of course, is the region’s restorative thermal spring water — a series of therapeutic pools and the full-service spa offer plenty of opportunities to bathe in it, and dozens of natural springs are within a stone’s throw of the resort, and meanwhile an infinity pool with a countryside view suits those who deign to swim in chlorinated water.

Please note:
There’s a 4-night minimum in July and a 5-night minimum in August.