Last Updated on October 30, 2025
Relaxing in the heart of Tuscany at Villa Saletta
Imagine staying in a private villa in the heart of Tuscany with an ancient winery (now totally modernised) while spending time with family and friends. Your dreams can be realised at Villa Saletta, situated between Florence and Pisa and set within its 1,760 acres. On offer are three restored country farmhouses, “Fagnana”, “Valle”, and “Casolare”, each with their own gardens, terraces, and pools.
I stayed at the 8-bedroom, Villa Fagnana, a gorgeous 19th-century hilltop residence with a separate annexe, and with panoramic views across the valley. The landscaped gardens include an outdoor pool and shaded seating areas, but as it was autumn, the wood-burning stove in the large, well-furnished sitting room, was a greater attraction, and a good way to meet up with friends at the end of the day.
All three villas offer country-style luxury, with kitchens that use the latest appliances and with large living areas. Each one can be rented, and I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere which comes from being surrounded by the rolling hills, wooded valleys, vineyards, and olive groves, on this huge estate.
We ate like kings, as chefs were bought in every night, (barring one) to provide the very best recipes, using local produce – and all accompanied by first-class wine, much of it hailing from the vines seen from the windows!
As so often in Italy, it is obvious that Villa Saletta is a place where the past blends with the future. The first written account of winemaking here dates back to 980 AD. Besides these three modernised farmhouses, there, looming above us, in the rolling Tuscan hills, and all part of the same estate is the Borgo (an Italian small village) with an assemblage of old homes lived in by both the gentry and the workers, with some workers remaining there right up until the 1960s. It’s a romantic place to be, although now needs restoration.
Amazingly this estate has been owned by just four families throughout its history. The Gambacortas consolidated the land in the 14th century before it came under the ownership of the Riccardis, bankers to the Medicis, who transformed Villa Saletta into an economically viable property throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. Then it was then passed onto the Castellis. The present owners, Guy and Julia Hands took over 20 years ago when everything had almost fallen into ruin. Fortunately, they saw the potential to re-establish the tradition of an agriculturally diverse, and sympathetically managed, estate.
In common with most guests, I went to visit the winery, run by award-winning vintner, David Landini. His enthusiasm is infectious and after a wine tasting in the brand-new vinery building, he explained the plans for the future.
“A huge investment has been made into renovating the old vines and planting new plots, according to a detailed understanding of the terroir. We are now adding 2-3 hectares a year and by blending traditional techniques and attitudes with the tools of modern agronomy, viticulture at Villa Saletta is now amongst some of the most advanced in Italy”.
The wines include Saletta Guila, Chianti and Rose – and all the bottles carry the distinctive ”key” label on their bottles, echoing the coat of arms seen above the main building in the old village. Some have been described as reminiscent of the finest Bordeaux crus, but with an unmistakable Italian flair – and I am not sufficiently knowledgeable about the subject to disagree.
One afternoon we were given an Italian cookery class by Erika Elia who runs a travelling school for the region of Tuscany. It was all slightly daunting, despite her professionalism, but at the same time enjoyable. We made a typically Italian dinner from scratch. The menu was Orecchiette pasta filled with locally grown vegetables, Cacciatora Chicken with Roasted Potatoes Tuscan style, followed by a totally authentic Tiramisu.
My favourite experience was still food related, but slightly more active. Truffle hunting, I learnt, is now done solely by dogs, as pigs liked the truffle a bit too much themselves. White truffles are more prized than the black variety luckily it was just at the right season, which goes from September to December.
Our dog was called Giotto and I was amazed how quickly after a 15-minute walk into the woods he smelt out the exact spot and dug down a relatively long way. Subsequently, he was happy to stand aside while Andrea, his owner, who worked with the specialist truffle company, Savini Tartufi, gave him a humble dog biscuit. Andrea was then able to use his special spade, to dig out the white truffle, which was now just visible on the surface. The whole process was quick and efficient, and we were told that this truffle would sell for about €210 on the open market. As for Giotto, it turned out he is an Italian breed called Lagotta Romagnolo and not surprisingly, worth a lot of money.
We ate an amazing truffle-based three-course lunch as part of this experience and really appreciated just how much flavour, this once humble, subterranean fungus, bought to the meal and immediately understood why it is one of the most expensive foods in the world. It’s seasonal, it’s scarce, it’s difficult to cultivate and it has a shelf life of just 12 days.
Villa Saletta offers a great base to explore Tuscany. Whether you are interested in wine, truffles, art or heritage or just want to relax in some of Italy’s prettiest countryside, these villas come highly recommended.
Villas start from €3,500 in the low season for 7 nights and include wine and wine tasting, a welcome hamper, maid service and maintenance, toiletries and accessories and all bed linen and towels.
https://www.cookingclassesintuscany.net/about-us/
For more about truffle hunting check our feature on the Alba white truffle fair
A well researched article with good descriptions of these attractive renovated villas, their rural setting and the interesting historical background of the estate. Villa Saletta sounds ideal for gastronomes with local chefs on hand, visits to the new winery with wine-tasting and woods with white truffles. Sounds like a great place from which to explore Tuscany – and I would love to go truffle hunting with Andrea and Giotto!