Coming from Florence, visitors soon find themselves on narrow, winding roads. For long stretches there is no one in sight, save for the occasional tractor or police car. In high summer, cypresses, olive groves, and shades ranging from deep green to ochre give the landscape its unmistakable character.

After 40 minutes through the countryside, though, it also becomes clear why the locals long saw no future here and moved away.

A Tuscany of Farmers, Not Pilgrims

Our destination, the luxury resort Castelfalfi, lies within the municipality of Montaione, a good hour's drive southwest of Florence and roughly the same distance from Pisa.

This is not the Tuscany of wine lovers and Renaissance pilgrims but that of farmers. The castle complex is first mentioned in 754 as Castrum Faolfi. During the Renaissance, a branch of the Gaetani family turned it into a residence after one of its members married a Medici.

From deep green to ochre: summer's palette. (Image: Castelfalfi)

From Tobacco to Tourism

In the 20th century, women from the surrounding area processed tobacco here until the postwar years. The old factory still stands and now also houses hotel rooms.

After that, young people left for the cities. Montaione shrank, and the tiny castle village of Castelfalfi emptied almost entirely.

In the 1980s, an engineer from Milan bought up the vacant houses, bringing the estate under single ownership.

$350 Million Without a Breakthrough

In 2007, German travel group TUI stepped in, restored the borgo, built villas, and in 2017 opened the first five-star hotel under its TUI Blue brand. TUI reportedly invested around $350 million without the resort ever really taking off.

In May 2021, TUI parted with Castelfalfi as part of a strategy to tie up less capital in its own real estate.

Enter Mittal's Brother-in-Law

The buyer was Incorp Holdings, owned by the family of Sri Prakash Lohia. Born in Kolkata in 1952, he moved to Indonesia in 1973 and founded Indorama Synthetics there.

Expanding through textiles and petrochemicals, the company grew into a multibillion-dollar group. Lohia is married to the sister of steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal.

The parties agreed not to disclose the price, and there are no figures on the considerable investment made since. The estate was extensively modernized and reopened under its new owners in 2024.

It now offers 146 rooms, a spa by Thai brand RAKxa, and a 307-square-meter (about 3,300-square-foot) penthouse suite in the castle, designed by Florentine fashion entrepreneur Stefano Ricci. The entire property spans 1,100 hectares (about 2,700 acres).

The TUI dream is over; in its place, the La Rocca Suite, designed by Italian star designer Stefano Ricci. (Image: Castelfalfi)

Echoes of Andermatt

In a way, the project recalls Egyptian investor Samih Sawiris's Chedi resort in Andermatt in the Swiss Alps: a mountain village that, to put it kindly, was grappling with socioeconomic and demographic problems until a foreign billionaire gave it a glossy, international high-end polish.

Arriving in Castelfalfi, which sits majestically atop a hill with sweeping views over the Tuscan countryside, we set off on a walk through the borgo.

Luxury Boutiques Beside a Romanesque Church

The lanes have been impeccably restored, as has the Romanesque church of San Floriano. The surrounding boutiques carry what boutiques at this level tend to carry.

And yet in places the ensemble feels like a film set without extras. Some of the houses reportedly still belong to former TUI executives who drop by two or three times a year.

Bringing the borgo back to life. (Image: Castelfalfi)

Once, Not Even an Espresso

The new owners are doing a good deal to counter the emptiness: festivities at Christmas and at the start of spring, a swimming pool that is also open to locals, a gelateria, and a pizza al taglio shop. The easygoing buzz of an Italian piazza has yet to fully take hold.

Still, as recently as three years ago, you couldn't even get a coffee in the village in winter. That has changed, though whether the borgo will truly come back to life remains to be seen.

The rooms in the five-star hotel are more international than Tuscan. They could be in any luxury hotel in the world, with an unmistakable penchant for the kind of opulence Asian guests appreciate.

Guests From America and Asia

The clientele includes many Americans, Canadians, and Asians who are used to a certain standard and expect it. The offering also resonates with younger Italians from Milan and Rome.

Those seeking the original Tuscany, however, will find it only in places. But where they do, it comes in remarkable quality.

Our guide, a young man from the area, takes us on a wine tour from the estate's own vines down to the cellar.

In the wine cellar: a guided wine tour. (Image: Castelfalfi)

Serious Ambitions in the Vineyard

Castelfalfi farms around 25 hectares of vineyards, more than half of them Sangiovese, organically cultivated and harvested by hand. Output is around 80,000 bottles a year.

Yet the area around Montaione was never really wine country, the guide candidly admits, but rather olive oil country.

The estate dropped its Chianti affiliation in 2019 because the generic appellation brought in too little. Today, Castelfalfi produces only IGT wines, with the exception of its sweet Vin Santo.

The winemaking is guided by enologist Emiliano Falsini. The sought-after Italian wine consultant hails from nearby Empoli and earned his spurs at Robert Mondavi in California and Villa Maria Estate in New Zealand.

The Drunk Turtle in the Cellar

Behind the steel tanks in the cellar stand man-high amphorae made of cocciopesto, a mix of crushed terracotta, gravel, and clay that the ancient Romans already used in construction. The brass plate bears the manufacturer's endearingly cheeky name: Drunk Turtle.

We taste the seven most important wines from the estate's own production. Poggio i Soli, a Vermentino from the steel tank, is honest and uncomplicated, with citrus, rosemary, and a salty freshness.

Its sibling, Fonterinaldo, comes from the same grape but is fermented in amphora and aged for three months in new wood. The treatment is rewarded with notes of pineapple and vanilla and a creamy richness.

Just like the ancient Romans: a wine amphora by Drunk Turtle. (Image: Castelfalfi)

A Discovery: The Rosé That Isn't

Falecine, 80 percent Sangiovese, is pressed so pale that, although technically a red, it could easily pass for a «Castelfalfi rosé». The fresh, strawberry-scented wine is a real find for hot summer days.

The cellar also produces a pure Sangiovese: Poggio alla Fame, from the estate's oldest vineyard, planted 27 years ago. The name means «Hill of Hunger».

Farmers once sowed wheat here, but little grew on the poor, stony soil, and they went hungry. Sangiovese, by contrast, sends its roots deep down and finds water.

It is precisely this scarcity that gives the wine its character: blood orange, black pepper, and leather, with still clearly noticeable tannins.

145 Euros a Bottle: Chasing Super Tuscan Status

The finale is the Castelfalfi 2021, which later has to hold its own alongside a bistecca alla fiorentina: 50 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 percent Merlot, and 10 percent Petit Verdot, aged for two years, half in barrique and half in amphora.

It is made only in good years, in a run of about 1,200 bottles. In the estate shop, a bottle costs 145 euros (about $170). With an eye on its international clientele, Castelfalfi is aiming for the Super Tuscan segment.

Mediterranean meets international: vitello tonnato at the Olivina restaurant. (Image: finews)

Flawless Vitello Tonnato

Castelfalfi's cuisine moves between the same poles as its wines. The main restaurant, Olivina, under head chef Matteo Cervini, is a member of Italy's association of olive oil restaurants and serves light Mediterranean fare with fish and vegetables from the estate's own garden.

The vitello tonnato, served in the low evening light, is exemplary: pink veal, loosely folded, the sauce in individual dots rather than a blanket, with anchovy rolls and caper berries. A glass of Fonterinaldo is an excellent match.

The service is warm, the wine list well curated, and one feels thoroughly looked after. The only catch: you could eat just like this at a good Italian restaurant in Zurich.

1.2 Kilos of Vacca Grassa

Il Rosmarino, the estate's trattoria, offers considerably more local color. The pappardelle come with a white ragù of wild boar from the estate, the Lucca-style tortelli with guanciale from Cinta Senese pigs.

The bistecca alla fiorentina is served from one kilo (about 2.2 pounds) and in three grades, from Italian vacca grassa to Australian wagyu. We opt for the vacca grassa, aged and richly marbled beef from mature cows.

The 1.2-kilo cut is presented raw at the table and, after grilling, carved on a trolley by a waiter in a striped vest, then stood upright against the bone. The result is flawless.

Vacca grassa from Italy: bistecca alla fiorentina at the Il Rosmarino trattoria. (Image: finews)

Bottle Number 1,005

With it, we drink the Castelfalfi 2021, the vintage that launched the Super Tuscan project: bottle number 1,005. It is harmonious and full of character, and thanks to its restrained oak already very approachable.

On the wine list, the magnum costs 660 euros, just 20 euros less than a Tignanello of the same vintage, which strikes us as somewhat bold.

A few lines further down come Ornellaia and Sassicaia. The ambition behind the Castelfalfi 2021 is unmistakable, and we appreciate it on the palate as well. To hold its own in this league, however, it will surely need a few more vintages.

Evening on the terrace of the Ecrù bar. (Image: Castelfalfi)

Dreaming the Hours Away

The afternoon is best spent at the Ecrù Bar & Lounge, whose terrace overlooks the olive groves in the valley. The spirits selection is excellent; in the background, someone sings Italian and international easy-listening songs.

The smart move is to have the wine list brought over from the neighboring Olivina restaurant and dream away the hours until late in the evening.

Along the way, the picture comes into focus: Castelfalfi is no place for purists in search of an untouched Italy. But it is undoubtedly a unique and bold project, offering a successful blend of Tuscany and top-tier international tourism.

We leave confident that the recent large-scale investment will, like the Sangiovese on the Hill of Hunger, put down deep roots.