Badia a Coltibuono
Chianti, Italy

The Location: Just an hour’s drive from Florence, this 11th-century abbey in Tuscany’s Chianti region is now a winery and estate. The property, run by six generations of the Stucchi-Prinetti family, is surrounded by formal Renaissance-style Italian gardens—stone walkways that weave in and out of clipped shrubbery—and nearly 2,000 acres of forest dotted with walking trails.

The Romance: All 12 of the estate’s sun-splashed, chintz-decorated rooms have expansive views of the Arno Valley or the Renaissance garden, and of the estate’s hillside vineyards and olive groves; per-night rates start at about $210. Wine tastings in the property’s cellars and lounging around the outdoor pool (in summer) or the indoor Turkish bath (in winter) are some of the favorite indulgences here.

Don’t Miss: Meals, which take place in the refurbished stables, are decadent affairs, with signature offerings like fennel and orange soup, Chianti-braised beef, and chocolate-and-olive-oil mousse. There’s an on-site cooking school too, where you can learn to prepare such dishes together back home.

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