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Castello di Spaltenna is one of the Chianti's most famous luxury hotels, a
converted medieval castle from before the 12th Century set in a grassy
field. Spaltenna is an ancient feudal hamlet consisting of the church
with its bell tower dated from the year 1000, the adjacent castle and a
small group of houses, a splendid example of medieval architecture.
The castle and the church, both with the severe beauty of a fortress,
were first noted in a document in 1030. Rich in history and legend, the
buildings are enriched by beamed ceilings and sumptuous doorway.
The Spaltenna complex, surrounded by vineyards and wood, looks out over
a splendid valley, at the center of an area rich in castles and ruins,
ancient abbeys and medieval villages The rooms have a simple but
tasteful decor, with reproduction and genuine country-style antiques,
including some massive wooden desks and wrought-iron 19th-century bed
frames. Most have ancient worn terra-cotta tile floors and views of the
valley below, but a few look over the unfortunate housing developments
of modern Gaiole creeping up the hill.
No room in Castello di Spaltenna is overly spacious, but the semi-lofted
corner suites in the main building are sizable, with fantastic cross
ribbing of heavy hewn wood beams on the ceilings. Suites in the
outbuilding, such as No. 28, are particularly nice, with two rooms and
their own little terraces overlooking the hotel's vineyards. Rooms of
the deluxe category and above have Jacuzzi tubs in the modernized
bathrooms, many with double sinks |
