Hotel Review: Borgo Pignano
After three nights at COMO Castello del Nero with family as the first part of our Italian holiday, Oliver and I decided to head off on a romantic jaunt for the next three nights, while my parents and sister moved further down the region to Pienza, in the south of Tuscany. For Oliver and me, our next destination of choice was Borgo Pignano, a luxury eco-estate nestled within the Val d’Elsa region of Tuscany, and relatively near the first hotel of our trip. It was the perfect opportunity for Oliver and me to get some alone time together, with the plan being to meet up with my family after three nights here for the remainder of the holiday. Read on for my full review of Borgo Pignano…
First impressions: 4.5/5
Nestled on a hilltop that offers sweeping views over Tuscany’s rolling hills, Borgo Pignano’s 750-acre estate encompasses a beautiful 18th-century villa, and surrounding hamlet of stonewashed outbuildings that were originally settled by the Etruscans. Arriving here truly feels like stepping away from the rest of the world, with any other sign of life already far beyond the gates of the estate, or miles below from the top of the hill. Steps away from the main villa the peaceful Belvedere stretches into the distance: the central lawn where guests can lounge on sofas and kick back with a drink while enjoying views onto the Tuscan landscape. Various other nooks and crannies for guests to have a nibble al fresco are dotted around the gardens - while steps below, you’ll find the impressive infinity pool, cut into the cliffside where an ancient limestone quarry once operated.
The main villa is a hub of activity, and where you’ll find the hotel restaurant and a maze-like warren of bedrooms. The hotel’s library, games room, and TV room are all housed here as well, although most guests naturally spend more time outdoors. Inside the bedrooms you’ll find original frescoes, vintage pieces of furniture, and even delicate four poster beds in some of the suites. Colour schemes range from rich tones of brown and red, to pale blues and greens, with each room offering its own individual quirks. Rather than being pristine and new, the interiors offer a lived-in, cosy Italian charm, as if you’ve been invited into a nonna’s house. This is mirrored throughout the rest of the property, with the homely drawing room on the ground floor (where guests can lounge on sofas during the day and even enjoy breakfast in the morning) filled with plump sofas, eclectic artworks and a mishmash of books to peruse. Meanwhile, most of the nearby outbuildings are maisonettes that can sleep larger groups and families and come equipped with their own kitchens and living rooms, while the estate is also home to four individual villas which are separate from the main hotel and dotted around the estate - these are perfect for guests that want a lot of privacy and even the benefit of their own pool.
Refreshingly, sustainability is a core element of the hotel; not only are environmentally friendly practices employed on the farm and in the kitchens, but the bedrooms and villa were themselves restored using locally sourced stone and reclaimed slate. Heating and hot water systems here are also fuelled by solar panels, and fed with the wood harvested on the grounds - something which is pretty unique to the hotel, and has allowed it to earn multiple sustainability awards over the years, including Green Globe certification.
To do: 4.5/5
The hotel estate offers quite a lot to explore during the day, whether you prefer to head out on foot, or explore by bike or even horseback. Even within the vicinity of the hotel itself, you’ll find various nooks and crannies to discover as you navigate between the different layers of the estate cut into the cliffside. Guests can also partake in a number of experiences that are unique to the hotel, such as guided foraging tours of the herb gardens, learning how the hotel’s perfumes and soaps are all handmade on site, or take inspiration from the Tuscan landscape while enjoying a painting class. Most guests spend the afternoon languishing by the infinity pool that is heated year round, and provides the perfect sun trap during the day. There is a separate children’s pool also available on site - although given that there isn’t someone constantly manning the main pool, we found that quite a few families with young children ended up using it rather than the children’s one, which on occasion was a bit disturbing to other hotel guests, and took away from the relaxing atmosphere.
Come evening, you’ll find many of the hotel guests take part in a wine tasting, which is hosted al fresco as the sun begins to set, and accompanied by a tasting selection of cold meats and cheeses. For us, one of the highlights of our stay was easily the private cooking class we enjoyed with head chef Stefano, who taught us how to make a number of different homemade pastas from scratch - including his signature sheep’s cheese and chicory ravioli, served with toasted sage and butter, which was absolutely delicious.
There is also a small gym on site, as well as the possibility of booking a yoga class on the lawn - and a subterranean spa, where you can enjoy couple’s massages and use the steam and sauna room. Inside the main villa there is, of course, the games room and TV room (you won’t find TVs in your bedrooms). For guests that want to explore further afield, the hotel sits almost equidistant from the medieval towns of Volterra and San Gimignano that are well worth visiting too.
Food and drink: 5/5
The hotel’s eco-ethos is very much present in the food that you will enjoy on site, with the property embodying a ‘farm-to-table’ approach in its aim to be as self-sufficient as possible. The farm nurtures its own free-range chickens and pigs, as well as growing their own fruits and vegetables on site - along with chickpeas, lentils, olive oil, and their own honey, jams, and herbal teas, which can all be bought from the hotel shop and taken home with you.
Of all of the hotels that we stayed in throughout our 10-day trip across Tuscany and Italy, we enjoyed the best food at Borgo Pignano, with each meal tasting homemade and delicious, and striking a balance between being inventive yet authentic. The main hotel restaurant is where most guests gather in the evenings and enjoy dishes such as creamy saffron risotto and rabbit pappardelle - as well as incredible desserts that are beautifully presented, such as caramelised apple with white chocolate ganache and coffee crumb. We kicked off every evening with a selection of warm, home baked breads, and were equally impressed by the homemade chocolates at the end of our meal. A secondary al fresco restaurant opens in the hottest summer months, which wasn’t yet open at our time of visit; however, a secondary dining experience was available during our stay called the Sala Mediovale, housed next to the main restaurant in a separate dining room. We ate here on our final evening - guests eat around a large sharing table for an authentic Tuscan experience, enjoying dishes such as handmade tagliatelle with truffle and classic tiramisu.
Meanwhile, breakfast is a casual buffet meal in the mornings, with a selection of homemade pastries, cold meats, and cheeses on offer. You can also order eggs as you like them, but no other hot food options are available - the only downside is breakfast ends a bit early at 10am if you are hoping for a lie in. Throughout the day, a casual lunch and snacks menu is available to enjoy wherever you like - in the main restaurant, by the pool, or on the Belvedere. Tuck into fresh, delicious options such as Caprese salad, Stefano’s delicious ravioli, and a melt-in-the-mouth raspberry millefeuille.
Comfort and service: 4.5/5
Overall, we absolutely loved our stay at Borgo Pignano and appreciated the pervading atmosphere of calm throughout the property, which makes for a truly peaceful stay. Throughout the hotel, you’ll mostly find warm, attentive service - we found that the service in the restaurant was particularly attentive; the hotel is boutique enough for staff to remember your names and preferences at each meal. General Manager Francesco is also constantly present throughout the day - it’s refreshing to see a General Manager interacting with guests, and always the sign of a well-run hotel.
We loved how relaxed the property was on the whole, and how during the day, you can choose to eat breakfast or lunch wherever you like, whether that’s in the restaurant, by the pool, or outside with a view. This, coupled with the excellent food we enjoyed and the incredible views offered by the location made for a very satisfying stay - add to that is the the impressive sustainable ethos that runs throughout the property, which provided a number of unique experiences and activities on site. Between the different hotels that we stayed at throughout our Italian holiday, it is definitely hard for us to choose a favourite, but we would recommend Borgo Pignano for its boutique, homely feel, and the best food that we enjoyed - it’s a hotel that we will both be recommending for years to come, and one we hope to return to as soon as possible.
This stay was a press stay, but all opinions are my own. I do not write about press stays unless I truly enjoyed them.
