Make sure you stay in the castle- the apartments are extremely basic and the owners have not invested the little time/ money it would take to make it feel more homely. This failure by the owners to invest just a little more attention to the hotel is also demonstrated by the half hearted attempt to make comfortable relaxing spaces and failure to spruce up the run down tennis court. Such a pity because the setting is breathtaking, the towns and restaurants nearby so picturesque and romantic and there is much scope for this tired hotel to be an absolutely gem.

My husband, mother-in-law and 9 month old baby spent 6 wonderful nights in this beautiful castle. We drove from Pisa to the castle and the views on the drive were wonderful, the castle was a hidden gem that you can not see from the road. On driving the steep white gravel road we arrived at a beautifully restored castle and were greeted by wonderful staff that could not do enough to help us the entire time we were there.
Our rooms were wonderful and cool when we entered them (which was a blessing with the heat), the furniture is authentic italian and suits the castle perfectly. All our meals were taken in the open air patio that sits amongst the hills of chianti. The food and wait staff were exceptional. I have read reviews that the meals were expensive but I totally disagree for a 5 course set meal we paid 40 euros per person and 12 euros for a bottle of chianti classico. I am sure you could get a cheaper plate of pasta in one of the villages but not a five course meal. The quality of the food was so exceptional that there was only one night we didn't eat at the resturant, that night we ate in their cout yard all the wonderful delicacies we had bought from the local towns.

The pool and grounds were wonderful to relax in and we often found ourselves by the pool all morning and exploring the villages in the afternoon. You do need a car to do this but the castle is an hour drive to most of the lovely tuscan big towns. we visited Vertine (amazing drive), sienna, multipulchiano and piennza amongst others.

We also did a wine tasting and cooking course that the staff were happy to adapt to what we wanted learn to cook. Both were wonderful and very informative.

Over all this pace has it all, if you want a beautiful old castle in the hills of tuscany that serves home made wonderful food, wine and olive oil look no further.
Thank you to all the staff for looking after us so well, we will see you all again!

As part of our recent family trip to Italy I wanted the 4 of us to take a cooking class together in Tuscany. Our travel agency booked us for a cooking class at Castello di Tornano. It exceeded all of our expectations. Victor did a great job translating, assisting in the kitchen and introducing us to the Castello's wines. Franca patiently taught us how to make a fabulous 4 course italian meal. We enjoyed every course and the wines that had been paired with them. Since returning to Canada I have tried a number of the dishes with success. Not as good as they were with Franca's assistance ..... and certainly not as good as they were when we ate them on the fabulous patio at Castello di Tornano, but good never the less.

We did not stay at the hotel but the spot was beautiful and the food and wine was great. Thank you Victor and Franca for a great afternoon and an experience my family will always remember.

Such a great location, although you do need a car to get there and around the local area. Our room was in the castle & had typically old furniture but it was fantastic. Definitely something to experience. The pool is great, especially with in the hot weather. Beware though, the dinner at the hotel is pretty expensive, you do get a lot of servings for the price, but with one waiter, we waited so long between each plate that we eventually just left before all of the meal had been served. Other guests who arrived well after us, were being served their meals ahead of us. The waiter, was definitely not efficient. He could only manage to carry a small amount of items in or out meaning that he had to make extra trips back and forward. I would stay here again, but avoid the restaurant.