Page 93 - Golf World (February 2020)

// ITALY

Toscana

Resort

Castelfalfi

A sun-drenched idyll of hill-top
towns and frescoed churches,
olive groves and vineyards, of
historic art and culinary
masterpieces, Tuscany has more
than enough reasons to want to be
there before you factor in any golf.
But when you take all of the
above and stir in 27 holes of golf
– played out around the grounds
of a luxury resort perched high on
the Tuscan hills – you have some
serious dolce vita.
The resort in question is
Toscana Resort Castelfalfi,
pictured here in all its sun-
kissed glory. A medieval jewel
set in the heart of Tuscany, just
west of Florence and very close
to the Italy of your imagination.
Abandoned during the 1960s,
this 800-year-old estate has been
brought gloriously back to life in
recent years and now offers
everything the travelling golfer’s
heart could yearn for.
You’re staying in the four-star
Hotel La Tabaccaia, a former
factory where tobacco was dried
for Tuscan cigars, or if you’d prefer
the five-star spa hotel Il Castelfalfi,
or whichever of the many luxury
villas or apartments you opt for
should you want a pool and privacy.
Whichever you choose, you’ll be
surrounded by olive groves and
vineyards for which the region is
celebrated – those olives and
grapes helping elevate the dining
experience to dangerously
decadent levels. The
aforementioned spa is arguably
Italy’s finest and the weather
remains at the very least mild all
year round.
That final point is key because
Golf Club Castelfalfi is the main
reason you are here; to combine
Tuscan luxury with as much golf as
you can humanly squeeze in. The
Lake Course is a gentle affair over
nine holes and significantly easier
than the main event Mountain
Course, played out around much
water and, as the name suggests,
up and down some steep slopes.
If the elevation takes it out of
you, the chianti, the tiramisu and
all that dolce vita will bring you
happily back to life.
// www.castelfalfi.com