Worth Traveling For
There are hundreds if not thousands of country hotels in Tuscany. But there’s only one Viesca. The Renaissance estate is now a living tribute to one of the 20th century’s most formidable women in Italian fashion and business. But before that, it was the first country home that a young Wanda Miletti Ferragamo purchased with her famous shoe designer husband, Salvatore, back in the 1950s. She held onto it when she became a young, entrepreneurial widow, and used it as a private family oasis, a gathering place for her six children and 24 grandchildren.
Now some of those offspring are running the place as a hospitality project, but they haven’t papered over their family history. Rather, archival photos, childhood hobby horses, and vintage decorations continue to hold pride of place, especially in the manor house Villa Viesca. This makes it a dream for culture seekers. (Though this being Tuscany, it’s romantic as all get-out as well.) Staying at this peaceful retreat feels a bit like staying at your grandparents’ house — if your grandparents happened to have exceptional taste and control one of Italy’s most beloved fashion brands.
Hotel Highlights
Along with the 17th-century Villa Viesca, which has nine bedrooms amid its frescoes and fireplaces and its own private infinity pool, the 173-acre estate has a range of other accommodations. Five other villas, ranging from three to eight bedrooms each (some with additional cottages to get the head count higher), accommodate family groups and, during summer, their fair share of intimate wedding parties. Several of the other estate buildings, especially the more humble workers’ quarters, have been turned into guest rooms and suites, with 14 in the main Borgo Pian di Rinaldi building and three each in two family cottages.
The rooms share a large freshwater outdoor swimming pool and tranquil garden, as well as tennis courts surrounded by a centuries-old poplar forest. The owners are currently enhancing their wellness and outdoor activities on the grounds, with the aim of making Viesca a holistic retreat for body and mind. (There’s already a small spa with a skilled practitioner who leads yoga and singing-bowl sound healing.)
Since 2024, the restaurant has been an outpost of the family’s other Tuscan estate, Il Borro, which includes a restaurant and Relais & Châteaux hotel centered on an extensive garden. It’s rustic and excellent, heavy on elemental Tuscan classics like pappa al pomodoro (bread and tomato soup) and Fiorentina T-bone steaks. There’s a twice-weekly pizza night and cooking classes on demand, featuring some of Wanda’s personal recipes.
Rooms & Experience
Viesca was clearly built in a different time, before hotel rooms were supersized and bathrooms became larger than bedrooms. Guests are meant to sleep in their rooms — and they do so, quite peacefully — and spend their days in nature or in shared living areas. Although the standard rooms aren’t huge — about 270 to 320 square feet — they’re full of natural materials like terra-cotta and travertine, and they contain an elegant stillness. They have stunning views over the estate grounds and the rolling hills of Chianti in the distance. The quiet and privacy are sublime, making the estate an appealing retreat for couples — or for anyone who wants to step away from the world and into nature and history.
What to Know Before You Book
One person’s historical treasure might feel like someone else’s dated relic. Those in search of opulence will have better luck at any number of branded resorts in Tuscany. Likewise, the service might feel hands-off to those who are accustomed to concierges and assertive programming. But all of this is part of the charm: Viesca is not a typical hotel, and that’s precisely the point.
Address: Via Pistelli, 75 Loc. Viesca, Reggello 50066, Tuscany, Italy
Closest Airport: Florence, 35 minutes
Feature image, courtesy of Viesca Toscana.
