News

Trip Advisor, the most popular and qualified travel reviews site all over the world, has awarded Castello Banfi - Il Borgo with the prestigious "Certificate of Excellence 2011".

The recognition is assigned to the tourist accommodations, restaurants and sights which have received the best reviews, as well as the most numerous, by the travelers directly on the frequented travel website.

Christine Petersen, President of Trip Advisor for Business, said: "The Certificate of Excellence offers a well-deserved recognition to those activities which, all over the world, propose outstanding service in tourism. We wish to congratulate with all accommodations which allow Trip Advisors travelers to live a fantastic experience, anywhere in the world. "

Castello Banfi, Tuscany’s foremost vineyard estate, has added a new feather to its cap, as the recipient of the Italian Government’s highest recognition for winery hospitality.

This latest accolade comes from Italy’s Movimento Turismo del Vino (Wine Tourism Movement), a national organization dedicated to upholding a “Wine Country Hospitality Code of Ethics.” The award guarantees visitors a genuine, memorable experience that equates to the highest levels of hospitality and professionalism.

“For my family, extending a warm welcome to consumers and visitors at Castello Banfi has always been a priority. Castello Banfi was an early pioneer of winery hospitality in Italy, dating back to an era when cellar doors were typically closed to all but a few wine industry insiders. We are proud to have helped set the standard and prouder still to stand shoulder to shoulder with neighbors who also embrace this concept and join us in showering guests with an extraordinary Tuscan experience.” -- Banfi family proprietor Cristina Mariani-May

The Movimento Turismo del Vino conducts a series of anonymous inspector visits to wineries before assigning its rating. Criteria for judging (reevaluated every three years) include:

• Clarity and quality of signage leading to the winery
• Cleanliness, accessibility and overall attraction of winery facilities featured in the tour,
• The manner, skills and language accessibility of winery hosts
• The level of welcome guests can expect, and the manner in which tours are conducted
• Quality of guest accommodations, including ease of parking, access to restrooms, etc.

Arguably the most visitor-friendly winery in Tuscany, Castello Banfi offers an array of attractions, including:

• Daily winery tours

• Wine bar service, and flights of wine by the glass paired with tasting plates of local Tuscan cheeses and cured meats

• An authentic taste of Tuscan cooking at La Taverna, a delightful restaurant offering lunch and dinner

• A magnificent store offering Castello Banfi wines, extra virgin olive oil, honey and salsa etrusca, as well as a selection of local crafts and ceramics

• A museum housing an extraordinary collection of ancient and contemporary glassware celebrating the historical relationship between glass and wine.

The newest jewel in this hospitality crown is Castello Banfi – Il Borgo, 14 luxury rooms and suites, an open-air swimming pool with spectacular views of the surrounding Tuscan countryside, a pergola-covered cloister garden, and a reading room located within the castle keep.

A host of hotel and spa openings is breathing new life into the region-a reminder of why we keep going back.

From May 2008

By Maria Shollenbarger

There's a type of traveler who, on the subject of Tuscany, offers up the party line: "It may be beautiful, but it's too discovered," which happens to be the best way to elicit discerning smiles from those who truly know the area-the chic Romans and Milanese who've been spending weekends here since they were knee-high to a Sangiovese vine; the repeat renters who call it home for some of the year. Tuscany's 9,000 square miles of rolling hills and lush vineyards, pine tree-lined beaches and palazzo-encircled squares contain the best of what draws people here again and again-and to consider it "discovered" would be to sell the region short.

Against the canvas of the timeless Tuscan landscape, a vibrant style and culture have emerged, some of it brought to you by transplants who couldn't leave. You can admire a view of Monte Amiata from the minimalist terrace at the B&B La Bandita, opened last May by John Voigtmann, an erstwhile Manhattan music executive. Or in Montalcino, relax by the pool at Castello Banfi's ll Borgo, a 14-room hotel in a 19th-century building restored to gorgeous effect by American Cristina Mariani-May, a co-CEO of the family winery. A handful of Tuscany's thermal baths-among them Terme di Saturnia in the Maremma and Adler Thermae at Bagno Vignoni-have shed their dowdy images and emerged with sleek rooms and amenities. And then there's Florence, moving apace with the rest of the region: the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, which opens in July, could exist only here-housed in a palace designed by the Renaissance architect Sangallo, and painstakingly restored under the aegis of the Ministry of Fine Arts and Culture.

How to tackle Tuscany's multitude of attractions? Don't try to do it all at once; it does, after all, contain 10 distinct provinces. And do leave time for a detour along one of the strade bianche, the "white roads" that often lead to delightful vistas. Tuscany is simultaneously luxurious and worlds-away rustic, resolutely provincial and firmly forward-thinking. Expect to be surprised. And who knows? You may even make a discovery or two.