After spending two weeks hiking in Cinque Terre and hopping ferries on Lake Como, I was ready to relax with friends on a secluded agritourism farm in Tuscany.

From the sleepy Sinalunga train station, I traveled in a sleek Italian sports car along narrow country roads that dipped and curved abruptly around tiny hamlets, walled estates, olive groves and vineyards.

Porcelain-white Chianina cattle grazed contentedly along the road sides. Red poppies and mustard-colored rapeseed covered the rolling hills as far as I could see, interrupted only by rows of graceful Italian cypress trees.

  

Agriturismo Pometti Reflects the Beauty of Tuscany

 

Just as I’d begun to think we were lost in a Tuscan landscape painting, the car turned into a hidden driveway. A red-striped wine barrel with “Pometti La Selva” painted in white letters announced that we’d arrived. Even before unpacking, I was enchanted.

Agriturismo Pometti is a family farm dating back to the 15th century that spreads over hundreds of acres in the lush Val d’Orcia region of Tuscany. Located about 25 miles south of Siena, the region is revered worldwide for its beauty, cuisine and wine. It was the first rural area to garner designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004.

The honor is well deserved, and the Pometti farm is a lovely complement. The rambling compound of Tuscan-style brick and stone buildings – some rustic and others new — sits on a hilltop beneath a canopy of tall trees. Idyllic views of the rolling, mostly green (when we were there) countryside soothe and captivate — even on rainy days like the ones we experienced in May 2019.

Stone pathways meander down to the pool, past rose gardens, old wine barrels, arched doorways and clay pots overflowing with red snapdragons. The dozen guest apartments are spacious yet cozy, furnished with Italian antiques that provide ambiance and comfort. The one- and two-bedroom apartments have full kitchens and private patios or balconies. There’s also a separate three-bedroom house, where I stayed with friends.

Wine and Olive Oil Created from Fruits of the Farm

 

Pometti’s gracious young owner, Carlotta Pometti, encourages guests to treat the farm like home and wander about. Well-tended rows of grape vines and olive trees climb the hills around the farm. Guests can learn how the farm’s winemakers craft house wine and how the farm’s hand-picked olives are cold pressed into extra virgin oil.

The best place to sample house wines and olive oil is Villa Boscarello, a nearby wedding venue that is part of the Pometti estate — and where Carlotta turns traditional Tuscan dishes into haute cuisine. To get there we strolled down a long driveway lined with towering cypress trees.

Our four-course feast of home-made pasta and flavorful beefsteak, paired with house wines, set high expectations for future meals in Tuscany. After finishing off a chocolate panna cotta, I understood why Carlotta’s culinary skills have earned her accolades from guests as well as food critics. (Cooking classes and wine tastings are available.)

Many of the fresh vegetables and herbs that flavor Carlotta’s cooking come from gardens around the farm. A small barn houses a small collection of farm animals including several squealing pigs, a small herd of goats, chickens that supply eggs and a rooster that announces sunrise daily.

In other words, Pometti had everything I needed to relax.

 But … this was my first visit to Tuscany and the closest I’d ever been to the medieval hilltop towns of Siena and Montepulciano. So, we explored the delights of the region by day. We admired the murals in Siena’s soaring duomo. We created eggplant towers in a cooking class at acclaimed Ristorante Daria in quaint Monticchiello.

On a wine-tasting tour, we sampled a tasty assortment of Brunellos at several secluded wineries, with a stop in Montalcino for lunch and to climb its fortress walls. On our last day, a quest for gifts led us to postcard-perfect Cortona and the tiny shops around Piazza Garibaldi.

While the day trips were rich in local history and culture, the best part was returning to Pometti every evening. On the patio, among friends, with a refreshing spritzer in hand, I savored the soft colors of Tuscany at sunset. 

I’ll be back, just to relax next time.