In Tuscany’s Chianti Classico region, a medieval hamlet has been reborn as one of Italy’s most extraordinary resorts. Borgo San Felice Resort, a Relais & Châteaux property near Siena, combines history, gastronomy, and hospitality with a contemporary sense of luxury. Here are ten reasons it deserves a place on your travel wish list.
- A Medieval Hamlet, Reimagined
Borgo San Felice Resort is not a hotel built in a village—it is the village. The hamlet’s stone houses, chapel, and narrow lanes have been carefully restored to create a resort that feels authentic rather than staged. Guests stay in former residences and walk to the piazza for morning coffee or evening aperitivo. The effect is less like visiting Tuscany than inhabiting it.
- Relais & Châteaux Heritage
As a member of Relais & Châteaux, Borgo San Felice Resort adheres to a philosophy that blends luxury with authenticity. That ethos informs everything from the warm professionalism of the staff to the respect shown to local producers. The result is service that feels polished and welcoming, with experiences that are rooted in place rather than replicated from elsewhere.
- Michelin-Starred Dining at Poggio Rosso
Cuisine at Borgo San Felice Resort is an art form, and nowhere more so than at Poggio Rosso, its Michelin-starred restaurant. Executive Chef Stelios Sakalis, who arrived in 2025 after stints with Gordon Ramsay and Heston Blumenthal, reveals art as his muse. His scampi shabu shabu resembles a Kandinsky composition; other dishes likewise unfold as edible canvases. Poggio Rosso also holds a Green Star, awarded for its sustainability practices, underscoring that beauty and responsibility can coexist on the plate.
- Osteria del Grigio: Tuscany at the Table
The resort’s second restaurant, Osteria del Grigio, leans into rustic Tuscan tradition. Here the focus is on ribollita dense with beans and kale, handmade pici pasta tangled with ragù, and bistecca alla Fiorentina, served on a sizzling hot platter with its aroma filling the terrace. It is cooking that connects guests directly to the land and its rhythms, served with the kind of polish that elevates comfort into memory.
- A Winery with International Acclaim
Borgo San Felice Resort is inseparable from its wine estates. Across 150 hectares in Chianti Classico, as well as holdings in Montalcino and Bolgheri, San Felice produces more than a million bottles annually. Labels such as Poggio Rosso Gran Selezione, Campogiovanni Brunello, and Il Grigio Gran Selezione have consistently earned top rankings from Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. Guests can tour the cellars, walk the vineyards, and taste across the range—from bright Chianti Classico to structured Brunello—while witnessing firsthand how the wines reflect the land around them.
- Tailor-Made Experiences for Every Traveler
Whether a guest is drawn to history, nature, or relaxation, Borgo San Felice Resort offers bespoke itineraries crafted by expert collaborators. Thrill-seekers can take a Ferrari drive through the winding hills of Chianti. Wine lovers might opt for a helicopter tour that traces the vineyards from above before landing for a private tasting. Artists at heart can join painting lessons with in-house artist Natascia, creating a personal memento to bring home. Romantic travelers drift silently over the countryside in a hot air balloon, while families gather for a picnic in the garden, meeting the farmyard animals and sampling produce from Orto Felice. For couples, a vineyard aperitif at the Marchesa’s Hut provides a secluded and unforgettable setting. Even shopping is elevated at Emporio San Felice, the on-site boutique curated with Italian fashion and accessories.
- Aperitivo on the Terrace
As the sky shifts to gold, guests gather on the terrace for aperitivo, the Italian ritual that bridges day and evening. Glasses of San Felice’s own wines or an Aperol spritz are accompanied by canapés that hint at what dinner might bring. It is convivial, unhurried, and elegant—a pause that feels both communal and luxurious, and a reminder that Italian hospitality is as much about timing as it is about taste.
- Design Details with a Story
Luxury here is never generic. Pool towels in burnt orange and forest green echo the heraldic colors of Siena’s Palio. Rooms are stocked with plush robes, slippers, and custom bath amenities that transform everyday rituals into indulgences. Perhaps the most evocative detail is the signature Borgo candle, designed to replicate the hamlet’s aroma of cypress, stone, and herbs. It allows guests to extend the sensory memory of San Felice long after they have returned home.
- Rooms That Feel Like Residences
Accommodations range from intimate rooms with terracotta floors and beamed ceilings to spacious suites and apartments that once housed village families. Each is different, reflecting the layout of the hamlet itself. While details vary, the consistent thread is comfort: high-quality linens, understated décor, luxe bath amenities by Italian perfumer Maria Candida Gentile, whose compositions capture the herbal clarity of the countryside, and views that stretch across vineyards or into the quiet of the village streets. The effect is one of residence rather than lodging, of belonging rather than visiting.
- A Commitment to Sustainability
Sustainability here is not a slogan but a practice. The resort partners with local farmers and foragers, sources seasonally, and supports small-scale producers. Through Slow Food’s Food for Change campaign, Borgo San Felice Resort contributes to projects in more than 160 countries. On World Ocean’s Day, Poggio Rosso hosts dinners that highlight lesser-known fish species, encouraging responsible seafood consumption and sparking conversation around biodiversity. Guests experience not just pleasure at the table, but also a sense of connection to broader environmental initiatives.
The Sum of These Parts
What unites these ten reasons is continuity. Borgo San Felice Resort is not a place where food, wine, history, and hospitality exist in separate categories. They form a complete system, rooted in the land and enriched by thoughtful innovation. To stay here is to experience Tuscany in full, not just as scenery, but as a way of life.
Photos courtesy of Borgo San Felice Resort