Farmhouse holiday at Pieve Di Caminino, Montemassi, Italy

After 4 days in the relentless crowds of Florence we stepped into a very different world when we arrived in the tranquility of this historic farmhouse in the Grosetto region of Southern Tuscany. Wonderfully idyllic and romantic, Pieve Di Caminino oozes simplistic elegance and charm.

The Farm

Pieve Di Caminino has been in the same family for 150 years. Once we’d unpacked, our host Emiliano met us in his family museum, a collection of art, furniture and other objects collected by his family since their ownership of the property in the 1800’s. This wonderful collection is open to guests only, who are free to come and go as they wish during the day.

Over a few glasses of local red wine Emy told us about the farm, around 2,000 olive trees on the slopes below, an organic producer of Virgin Olive Oil.

We also learnt more about the Pieve (which roughly translates to ‘Parish’ in English) and how it had evolved from a Roman settlement into what it is today.

In the grounds of the farm are the olive groves, a swimming pool, several ponds and its own private forest, all accessible for guests.

Accommodation at Pieve Di Caminino

The accommodation here is traditional, rustic and fits in perfectly with its surroundings. We only saw our own room of course (‘La Forestiere’), and 6 further rooms are available at a variety of prices.

We were there for 4 nights and despite various restaurants being available in nearby towns, we ended up eating on our own private terrace, shared with a 1950’s Fiat Topolino! We wanted to make the most of this unique surrounding – restaurants could wait for our next stop on our tour of Italy in Bologna. We went exploring every day but were back at the farm by mid afternoon each day. 

Whilst staying on the farm I found myself asking the smart speaker in our room to play us Pavarotti – something I would never dream of doing at home but it just felt right here; thankfully there were no televisions, one of several great measures you’ll come across that ensure the ongoing simplicity, calm and peace of this small hamlet.

What we did in South Tuscany

Whist staying at Pieve Di Caminino a car is a must due to its rural location. Here’s a few of the highlights from our trip that you may want to try.

Montemassi

This ancient fortified hilltop town is around 10 minutes drive from the farm. Parking in the village and then walking a circular route up to the castle at the top and returning we hardly saw a soul, and certainly no other tourists. We had the castle to ourselves and the views from the top are just fantastic, with uninterrupted views for miles towards the Mediterranean coast. Allow an hour or two to explore.

Montemassi Castle

Roccatederighi

Another close by hilltop town. This one is a little larger than Montemassi with more shops & restaurants, but still had very few tourists. At the end of the main street you will be lead into the wonderful old town which is a maze of narrow streets between the beautifully preserved houses up to more wonderful views from the church at the top. This would be a great late afternoon visit and then stay for dinner before returning to the farm.

Roccatederighi

San Quirico d’Orcia

We found this place by accident! We wanted to take a drive across Tuscany so picked a road that took us past Monte Amiati, the highest point in Southern Tuscany. It was worth it just for the drive itself which took us through stunning scenery for a few hours. Again, a very unspoilt town with plenty of options for lunch  before a wander round the beutiful gardens. A more direct route back to the farm took around 1 hour 20 mins,

San Quiico d’Orcia Gardens

Private dining and cooking masterclass at Pieve di Caminino

On our last morning Emiliano offered us a espresso to see us on our way – I usually have itchy feet and am keen to get going but we didn’t want to leave so we joined him back in his museum for a farewell caffeine shot. We were introduced to chef Alessio Berionni who works with the farm to provide private dining experiences for groups, and cooking materclasses for guests if pre-arranged. Alessio told us about his time under Gordan Ramsay in the UK before returning to his homeland, as he prepared for a class with some guests from Australia. Read more about Alessio at abpersonalchef.com

Next stop Bologna!

We had a fantastic drive back to Florence where we dropped off our hire car before taking the train to Bologna. Again we took the scenic route, another post to follow on that as we followed the beautiful back roads from Sienna to Florence.

More details on Pieve di Caminino are at https://www.caminino.eu/