The Best Italian Agriturismi For Summer

Lose yourself among rolling Tuscan hills and Puglian olive groves, finding calm amid weaving vineyards and grazing animals at these top Italian farm stays.

Agriturismi - farm stays - are rapidly garnering a loyal following among those searching for authentic travel experiences. Traditional Italian estates and historic manor farms double up as homestays, providing guests with intimate dwellings for tranquil escapes. Arcadian views across fields and farmland can be enjoyed from rustic rooms or standalone guest houses, charmingly decorated and often more affordable than typical accommodation options. In recent years, low-key luxe has found its niche, with organic cookery schools and infinity pools being added to the mix. As well as offering an escape from the city, agriturismi stays entail daily meals that often prove the closest rendering of farm-to-table food you can find as a visitor.

Lose yourself among rolling Tuscan hills and Puglian olive groves, finding calm amid weaving vineyards and grazing animals at these top Italian agriturismi.

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Borgo Pignano

Tuscany, Italy

Within spitting distance of the hilltop villages of San Gimignano and Volterra, this peaceful 17th-century farmhouse is brimming with wholesomeness. Sit down to honey from the farm's own beehives, wine from its vineyards and olive oil from the ancient gnarled trees growing within the impossibly beautiful country estate. At the alfresco restaurant, pasta and bread are made from Borgo Pignano's own harvest of ancient grains, meaning they're far easier to digest than commercial wheat. The working farm is home to Cinta Senese pigs and free-range chickens, as well as horses that guests can ride and a beautifully maintained kitchen garden that's perfect to stroll around. Friendly cooking classes put an emphasis on heritage grain bread-making, while guided tastings offer an introduction to the region's biodynamic wines.

Address

Borgo Pignano, 56048 Volterra, Pisa

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Borgo Santo Pietro

Tuscany, Italy

More luxury palace than muddy homestead, the 120ha Borgo Santo Pietro estate encompasses an extensive working farm, with a traditional dairy, vineyards and apiary all helping to fuel the two-Michelin-star restaurant. Stay in one of 20 unique bedrooms in the 800-year-old farmhouse hotel, once a stopover for medieval pilgrims in search of some R&R. Alternatively, thanks to its close proximity to Siena, Borgo Santo Pietro can be visited for the day, offering guests the chance to take part in a seasonal cookery course or wine-tasting session, before indulging in some true farm-to-table dining. The organic kitchen gardens and orchard see hundreds of varieties of fruit and vegetables ripening under the Tuscan sun.

Address

110 Loc, 53012 Palazzetto SI

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Il Borgo del Balsamico

Emilia Romagna, Italy

A stay at this bucolic farm in Italy's culinary heart brings you close to one of the region's most celebrated products: balsamic vinegar. The 17th-century property has three beautiful rooms and a private apartment available for guests and is surrounded by charming gardens frequented by butterflies. Start your day with a delicious breakfast featuring local breads, jams and cured meats, then explore nearby villages and sample some of Italy's finest Parmigiano Reggiano, with many producers offering demonstrations and tasting sessions. Modena is also worth a visit, not least for the culinary mecca that is Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana.

Address

Via Albinea Chiesa 27, 42020 Botteghe di Albinea Reggio Emilia

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Nordelaia

Piedmont, Italy

This newly opened farmhouse in Montferrat is a welcome addition in a region that's steadily making a name for itself on Italy's slow-food scene. Offering 12 unique bedrooms housed within an ancient farmhouse, the project, whose restoration was three years in the making, respects the surrounding countryside at every turn. Set within 5ha of arable land, the estate produces its own-label Calligram wine. Foraging, truffle-hunting and nature walks are encouraged, followed by dinner at the fish and veggie-centric restaurant L'Orto. Piedmontese chef Andrea Ribaldone heads up the restaurant, bringing Michelin-star credentials to local dishes and ingredients.

Address

14-16 Via Piazze, Cremolino,15010 (AL)

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Il Fontanaro

Paciano, Italy

Deep in the Umbrian countryside, this agriturismo stretches over 40 acres of sun-kissed land. Choose between staying in a restored two-storey farmhouse dating back to 1893 or separate villas spread across the estate. Spend days wandering through lanes of olive groves and vineyards, taking a dip in the infinity pool or helping yourself to freshly harvested organic fruit and vegetables. Come evening, take a cookery course followed by wine or olive oil tasting in the farm’s cellar.

Address

Il Fontanaro di Lucia Verdacchi Pinelli Vocabolo Montanaro 64 06060 Paciano

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La Subida

Italy

On the Slovenian border, this agriturismo combines rustic charm with high-end dining on the outskirts of an old oak forest. Stay in one of the sixteen chalets benefitting from treetop terraces, alfresco bathtub and an outdoor pool. The main selling point is the Michelin-starred osteria. In this rustic Alpine restaurant, dine on local delicacies paired with wine sourced from nearby vineyards on both sides of the border.

Address

52 Via Subida 52 34071

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Casa Clelia

Italy

Despite sitting in the extravagantly named village of Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII, this agriturismo prides itself on delicate simplicity. At the foot of Monte Canto, the farm was built from the remains of an 11th-century convent. Rooms are unpretentious, designed with eco-bio features to reduce energy waste and protect the surrounding nature. Admire the restored convent and enjoy a taster menu of local delicacies curated by the farm’s chef before exploring the gardens, orchards and woods of Lombardy.

Address

1/3 Via Corna 24039 Sotto Il Monte Giovanni XXIII

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La Traversina

Stazzano, Italy

Dating back more than 300 years, La Traversina lies deep in the forest of Italy’s Piedmont region. Like a fairytale come true, the farmhouse is draped in green vines and surrounded by gardens abundant with flowers including hydrangeas, geraniums and 300 varieties of roses. Choose between one of three renovated stables or rooms situated inside the main house. Discover neighbouring vineyards, castles and tiny villages, or try your hand at gardening and cooking courses available throughout the summer months.

Address

Cascina Traversina 109 15060 Stazzano

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Moscatello Mulinër

Pozzolengo, Italy

Just south of Lake Garda, the Moscatello family have transformed this abandoned farm into a delightfully bucolic agriturismo. Rooms are rustic havens complete with stone floors and wooden beams. Soak up some Italian rays by the pool before sipping aperitifs as the sun sets over the vineyards, orchards and olive groves of this Lombardy estate. Feeling peckish? Head to the farm’s wisteria-covered restaurant for food and wine sourced from surrounding fields.

Address

Agriturismo Moscatello 25010 Località Moscatello di Sotto 3/5 Pozzolengo

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Villa di Campolungo

Fiesole, Italy

Since the 1400s Villa di Campolungo has perched on a hill overlooking Tuscan countryside and the town of Fiesole. Terracotta floors, original ceilings and artisanal textiles preserve the building’s long history, while solar panels and geothermal heating reduce the farmhouse’s impact on the surrounding environment. Head to nearby Chianti for wine tasting before retreating back to Campolungo for organic food and homemade cakes.

Address

Via Campilungo, 1 50010 Fiesole Caldine

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Tenuta La Pila

Verona, Italy

In the depths of the Veneto countryside, this converted rice mill dates back to 1733 and stretches over 100 acres of farmland. Nearby Verona, Ferrara and Padua make for charming day trips, while evenings can be spent taking a dip in the 50ft-long swimming pool or admiring views across the estate’s orchards, vineyards and wheatfields.

Address

Via Pila 42 37049 Villa Bartolomea Verona

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Masseria Uccio

Tricase, Italy

At the heel of Italy, this Puglian agriturismo sits atop a hill overlooking the Salento hinterland. Rooms are located around a central courtyard, and each is rustically decorated with wooden furnishings and an earth-tone palette. Awake to freshly baked bread, fruit from the orchards and local cheese from the farm before borrowing a bike to explore coastal tracks and unpaved country roads.

Address

Via Madonna di Fatima 73039 Tricase

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