I’ve long been obsessed with getting photos of the idyllic Tuscan countryside – you know, the ones with the rolling hills and cypress tress. So last year in May, 14 of us friends and family stayed in La Bandita, a converted farmhouse on a hill between Pienza and Chianchiano Terme. Although the drive up and down the hill to La Bandita took a bit of getting used to, the place was really well located to explore central Tuscany. And best of all, the food at La Bandita, cooked on the spot by a talented and friendly team, was superb.
La Bandita is an eight room converted farmhouse – a labor of love for a young couple from New York who were tired of the fast lane. John Voightmann, a former music exec (there’s a real MTV award on the living room shelf), and his wife created seven decent sized rooms all with attached bathrooms out of an abandoned farmhouse and also renovated what had been the pigsty into a stand alone apartment/suite. I’d describe La Bandita as a very nice B&B. It’s not quite the luxury of Palas Cerequio where we stayed in Piedmont (Palas Cerequio blog), but still very comfortable.
The farmhouse has a comfortable living and dining area with an open kitchen where meals are prepared daily. The room rate is inclusive of breakfast – which is an amazing spread of various local cheese (pecorino!) and cold cuts as well as cooked eggs, pastries, cereal and lots of fresh fruit. Lunch and dinner can be provided – and is cooked in the kitchen by a cook who comes in as needed. I found the food to be of good value at around EUR30-40 per person for a four course dinner and we were kept very well fed. We’d come back from our daily jaunts to pastries and fresh bread and cheese.
One of things that would have been nice would be if the weather had been warmer when we were there. La Bandita commands amazing views of Tuscany’s famous rolling hills and the sunsets were spectacular but a bit cold for us to sit out on the patio to enjoy. There’s also a decent sized swimming pool which I’m sure would be great on a warm summer day, as it must be now.
I organized a wine tasting with John on the evening we arrived. It was a great way to start our holiday there. John introduced us to some of the lesser known Brunellos in the area including one from Poggio di Sotto, which we really enjoyed. John can also arrange vineyard visits.
With La Bandita surrounded by working farms, walking out in the morning to check on where the sheep were was also a lot of fun. There were two sheepdog puppies who were incredibly cute and easily distracted from their chores. No doubt frustrating for the farmer but there were a lot of “aww, so cute” moments. Just as well, as the pups’ parents were no fun (stay away!).
All in, I probably would love to come back and just spend more time exploring the surrounding hills. There are some nice walks. Alas, we were out most days driving around and didn’t really get to enjoy the place to the utmost. I think September would be a great time to visit when it’s still warm enough to enjoy the pool.
La Bandita’s website: http://www.la-bandita.com
