A 12th-century Chianti castle restored by COMO with 50 rooms by Paola Navone, the Michelin-starred La Torre, and the COMO Shambhala spa. Half-an-hour from Florence; the rest of Chianti at the door.
"A 12th-century castle in the heart of Chianti, polished by COMO into the cleanest, calmest version of countryside Tuscany the region offers."
COMO Castello del Nero occupies a 12th-century castle on a 750-acre Chianti estate at Strada Spicciano 7, in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa — 30 minutes south of Florence, 40 minutes north of Siena. The property was acquired by Singapore-based COMO Hotels in 2019 and reopened after a multi-year programme of structural restoration and interior reconception by Italian designer Paola Navone. Where the previous owners ran the building as a conventional Italian castle hotel — heavy timber furniture, oxblood walls, framed dynastic portraits — Navone stripped the palette back to pale walls, terracotta floors, monastic linens, and contemporary art. The result is the cleanest, most restrained version of Tuscan-castle luxury currently available.
There are 50 rooms and suites in total: most in the main castle, with the additional one- to three-bedroom apartments at the Podere San Filippo farmhouse and the five-bedroom standalone Villa San Luigi for multi-generational families and group bookings. The interconnecting suite categories were designed specifically for parents-plus-children configurations. Every category has the COMO bed, COMO Shambhala bath products, and the Navone palette; the higher categories add private terraces or garden access.
Three dining venues run the property's food programme. La Torre — the formal restaurant — holds one Michelin star under chef Giovanni Luca Di Pirro, focused on contemporary Tuscan cuisine using produce from the estate's own gardens. La Taverna serves the casual lunch and family dinners. The Pavilion is the open-air poolside restaurant for daytime grazing. The wine programme leans hard on Chianti and Brunello with strong Bolgheri representation; the cellar is housed in the castle's 12th-century vaulted basement. The COMO Shambhala spa is the property's wellness anchor — Asian wellness traditions delivered with the brand's signature precision, a 25-metre indoor pool, and the kind of treatment menu that distinguishes a destination spa from a hotel amenity.
The Chianti location is the property's dual advantage. Florence is 30 minutes by car for day-trip access to the Uffizi and the Duomo; Siena and the Brunello villages of Montalcino and Montepulciano are within 90 minutes; the immediate surroundings are vineyards, olive groves, and the countryside roads of the Chianti Classico zone. The on-site programme — Chianti Classico tastings, cooking classes with the chef, e-bike tours through the vineyards — fills the days that don't go into Florence. For couples and families on a Tuscan trip that wants polish without overcooking the heritage, COMO Castello del Nero is the strongest answer in the region.
The Tuscan countryside honeymoon delivered in COMO's restrained idiom. Book a Castello Suite or Garden Suite. Dinner at La Torre, a half-day Chianti tasting in the surrounding villages, and a morning at the COMO Shambhala spa fill the right kind of slow days. The 30-minute Florence transfer means the Uffizi is a single afternoon away.
COMO Shambhala is the brand's distinctive wellness IP — the same Asian therapies delivered at COMO's Asia properties, transposed onto a Tuscan castle. Multi-day spa programmes book at confirmation. The 25-metre indoor pool and the broader spa footprint distinguish this from the perfunctory hotel-spa offering at most Tuscan hotels.
La Torre handles milestone anniversaries with the discipline of a Michelin-starred kitchen and a wine list that takes Tuscan provenance seriously. The Castello Suites' private terraces overlook the Chianti hills. The combination of historic walls and contemporary calm is the rare anniversary setting that doesn't feel either tired or generic.
Strada Spicciano 7
50028 Tavarnelle Val di Pesa (Florence), Tuscany
30 min from Florence; 40 min from Siena; 90 min Pisa airport
50 rooms incl. apartments at Podere San Filippo + Villa San Luigi (5BR)
Classic Room from €750/night
Castello Suite from €1,400
Villa San Luigi from €6,500
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Minimum stay: 2 nights
La Torre (1 Michelin star)
COMO Shambhala spa
25-metre indoor pool
On-estate Chianti tastings
Open: year-round; reduced in January
Open: year-round
Peak: late May – September
Best value: November, March
High-speed WiFi throughout
Reliable signal across the estate
Spa areas designed for disconnection
From €750/night. La Torre dinner reservations at booking. Villa San Luigi requires direct contact with the property.
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