Gwyneth Paltrow’s Tuscany Road Trip
Aug 08, 2010 | Comments 0
In Gwyneth Paltrow’s latest GOOP newsletter, she answers viewer’s questions, including her favorite hotels and inns in the glorious Tuscany region of Italy.
While many of us don’t have the time or spending money to travel like Gwyneth, every now and then it’s certainly nice to splurge. And what better place to spend a little extra dough than in Tuscany? And who better to steal an Italian itinerary than Oscar-winning A-list actress?
Years ago my father and I went on a road trip across Tuscany together. We started at Cetona on the border of Tuscany and Umbria. From there we took a daytrip to Orvieto, where the “Duomo,” the cathedral there, is not to be missed. Pienza was next, followed by Cortona, where we stayed at the Hotel Villa Marsili in a Villa in a 14th Century building inside the city walls. Vineyards in Montepulciano and Montalcino are only half an hour away. We then headed to Siena, where the main square and streets leading up to it are filled with food shops selling hand-rolled pici, glass jars of San Marzano tomatoes, cheese and other Italian specialties. Next was Firenze. In nearby Fiesole, there is a wonderful hotel named Villa San Michele. It’s one of the most luxurious and lovely hotels in Italy, so consider treating yourself. An ex-monastery, Villa San Michele’s façade was designed by Michaelangelo. It’s an incredibly luxurious place to stay and the Tuscan food is delicious. Finally in the walled city of Lucca, we stayed at a lovely 10 room hotel named Locanda l’Elisa. The leaning tower of Pisa is only an hour away, but the town of Lucca itself is full of monuments, monasteries, churches and cathedrals to see. We were on our way to the Hotel Splendido in Portofino, but our trip was cut short. I still daydream about staying there – it looks like it lives up to its name.
Here’s The Breakdown On Gwyneth’s Tuscany Hotels:
Hotel Villa Marsili
Once a 18th century private house, the Hotel Villa Marsili is now a luxury boutique hotel of 27 rooms and all units have direct dial telephones, Internet access, mini bar, safe boxes, and air conditioning. Prices can be snagged starting at $94 USD a night.
Villa San Michele Hotel Fiesole
This five star hotel used to be a 15th century monastery with killer views of Florence, located six miles from Florence Peretola Domestic Airport and 50 miles from Pisa International Airport. The hotel has a façade that was designed by Michelangelo and it comes with a full American style buffet breakfast. What more could you want? Price is only available by request.
Locanda l’Elisa
This five star hotel located in an villa near Lucca, the Locanda l’Elisa has an onsite botanical garden, pool, gazebos, and four poster beds in every room. Rooms start at $145 USD. Not too shabby.
Hotel Splendido
The priciest of Gwyneth’s Tuscany picks, the Hotel Splendido is an ancient villa that overlooks the Portofino harbor. It was transformed into a hotel in 1901 and only has 16 rooms in the hotel, which accounts for its hefty pricetag.
On a long layover in Italy, or perhaps a trip in and of itself, this is a road trip route that seems impossible to skip out on. Even if you can afford to spend your nights in her hotels, it’s definitely a top-notch itinerary.
To read the rest of Gwyenth’s great GOOP advice, click here!
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