Christmas in the Tuscan countryside in the 5-star Castello del Nero
Escape to the Castello del Nero for a relaxing and rejuvenating festive season. Inhale the atmosphere of the Tuscan countryside in winter with its frosty and misty mornings, the cypress trees standing proud against the rolling hills and the rows of stumpy stakes in the bare vineyards. Amidst this timeless landscape, you will be nurtured and pampered at the luxurious Castello del Nero, situated in the Val di Pesa about 30 minutes south of Florence. Here you will be able to appreciate the Renaissance features of this restored, originally from the 12th century, castle, such as its frescoed walls, ceilings and fireplaces. The hotel has 50 rooms and suites, a COMO Shambhala spa and two restaurants including the Michelin-starred La Torre, and a bar, La Taverna, with its vast fireplace that creates a cosy glow in the winter months and situated in the castle’s original kitchen. Spend your time here unwinding, in the spa, reading in the Taverna, or taking walks through the estate. Perhaps take yourselves into Florence or Siena or hire a local guide to give you a private tour of the sites that interest you most.
Highlights
Tuscan countryside • Florence • Siena
Lovely holiday - thanks. Particularly enjoyed our guide who was fabulous.Mr B, November 2025
Holiday price guide Price per person and includes 5 nights’ bed and breakfast based on two people sharing a classic double or twin room.
From about
£3,880
Holiday Code FHIT35
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Call us on 01392 441245
Christmas in the Tuscan countryside in the 5-star Castello del Nero
Fly to Pisa or Florence where you are met by your transfer driver who will take you to the hotel. Florence is about 30 minutes’ drive and Pisa is about 75 minutes away. Check-in to the hotel, perhaps having asked us to book you a table for dinner.
You have four days from your base in the Tuscan countryside to embark on a mixture of rest, relaxation, fine dining and local exploration. Spend your time here reading in the cosy Taverna, enjoying a spa treatment, taking walks through the hectares of estate, home to vines, or take the hotel’s shuttle into the nearby art and culture cities of Florence or Siena. Take time to soak up the historic atmosphere of the Castello, which dates from the 12th century, with its frescoed walls, ceilings and fireplaces. Be sure to book tables in advance for a meal in the Michelin-starred La Torre restaurant. The hotel offers special menus on 24 December and 25 December.
You are transferred by private car from the hotel to Pisa or Florence airport for your onward flight home.
Lovely holiday - thanks. Particularly enjoyed our guide who was fabulous.Mr B, November 2025
Holiday price guide Price per person and includes 5 nights’ bed and breakfast based on two people sharing a classic double or twin room.
From about
£3,880
Holiday Code FHIT35
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
● Flights from London to Pisa or Florence return
● 5 nights’ bed and breakfast at the Castello del Nero in a classic double room
● Private transfers airport to hotel and back
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
Call us on 01392 441245
Lovely holiday - thanks. Particularly enjoyed our guide who was fabulous.Mr B, November 2025
Holiday price guide Price per person and includes 5 nights’ bed and breakfast based on two people sharing a classic double or twin room.
From about
£3,880
Holiday Code FHIT35
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• Flights from London to Pisa or Florence return
• 5 nights’ bed and breakfast at the Castello del Nero in a classic double room
• Private transfers airport to hotel and back
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
The journey and how you get there This holiday includes flights to Pisa or Florence, depending on the airline and your choice of departure airport. From the airport we include a private car transfer to the hotel and back at the end of the holiday, but we can also arrange a hire-car for you instead. The hotel offers a regular shuttle service from the hotel to both Florence and Siena (timetable to be confirmed for the Christmas period).
Call us on 01392 441245
Christmas in the Tuscan countryside in the 5-star Castello del Nero
Lovely holiday - thanks. Particularly enjoyed our guide who was fabulous.Mr B, November 2025
Holiday price guide Price per person and includes 5 nights’ bed and breakfast based on two people sharing a classic double or twin room.
From about
£3,880
Holiday Code FHIT35
The prices displayed here are a guide only. Each holiday price will be tailor-made at the time of booking to reflect all actual costs including up-to-date special offers.
Our prices include
• Flights from London to Pisa or Florence return
• 5 nights’ bed and breakfast at the Castello del Nero in a classic double room
• Private transfers airport to hotel and back
• Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints
The journey and how you get there This holiday includes flights to Pisa or Florence, depending on the airline and your choice of departure airport. From the airport we include a private car transfer to the hotel and back at the end of the holiday, but we can also arrange a hire-car for you instead. The hotel offers a regular shuttle service from the hotel to both Florence and Siena (timetable to be confirmed for the Christmas period).
Call us on 01392 441245
Christmas in the Tuscan countryside in the 5-star Castello del Nero
About Tuscany
An Expressions tailor-made holiday in Tuscany allows you to appreciate its classical landscape of rolling hills and vineyards dotted with olive and cypress trees, its misty green-grey mountains that are never too far distant, and hill-top towns of rich brown and gold stone houses. This combines with the beauty of the works of art contained in the towns and villages throughout Tuscany to create an inspirational union of the spirit and the senses. There is an intrinsic comfort in the supposed contrast between the delicacy of a Botticelli and the heartiness of Ribollita soup, yet both are typical of this fascinating region. As birthplace of the Renaissance, the impact of Tuscan and particularly Florentine traditions and culture on European heritage is fundamental to our way of life. In addition to the obvious attractions of the scenery of Chianti and the art cities of Florence and Siena, there are the less well-known regions south of Siena with its moon-like landscape of hills, the patchwork vineyards of Montalcino, the coastal marshlands of the Maremma, the spas of Montecatini and Saturnia, the islands of Elba and Giglio, and the Casentino with the source of the Arno and abundant mushroom crops. Wherever you travel on holiday in Tuscany, you will be inspired by the beauty of your surroundings and the way of life, which is quintessentially that of Italy too.
Highlights of Tuscany
Famous vineyards producing wines of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Alabaster is produced in Volterra. Gold and silver are worked in Florence and the Ponte Vecchio is lined with jewellery shops. Marbled paper and stationery is a speciality of Florence. Ceramics and hand-painted majolica from raw terracotta from Impruneta to the glazed pottery of Siena are to be found throughout Tuscany. Lucca has traditionally produced silk and hand-woven fabrics. Leather goods including shoes, handbags and belts are to be found from market stalls to designer shops such as Gucci and Ferragamo. Interesting markets include the Mercato dell' Antiquariato which sells furniture from antiques to bric-a-brac in Arezzo on the first weekend of every month, in Pisa on the second weekend and in Lucca on the third weekend. The 'wild' Maremma is known for its long-horned white cattle and cowboys (butteri) and natural springs including Saturnia.
Cultural highlights of Tuscany
As birthplace of the Renaissance, Tuscany contains a wealth of treasures: Giotto`s Campanile and Brunelleschi`s Dome in Florence, the Tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo in Florence`s Santa Croce, Botticelli`s `Birth of Venus` and `Primavera` and the portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca in the Uffizi, Michelangelo`s `David` in the Accademia, the architecture of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, `The Tuscan Maremma` painting by Giovanni Fattori in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Piazza del Campo in Siena, `The Legend of the Cross` frescoes by Piero della Francesco in Arezzo, `The Creation` fresco by Bartolo di Fredi in the Collegiata in San Gimignano, Romanesque church of the Collegiata in San Quirico d`Orcia, 14th Century Fortezza of Montalcino, Renaissance masterpiece of the church of Madonna di San Biagio at Montepulciano, the abbey-church of Sant`Antimo, mediaeval Lucignano and the towers of San Gimignano, the Etruscan Museum in Cortona.
Festivals in Tuscany
Many of Tuscany`s festivals resound with the flamboyance of the Renaissance and keep Tuscans and visitors alike in touch with the region`s rich history. Others are linked to Tuscany`s hearty traditions of eating and drinking. The most famous is Siena`s Palio which takes place on 2 July and 16 August each year. Others include the Sagra del Tordo (Festival of the Thrush) in Montalcino on the last Sunday in October when there is an archery contest and charcoal-grilled thrush are a delicacy. In Florence, Calcio in Costume (a football match played in mediaeval costume) takes place in June. Pisa has the Giocco del Ponte (Game of the Bridge), a mock battle in Renaissance dress also held in June. Viareggio celebrates Carnival on Shrove Tuesday with a huge display of flamboyant floats. In May and August Massa Marittima holds the Falcon Contest.
Gastronomy in Tuscany
Simple country food is at the heart of Tuscan cooking. Regional dishes include Bruschetta (bread or ciabatta toasted and rubbed with garlic, olive oil and salt), Ribollita (bean, cabbage and bread soup), Pasta with hare or wild boar sauce, Porcini mushroom and truffle dishes, Bistecca all Fiorentina (thick cut of sirloin and fillet beef), Cantucci (almond and honey biscuits) served dipped in Vin Santo, Panforte (chocolate, nut and spice cake). Pecorino cheese made from sheep's milk. Local wines include the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the Bianco di Pitigliano. Famous reds include Chanti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Vin Santo made from semi-crushed grapes left for several months is an excellent dessert wine.
