Castello di Ama — Attraction in Gaiole in Chianti

We first stayed her in July 2021 immediately after italy reopened to tourists after covid. We had a fantastic visit but had to venture off property because the restaurant was not open every day. Sometimes I'm of the belief that you cant repeat a magical experience however our second stay was even better and more magical. The San Lorenzo suite is a top notch accommodation with luxury amenities, beddings and towels. Supposedly there were other guests our last night there but we never heard them or saw them. You feel likes its your own villa. You can walk around at will and explore. There are two parlors where you can enjoy a grappa or whiskey to end your evening. Its not a typical "hotel" with employees about and all the better for it. You really are on your own unless you go looking for someone. If you are an independent type you will love this. if you like hand-holding and a lot of direction it might not be for you. Much of the art collection is outside so you can enjoy it on your own, but do book a tour to see everything. Our excellent guide Sylvia showed us some new things that we didnt see before and took us out to the vineyards. She was a delight. Make sure you book the "right" kind of wine tour. Some of them dont actually include wine tasting. ||||In warm months when you dine at the restaurant you can sit on the balcony and overlook the perfect amphitheater where the vineyards grow. However, on this trip it was rather cold at night so we dined indoors. There is nothing near the restaurant and we didnt want to drink and drive so we enjoyed all three dinners there. There are many different rooms and each night we were in our own room attended by the lovely Emily who took very good care of us. The scrumptious food prepared by check Ernesto complimented the wines very well. We were usually too full to have dessert but dont pass up the saffron creme brulee if its on offer. ||||Dear Romina in the breakfast room took good care of us in the mornings. She makes a perfect cappucino. She even showed us some of the other suites. All of them are beautiful in their own way - especially the large windows in Bellavista but i do think San Lorenzo with the separate living room is the best. ||||And what can be said about the wine? Well, its arguably the best of Chianti Classico. They put a small amount of merlot which is not that noticable but gives it a little boost. ||||I cant wait until we are able to return. Im longing...

I visited Castello di Ama with friends in 2020 and it really couldn’t have been more magical. The tour was excellent with detailed explanations of each art installation, the tasting was generous with an opportunity to try five wines, and lunch in the restaurant was exceptional. It was so good in fact that I’ve recommended a visit it to anyone who would listen, and was really looking forward to experiencing it all again this year.

What a shame that the magic appears to have been replaced with the desire to make money. Despite emailing several weeks in advance and chasing persistently, my friend received no reply regarding our tour/tasting/lunch reservation until a couple of days before our visit. He was told that the tour and tasting would go ahead but the restaurant was “closed”. We were therefore surprised to discover that others on our tour were dining in the restaurant after their tasting. When we asked our tour guide about this, we were then told that the restaurant wasn’t in fact closed but “fully booked”. Honesty in the first instance would have gone a long way. The tour itself was incomparable to last year’s. Only three of the dozen or so pieces of art were mentioned at all, unlike our previous visit where everything was explained in detail.

As for the tasting, we were given a few sips of three wines, and charged €70 for the privilege, a significant price hike by anyone’s reckoning. I cannot fault the staff at Ama who are all polite and keen to help, but can’t help but feel that the whole ethos of the place has changed (a change in management perhaps?) and now the need to cash in has replaced the desire to delight.

My advice would be to skip the pricey tour and tasting and grab a map from the gift shop and go on a self-guided tour instead. You can then spend the €70 you’ve saved on a delicious lunch (if they’ll let you in...

Castello di Ama is part of the tiny village of Ama in Chianti and they own a number of the major buildings in the village ( population 5!).|They also own most of the vineyards and olive groves in the surrounding hills and valleys (75 hectares of vines). They have four suites in a beautiful villa in the village and the restaurant and wine shop is in the other main building. They also have the winery, and olive oil processing room and an amazing selection of contemporary art. It is definitely an art focused wine tour but the use of all the amazing spaces with the special commissions makes it an interesting difference from other wine tours.|Staying here is like staying in your own home and it is beautifully and eclecticly furnished but not "interior designed" and we were able to really relax. We were able to walk all around the estate and even helped with the olive picking and watched the olive oil processing but unfortunately just missed the grape harvest.|As we were the only ones staying we had the place almost to ourselves particularly in the evening.|Dinner was excellent on both evenings ( closed on Tuesdays) and we had a glass of their excellent white wine, Al Poggio, in front of the log fire in the sitting room and had Bruscheta toasted on the fire.|Pasta, wild boar, local pork and chicken and rabbit were all excellent but vegetables are a rare sight (which seems to be the case everywhere). All washed down with their excellent Chianti Classico San Lorenzo.|We really enjoyed the incredible peace and quiet of the place and were well looked after but do not expect this...