Hotel Posta Marcucci — Hotel in Unione dei Comuni Amiata Val d'Orcia

If are lucky, you get to be greeted at Hotel Posta Marcucci at the reception desk by Michele. A mixture between Roberto Benigni (without the hair) and a The Wizard of Oz (without the hat). As a matter of fact all the staff “behind and in front of the counters” are extremely nice, English spoken (even German, French) and very professional. As you certainly would expect based on the rates the rooms of this hotel are going. Quickly ou can tell that these folks are happy to be “back on the road” after COVID and its long period of touristic silence.

The second you’ll step over the threshhold you are time warped, kicked back from our complicated and unsecure decade to the wild, roaring and totally disastrous sixtees and seventies, when Franco Zeffirelli, Frederico Fellini and their likes were doing their regular stints and locational movie shoots in this area, being away from cinecitta, dragging the then film stars, going and running amok, leaving you with your own imagination of “Sex, Drugs and Rock’n Roll.” of that time. Up to you.

They spent their nights here.

And since you are here, you, too, know why they preferred this place. Photos of the “then known VIP’s” are plastered all over the walls giving evidence and is worth your while (and smile) to look at. There are hundreds of other relics and furnitures to marvel at in the lobby, which is filled with memorabilia from the original owners telling many of the stories of this place going back at least for seven, eight or nine decades. In the 17th century this place was the first (and only) hotel or guest house in this area for quite some time where travellers could rest it out after (or during) long and strenuous trips between Florence and Rome, while horses, mailbags and other items were refreshed or exchanged. It was a postal station and so is the whole hamlet.

… and that is precicely the reason why I needed a couple of days to find my way around within the vicinities because - over the period - parts of the original house were taken down, added to the structure, giving it a unique orientation.

So if you expect a somewhat modernistic hotel with a clean structure and nowadays chiqueness, you are most definitely wrong here. But if you are - like me - being fond of some historical background, stories and tales and stuff, you should cough up a little more than the usual and spend some time here. True, the rooms are are hardly big enough to swing a cat but why should you? But the spa and the thermal baths making it up for that. (If you you really wanted to.) The decent sized park belonging to the property gives you ample room not to having look at some people who might hurt your eyes esthetically and you’d normally like to avoid. The beds are comfortable, decent duvees, lush, soft and very white bathrobes and towels and an A.C. that doesn’t blow your socks of.. all in all all in a good standing order as if germans would run this place.

But, alas, they are not.

The breakfast is good, prooving each morning that this country practically invented making and baking bread, taking a certain pride in presenting it to the breakfasting guests. They really thought of everything to cater for even the haughtiest Nudniks I occasionally - and admittedly - can be. You can play tennis, rent bicycles, hiking and have some restaurants next doors, which are all okay but not really worthwhile.

For dinner at the Posta Marcucci you have to make reservations, what I am never willing to do, so I never ended up here to check it out. As for sustainability this hotel avoids placing plastic coffee makers in the rooms and you find hardly any plastics at all. Perhaps, one day, the management will even find substitutions for shampoo, bath gels and stuff in...

Romantic couples spa retreat nearby d'Orcia for iconic, breathtaking views! Rooms were large, clean, and modern with classic historic touches. (Tip: Pool-view rooms cost more and are smaller. Skip the pool view, save money with a larger room, and go outdoors for the view!) The spa series is comprehensive with thermal pools for soaking, saunas, salt spas, and more. All the water is HOT; plan on buying a lot of water to stay hydrated. (We spent $44 on water alone for our 3-night stay.) I wish they would add an ice bath or cool pool/shower option to help balance body temperature. It was 95F (35C) in early September, and the pool temps were the same or warmer. I feared heat exhaustion or dehydration, so I didn't use the spa facilities to the extent I would have liked.

VIBE & PHOTO-KILLER. The spa requires swim caps to be worn by EVERYONE that uses the thermal pools. They said it's for hygiene reasons. I looked around and saw multiple men with beards or hairy arms/legs using the pools, so that reasoning was illogical to me. I have naturally curly hair, so there's no way I'd want my hair exposed to the hot pools. I also didn't want to squish my hair into an unattractive fitted swim cap just to enter the pools. It was our anniversary, and I wanted romantic poolside photos with my beloved hubby. So, I held off using the thermal pools until our last day. Even then, I wore the ugly cap just to soak my legs and feet in one of the pools. (I hope they revisit this rule or provide more reasonable logic going forward. People's butts and privates are more unsanitary than most heads. Beards and notabke body hair should be regarded equall to head hair as a cleanliness concern for consistency. )

On a delightful note, the free breakfast was remarkable with fresh patries, yogurts, cheeses, meats, fruits, and more. The outdoor spas have a kiosk/bar that sells beverages and snacks in the afternoon. Tables and lounge chairs are available for relaxing in the shade or sun and are surrounded by small herb planters of basil, rosemary, sage (salvia), and lemon thyme. It smells like pure relaxation! I loved that guests were provided robes, slippers, and a canvas bag for going to/from the spas; it was very handy... and cute!

The neighborhood block has 5-10 additional restaurants for dining in easy walking distance. Most don't open until 7 pm. The area isn't that busy (Sep), so reservations were optional. T

Tip: Rent a car to tour the nearby Orcia Valley (Val d'Orcia). (There's free parking on site.) Scout Google Maps for markers for Gladiator, Under the Tuscan Sun, "Historical Landmark," and more. Even if you haven't seen those movies, the scenes are beyond gorgeous and...

We were 2 couples for 4 nights and did the half Board with 4 course dinner included. (Breakfast was already included in the room rate and was superb with so many choices ) . The half board was extra for dinner however, if you didn’t do it, you could still eat at the restaurant and pay or go to one of the many restaurants within 50|Yards of Posta Marcucci in town. |The hotel is actually in the little town of Bagno Vignoni .. so it was nice to walk up the hill to the small town with a few stores, a tiny church and plenty of restaurants. Albergo Posta Marcucci is a throwback on what a classy hotel would have been like in 60’s and 70’s. We loved the civility and formalness of it. The room for meals was elegant and the whole hotel was an eclectic mix of interesting artwork, furniture and room settings. Every night they lit hundreds of candles in the rooms off the lobby and they set out games and newspapers with comfy sofas and game tables . There was a bar which I think opened around 8 PM where you could put on vintage albums on a record player. The thermal pools were fabulous and they provided robes , slippers and towels to take to the huge pools. there’s also a restaurant by the pool and we had lunch there many days and also before dinner we went down for cocktails. Food was excellent. Lounge chairs a plenty. |The rooms were large (we had an upgraded room and bathroom ) and plenty of closet space and huge bathroom with double sink , tub and shower (for upgraded room). Not sure what the standard room had. Linens excellent. |The service was wonderful and very helpful. |If you like staying at Hiltons and Marriotts not sure this is the place for you. This is an elegant , more formal hotel ( men are asked to wear long pants to dinner which was fine with us ) . Jackets were not required. Views from pools and restaurant were 2nd to none. |We loved everything about this place . Parking spaces were available .|We Didn’t want to leave ! took many side trips to Hilltowns close by. This area has the quintessential Tuscany views around every bend was vineyards, olive groves, sunflowers, cypress trees which led to villas and wine tasting venues. I really can’t imagine a more...