Two restored Tuscan borghi I’ve slept at, and both are fantastic — including for couples. They just suit different trips: one is the all-rounder near Siena that feels like home, the other is a remote country stay with the best pool of the three and private villas for families and groups.
Stayed at both · part of my Tuscany borghi trio with Il Borro
Choose Borgo San Felice
If you want everything done well
A perfectly restored medieval borgo in the Chianti hills just outside Siena. The most well-rounded of the three: fantastic service, fantastic food, tennis, a gym and a spa — and a real feeling of home.
Choose Borgo Pignano
If you want the countryside
A country, almost farm-stay borgo on a remote hilltop outside Volterra — the best pool of the three, dinner under a pergola facing the valley, plus around nine private villas, tennis, a fantastic gym and a spa.
Side by side
How they compare
Borgo San Felice
Borgo Pignano
Where
Chianti, just outside Siena
The hills outside Volterra, about 1.5 hours from Florence
My visit
Stayed — one of my favorite stays so far
Stayed
The feel
Quaint and warm — a perfectly restored village that feels like home
Country and quiet — close to a farm stay, and a bit remote
Best for
Anyone who wants everything done well; first-timers; Siena close by
Couples who want the countryside; families and groups taking a villa
Where to sleep
In the borgo — I’ll pick the room
A private villa for groups; the main villa or borgo for couples
On property
Tennis, gym, spa
The best pool of the three, a second pool and a kids’ pool, tennis, gym, spa
Booking perks
Fora Reserve
Relais & Châteaux, Fora Reserve
Both are about location as much as the hotel: San Felice puts Siena and Chianti on your doorstep, Pignano puts Volterra and San Gimignano within reach. I arrange drivers who know the back roads for either. Both are Fora Reserve, so the same perks apply either way: a space-available upgrade, daily breakfast and a hotel credit when you book through me.
The question behind the question
Village life, or the countryside?
Both are great for couples. If you want to be close to Siena, with a borgo that feels like home and gets everything right — service, food, tennis, gym and spa — I lean Borgo San Felice. It’s the most well-rounded borgo I’ve stayed at, and one of my favorite stays so far.
If you want the countryside, Borgo Pignano is the answer. It’s more of a country, farm-stay kind of Tuscany and a bit remote, with the best pool of the three and that pergola view at sunset. For families and groups, its private villas give everyone their own house with the full hotel behind it.
Still deciding?
Tell me your dates and I’ll tell you which one fits. Work with me and you get Fora perks, plus someone who knows the hotels personally and personalizes your stay. Same rate as booking direct.
