Villa La Capella, in Tuscany.Villa la Capella/Supplied
When my husband and I planned a trip to Tuscany, we weren’t exactly expecting a relaxing vacation. After all, our toddler was coming too.
We boarded our flight from Calgary to Rome with eyes wide open (literally, we have not slept in days), with little anticipation of any chance to truly unwind. However, we had not reckoned on the soothing power of our destination, Villa La Cappella, a place that enfolds you in the comforting hug of a nonna who then proceeds to stuff you with heaping bowl after heaping bowl of delectable homemade pasta.
Located just outside of the sleepy town of Montespertoli in Chianti, the villa (10 rooms, all with private baths, and a stand-alone apartment complete with kitchen) is surrounded by charming castles keeping watch on nearby hilltops, with wineries and olive groves nestled in the valley nearby. A quick and easy drive to Florence, Siena and many historic hilltop towns, the villa is the perfect central location to tick off every destination on your Tuscan itinerary.
Keep in mind, however, you may not be all that motivated to leave this place, which quickly comes to feel like home. Spend the morning percolating on the terrace with a cappuccino and croissant while hot-air balloons drift lazily up the valley. Unwind in the afternoon with an Aperol spritz by the infinity-edged pool, watching the sun infuse the surrounding vineyards with a honeyed glow. In our case, after chasing our toddler through the crowded cobblestoned streets of nearby San Gimignano on an afternoon excursion, we were eager to return to the tranquility of the villa, which we learned was owned and operated by a Canadian-Italian family.
Views from the pool.Seamus Malloy/Supplied
When Torontonians Paola and Anthony Faiella first stepped foot onto the property, bought sight unseen during the pandemic, the couple also felt like they were coming home. The surrounding community welcomed the couple with open arms; neighbours offered recommendations for local tradesmen to help with repairs and showed up at their door with freshly dug-up truffles. The truffles are now on the villa’s restaurant menu, a decadent addition to honey-drizzled local cheese and freshly baked bread. They also became acquainted with neighbours who run a business that arranges off-the-beaten path e-bike adventures to whisk guests through vineyards, olive groves and fairy-tale-like castles. Supporting the local community is something the family strives for in the operation of the villa. Much like they treat their guests, they consider the locals here family.
Paola and Anthony and their two adult daughters, who help run the business during the summer months, are also now the caretakers of the storied history of the villa, something they don’t take lightly. “There have been generations of people who owned this before us, over hundreds of years,” reflects Anthony. “Now it’s been left in our hands.”
A common room with fireplace.Villa la Capella/Supplied
Historically, the land was a part of Castello Aliano, a 13th-century castle, and the family lives part-time in what was once the chapel. The building where guests now reside originally housed livestock on the ground floor, though it’s hard to imagine a menagerie of sheep, goats and pigs bedding down by the stone fireplace framed by a preserved vaulted brick ceiling, or in the delicately decorated guest rooms, which overlook either the grounds or the castle across the road.
Castello Aliano was once the centre of the community, with villagers using the large oven on the property to bake bricks or bread from medieval times up until the 1970s. Now, the villa is recreating that sense of community with its guests as a meeting place where cultural and language barriers are broken down over dinners with the food, wine and laughter weaving a cozy blanket of connection.
There are 10 guest rooms.Villa la Capella/Supplied
Purchasing a business at the height of the pandemic, when hotels and restaurants across the world had closed their doors, was a risky decision for the couple. Paola had given up her job as a professional chef, while Anthony kept his job in banking, with plans to work remotely and back in Toronto during the villa’s off-season during the winter. “Brave and crazy are separated by a very thin line,” Anthony says, “and sometimes you skate on either side of that line.” He admits he felt anxious on that first flight out after lockdowns to see their new home. But Paola was ready for the challenge. “It was time to jump,” she says. “The villa found us. When we walked in it felt right, it felt like ours.”
She has fond memories of childhood trips to Italy. She grew up speaking Italian and absorbing the culture at home. The dream of owning and running a bed and breakfast in Tuscany began taking shape in her 20s. “Our house was always the place where people would come over, where any gatherings would take place,” she says. “So I thought, wouldn’t it be great to do this in Italy?”
Paola’s cooking expertise helps to foster that spirit of gathering at the villa, where she now offers cooking classes to guests by request. The lessons last for several hours, culminating in a group dinner where you eat what you have made. Of course, you get to marinate in fine wine while grappa-ling with the art that is Italian cuisine, and the apron you don during the experience is your souvenir to wear when attempting the dishes at home.
Paola and Anthony Faiella, owners of Villa La Capella, with their daughters.Villa la Capella/Villa la Capella
The villa plays host to yoga and art retreats and the couple plan to provide tours, offering guests a glimpse of a more authentic Tuscany, one that you won’t find on Google or Instagram.
On our last night, my husband and I put our son to sleep and slipped down to the terrace to enjoy creamy spaghetti alla carbonara and a melt-in-your-mouth tiramisu. After dinner, we toast our time in Toscana with a bottle of sparkling rosé from a nearby vineyard and savour the effervescent slow dance. It’s been a sumptuous stay. We’ll bottle up this visit and age it like a fine wine, a story to be told and retold over grappa after a meal with good friends. This is a place we’ll always come back to, even if only in our minds.
If you go
Villa La Cappella is open seasonally from the beginning of April to mid-November. The villa is child-friendly, offering free cribs, and along with the pool, there is also a playground, three playful pooches and a chicken coop (which our toddler was fascinated by). In high season, rates start at €220 a night. Breakfast is included, but dinner is offered just three nights a week. The closest international airport is Amerigo Vespucci Airport in Florence. Taxis can be hard to find so renting a car is best to explore the area.