Of course I am partial after 15 years of working on UnTours’ Italian team, but Le Chiuse is one of my favorite spots in all of Europe, not just Tuscany. I love the setting and scenery, love the character and age of the stone buildings, love the family who owns and nurtures it. I’ve watched Le Chiuse wines win recognition over those years, and watched Lorenzo grow up and grow into a world class wine maker, and watched his kind and capable parents Simonetta and Nicolo pass the baton.
I’ve watched the entire family embrace our guests all this time, inviting them into the cantina to sample Brunello-to-be from their casks and hosting them for pizza from the brick oven. And I have watched with gratitude as they have invested in improvements to the hospitality side of their farm: from hand-stitched curtains to new plush couches, bocce courts to Wi-Fi, an ice machine, and even a clothes dryer.
I have my own very happy personal memories from my stays here, with my husband before we were married, and with my father, who instantly loved it as much as I do and longs to return. So maybe it is those private experiences and fond recollections of lazy Le Chiuse evenings by the pool with family and friends, late summer sun, and grapes heavy on the vine that fuel this peculiar sensation, like homesickness. I cannot watch this video with tearing up.