COMO Castello del Nero

Character and identity

A 12th-century castle turned COMO outpost, set in the Chianti hills about 40 minutes south of Florence, this is the group's first mainland European property and feels distinctly unlike a conventional Tuscan estate. The interiors strip out the Italianate flounce in favour of something more urbane: brooding greys, putty walls, eau-de-nil armchairs, jade patio doors. Fifty rooms, three restaurants (with Michelin-starred La Torre under Giovanni Luca Di Pirro at the centre), medieval wine cellars used for oil and wine tastings, and a COMO Shambhala spa with Guinot facials and a summer outdoor pool framed by hills.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The pull here is the combination of a Michelin kitchen, a full COMO Shambhala spa, and a contemporary design hand laid over medieval bones, which together make the property feel more like a design hotel that happens to be a castle than a classic agriturismo. Book in late spring or early autumn to catch the outdoor pool and yoga, and stretch to a suite if the modernist aesthetic is the reason you're coming.