Palazzo Tiglio - A Small Luxury Hotels of the World

Palazzo Tiglio - A Small Luxury Hotels of the World

San Pancrazio is a hilltop hamlet above the Valdambra valley in Bucine, and Palazzo Tiglio has stood there since the 17th century, built over medieval foundations where restorers found a water well and grain stores believed to date to Roman times. The palazzo now runs as a boutique hotel and restaurant under the Small Luxury Hotels of the World banner, with rooms styled in rustic elegance and antique furnishings, and a walled garden where roses climb old stone, a compact pool sits on cropped lawn, and a converted cistern has become a fountain. What sets it apart from other Tuscan country hotels is the small 13th-century church that stands in front of the palazzo, Chiesa di San Rocco, which the parish lends the hotel each summer for exhibitions by artists connected to Tuscany. Dinner is the other reason to stay: chef Mattia Parlanti cooks from the kitchen garden and the sea, sommelier Danilo Salvi works a cellar of around 400 labels, and the terrace looks over the valley as the light drops. Guests can also book a private cooking class in the palazzo's historic kitchen, or a wine tasting before dinner. This suits travelers who want a few days built around a restaurant, a garden, and a village rather than a full itinerary, and who don't mind that the restaurant closes on Sundays and that there's no elevator to the upper floors. It won't suit anyone chasing a big pool, a spa, or lift access to every room. There's a bar on the piazza for the hour before dinner, and afterward, the 400-label wine list takes over for the rest of the night. Palazzo Tiglio is a 17th-century boutique hotel in the hilltop hamlet of San Pancrazio, with a walled garden, a 400-label wine cellar, and a 13th-century church next door that becomes an art space each summer. It suits slow days around one restaurant, not a lift or a big pool.