Down the track to a winery in a valley where farming and nature work in harmony and the comforts are 21st century. There’s a farmhouse, a barn-restaurant, a biodynamic winery and 12 bedrooms with a communal sitting room above. With a host of chickens, plenty of cats and kittens, and staff chatting and laughing in the kitchens, it’s impossible not to unwind. Bedrooms, well-equipped with TVs, air con and double glazing, are furnished in spare modern style – good beds, chunky ceilings, a few antiques – and a lawn runs down to the reed-fringed bio lake. Take a dive into its eco-fresh waters – no better start to the day! Best of all is the food, regional, seasonal, organic, so good that food-and-wine tours book in. Young friendly staff serve a monthly-changing menu of five set plates: generous, delicious and you cannot say no. Breakfasts are communal, served in a charming room in the old farmhouse; in summer, you take to the terraces and gorge on the views. Hiking and biking is what it’s about in the Parco Regionale dell’ Abbazia di Monteglio, and if you stay here, the bikes are thrown in.
We stayed at Corte d’Aibo for 3 nights before moving on to Tuscany. Our rooms were lovely and airy, if a little dark, with beautiful bathrooms and wonderful linen towels. Staff were cheerful and attentive, and the food served in the restaurant imaginative and delicious. The natural pool was a lovely place to dip into, although not so great for swimming and the gardens and views were spectacular - so relaxing. I would definitely recommend.