9 Best Hotels in Southern Tuscany, Tuscany

Amid rolling vineyards and olive trees, this fattoria (farmhouse) produces fine wine and olive oil and accommodates guests in apartments (sleeping up to 6) and a separate house (sleeping up to 14). The main stone house retains its enormous stone fireplace and a 16th-century family chapel next door. Lodgings have traditional wooden furniture—some antique—and full kitchens; some units have fireplaces. Half-board is available.

High above Sorano, this austere-looking 11th-century Orsini castle has spectacular views of the town and surrounding countryside. Wood-beam ceilings hang above white and pastel walls in most rooms, and windows have dark-wood shutters. A careful mix of antique and modern furniture—Rococo chairs and upholstered couches—makes for a pleasant and comfortable stay. The hotel closes for some time during the winter; the length and month of the closure vary annually.

This hotel on a private bay provides access to a sandy white beach from the bar and restaurant. A central building and several surrounding cottages contain guest rooms with simple white-wood desks and beds with ironwork insets. Some rooms have balconies.

Worldly cares are softly washed away by the comforts of the rooms (some damask linens, tapestry-like canopies, marble highboys), the superlative attentiveness of the staff, and the hotel's magnificent garden setting. A buffet lunch is served on a canopied terrace above the pool, and numerous smaller terraces are tucked away on the sloping cliffs, perfect for a peaceful afternoon nap. Chaises and white umbrellas sit ocean-side on the beach. Some rooms are in separate cottages. If absolute privacy is your main concern—and you're willing to pay for it—one suite has a private pool.

Horseback trail rides through Tuscany's cowboy country are an integral part of the experience at this family-run country inn, where your hosts can arrange picnics, suggest itineraries, and organize weeklong tours. But nonriders don't have to mope at the bar—this agriturismo also has a pool and idyllic views. Rooms are plainly decorated with modern wooden wardrobes and desks; most are carpeted; some are enlivened by wood-beam ceilings.

Inspired by the beach resorts of the Greek isles, La Guardia is a minimalist retreat with sweeping sea views and plenty of wicker lamps, seagrass accents, and wooden furniture. Aperitivi on the terrace are a large part of this hotel's appeal, as is the Mediterranean menu conceived by chef Milena Andretto and prepared using only island-sourced ingredients.

The guest rooms at this 14th-century palace are named for signs of the zodiac, but the astrological reference stops at the painted symbol on the door, as each elegant room is unique—an antique sewing-machine table serves as a nightstand, a medieval-looking chandelier with a forged-iron ring and a globe hangs from a ceiling, elegant striped silk covers a wooden settee. Some rooms have ivory-color drapes hanging from baldachin beds—iron canopy beds with a painted medallion on the headpiece. A lovely garden opens behind the hotel. Five cheaper rooms, named for constellations, are available in an annex.

Spa living might not get any more top-notch than at this resort, where you can roam in a plush white bathrobe (waiting in your room) before dipping into the 37.5°C (100°F) sulfurous pools and where seemingly every possible health and beauty treatment is available. Sleek elegance pervades public and private rooms: tall windows have floor-to-ceiling draperies in rich colors like steel blue and gray or burnt umber and sage; floors are polished wood. Eclectic furniture includes some sleigh-shape benches and oval night tables. You can opt for half or full board to complete the experience.

An elegant villa painted antique rose appears at the end of a tree-lined driveway perched on top of a hill off the main road just before Montemerano. It has expansive views and quintessential Tuscan charm. Tastefully decorated rooms—with curly ironwork or tapestries as bed headboards—are in both the main villa and a guesthouse. The farm that fans out around the villa produces fine wine and olive oil.