Off the beaten track in Southern Tuscany

Location

Located in the very south of Tuscany, it was closer to Rome than Pisa for flights from Manchester. We flew into Rome Fiumicino, then took a local train into Rome and changed for the coastal train line north to Capalbio. The setting of Locanda Rossa is stunning. Set in 21 hectares of olive groves, it’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere (in a good way!) and it was the perfect place for some rest and relaxation.

Rooms / accommodation

The rooms, suites and villas are dotted amongst the olives trees and are very low rise, so you really feel you are in the countryside. The rooms are beautifully designed and decorated and with everything you could need. Our room was on the ground floor with its own small, private garden.

Activities & Facilities 

There are two outdoor swimming pools – one adult only and one for families. For the more active guests, there’s a running track around the site as well as a tennis court and a padel court. In addition, there’s a spa with a range of treatments available to book.

Food & Drink 

Lunches, snacks and drinks are served during the day at Red Bar and then in the evening, the focus is more on enjoying an aperitivo or a glass of local Tuscan wine before dinner. We had dinner at Larossa Restaurant on the three evenings we stayed and tucked into delicious, locally sourced food such as aubergine parmigiana, homemade tortelli with spinach and ricotta, pappardelle with wild boar ragu, val d’orcia pork neck with barbequed carrot cream & roasted baby carrots and that classic Italian desert, tiramisu.  There’s a wide selection of local wines from Tuscany (and across Italy) to choose from and the staff were knowledgeable and allowed us to try before we ordered a bottle.

Day Trip

During our stay we visited the medieval, walled town of Capalbio which was about 10 minutes’ drive away. There are gorgeous views of the Tuscan countryside plus out to the Mediterranean. It was quiet and a nice place to mooch around the side streets, plus you can walk all the way around the old walls. We enjoyed a very nice lunch at a local trattoria (with a fabulous outside terrace with matching views) before heading ‘home’ to Locanda Rossa.

We both very much enjoyed our time at Locanda Rossa. It’s a gorgeous spot to rest and take things slow, to appreciate the location and scenery, as well as the delicious local food and drink. We were looked after very well by all the staff who were really friendly and helpful despite our rather limited Italian. I would most definitely recommend Locanda Rossa to those customers looking for a beautiful place to chill out in a beautiful, undiscovered part of Italy.