An Ancient Tuscan Village Transformed for Guests : Nobleman’s Renovated Hilltop Town Sheltered Dante Seven Centuries Ago

Italy’s State Route 73, which meanders through the Chianti country between Siena and Arezzo, is one of those glorious Tuscan backroads that defines the difference between true motoring and everyday, plain-vanilla driving. Near the ancient town of Monte San Savino, we suddenly see a crenellated watchtower soaring above the wildflowers and pointy cypress trees. We have arrived at Gargonza, a medieval hamlet that welcomes modern visitors to its 13th-Century cottages.

We drive up a country lane that leads to the town’s battlemented walls. Entering the village on foot, we wander narrow stone streets that the poet Dante knew when he briefly sought political refuge here in 1302. Now, almost 700 years later, Gargonza receives vastly different exiles. They are vacationers who come to spend a few days in storybook houses with exposed beams and to experience the atmosphere of a feudal village, but with modern plumbing added.

This unique place, a kind of village/hotel/archeology project combined, is the brainchild of Roberto Guicciardini, an Italian count who belongs to one of Florence’s old families. He has brought a little Tuscan hill town back from the brink of abandon and decay. Count Guicciardini, whose family has owned Gargonza since 1727, began what has become an internationally acclaimed archeological restoration in 1972, almost a decade after the last Gargonza inhabitants--primarily peasants who worked in the surrounding vineyards--drifted away. Vowing to “retain Gargonza’s delicate fabric and historical integrity,” Guicciardini patiently supervised the restoration of the town’s 20 cottages, opening up fireplaces and doorways concealed for centuries, refinishing massive ceiling beams and replacing red tile roofs. In the beginning, he rented them out to friends, but eventually began taking visitors. When the restoration was complete, he had turned a ghost town into a guest town.

Although the count insisted that each dwelling retain its original 13th-Century layout, we were relieved to find that he also included all of the important contemporary comforts, such as non-medieval bathrooms, modern kitchens, heating and simple but comfortable furnishings. My wife, Cameron, and I discovered the town, which is ignored or barely mentioned in guidebooks, in the late ‘70s. We liked it so much we have returned three times, our latest visit being last April.

Soon after parking our car in a lot outside the town walls and checking into our cottage for a few days’ stay, we resumed our favorite Gargonza pastime: prowling the village streets to peer into the many hidden nooks and crannies.

A few steps from the cozy main piazza under the Romanesque tower, masses and the occasional wedding are still celebrated in a tiny 15th-Century Romanesque church. Next door, the former olive mill, or frantoio , is Gargonza’s social, intellectual and music center, where concerts are sometimes held and where guests often gather in the spacious commons area or in a handsome garden overlooking cypress forests and slopes of wildflowers. Nearby, the narrow street opens out into a sweeping view of the Val di Chiana, the valley that unfolds below Gargonza’s balcony-like walls.

All of Gargonza’s cottages are different and are named after their last owners. Our most recent hideaway was the cozy “Casa Boccio.” It overlooks the valley and features exposed beams and brickwork, and wooden floors. Downstairs is a kitchen and living room with a convertible couch; upstairs is a good-sized bedroom and bath. The feeling is of rustic luxury, without being slick.

Casa Boccio sleeps three, but all cottages are different, the largest being “Fonteblanda II” with seven beds, four bathrooms and two giant fireplaces. Except for the modern conveniences, the houses are tastefully restored to essentially how they appeared centuries ago, with unfinished white walls, red tile floors, fireplaces and beamed ceilings. Each is rented by the week, fully equipped, but those on shorter stays are booked into the “Foresteria,” a small inn which Dante Alighieri knew as the village storehouse.

Most of our fellow guests--about half the clientele is Italian, but we met Americans, Canadians and other Europeans--predictably enjoyed just hanging out and soaking up the enchantment of Gargonza, or strolling quiet country lanes outside the walls. Others, as we did, spent their days touring San Gimignano, Pienza, Volterra and the scores of other Tuscan and Umbrian hill towns within easy reach. Spirits were exceptionally high among the wine buffs as they followed their own special bliss to Montalcino, Greve and other hallowed wine villages and vineyards just a short drive from Gargonza.

Although his guest register invariably includes artists, writers, businessmen and diplomats from all parts of Europe and North America, Count Guicciardini, who lives in Florence but generally shows up here on weekends, told us that “Gargonza is strongly linked to music, the common thread that brings our visitors together.”

Therefore, whatever their daytime pursuits, evenings often find his guests assembled in the frantoio for either impromptu concerts by fellow guests or formal performances by visiting ensembles from Florence, Siena or New York’s Julliard. Last May, Gargonza hosted its first music festival, bringing together artists from the United States, Australia, Russia and Italy in an eclectic two-week program that ranged from music of the Medici Court to Hindemith.

Tuscan cooking, another important art form in these parts, draws an equally enthusiastic audience. We love shopping for fresh meat and produce at the colorful open markets in Siena and Monte San Savino, then cooking a meal in our cottage and dining by the hearth. But when we have decided to hit the local trattorie , we have found no shortage of possibilities. A few steps from the town walls visitors mingle with locals at the rustic Torre di Gargonza, where in the fall pastas come with sauces of wild boar or hare from Gargonza’s forests; the thick steaks were raised just down the road in the Val di Chiana. On each table, you’ll find a bottle of Il Padule, Guicciardini’s excellent Tuscan red, with a cruet of his shimmering green olive oil.

About a mile to the east on Route 73, the simple Osteria del Cacciatore offers straightforward, robust country fare with the accent on grilled meats and game. Near the farming community of Sinalunga, the wonderfully romantic and perfectly named Amorosa also offers Tuscan favorites, but at an entirely different level of complexity and cost. Start with the potato ravioli with porcini mushrooms and butter, or risotto with zucchini flowers, followed by grilled lamb platters or steaks in rich wine-based sauces. Since you’re not going to mention any of this to your cardiologist anyway, why not finish off with a rich dessert from the cart and the superb assortment of cheeses, including a pecorino from Pienza .

Although it’s a restoration, we found Gargonza to be neither a museum piece nor a medieval Disneyland. Count Guicciardini’s work has revived the town’s ancient rhythms and vitality while treating guests to a rare blend of tranquility and cultural excitement.

GUIDEBOOK: Going to Gargonza

Castello di Gargonza: Gargonza can accommodate 80 guests in 20 cottages, while the small inn holds another 14. Rental costs range from $500 to $1,200 per week, depending on the size of the cottage and the season. All linens and kitchen equipment are provided; maid service is optional. A room for two at the Foresteria Inn costs about $120 per night. For reservations, which are essential, write to Azienda Castello di Gargonza, 52048 Monte San Savino, Arezzo, Italy, or telephone 011-39- 575-847-021 or 847-022; fax 011-39-575-847-054. Gargonza is closed between January 10 to February 10. In the spring, Casa Boccio will cost about $480 for three nights (the minimum stay) for two guests, $555 for three. The price includes breakfast and maid service.

Getting there: To reach Gargonza by car from Rome or Florence (about 50 miles away), take the A1 autostrada to the Monte San Savino exit (also marked No. 27) and continue through town, following the signs marked “Siena.” After about 6.5 kilometers, you’ll find the yellow sign for Gargonza on the right. Automobiles are not permitted in the village. After arrival and unloading your car will be consigned to “purgatorio”--a parking area just outside the walls.

Where to eat: A meal with local wine at Torre di Gargonza (local tel. 0575-847-065) costs about $27 per person. At Osteria del Cacciatore (on State Route 73; tel. 0575-847-020), dinner will run about $25 per person with wine. At Amorosa (2 kilometers south of Sinalunga on the right side of the road marked Montepulciano; local tel. 0577-679-497) expect to spend about $75 per person. Reservations suggested.