Tuscany is one of the most talked about, written about, dreamed about places on earth.

And Il Borgo is in the very heart of what is surely the most beautiful part of Tuscany, the rolling hills and verdant valleys of Chianti.

This is the Tuscany that goes beyond the dream, that is so lush, so full of grandeur, so teeming with eye-filling vistas that the oohs and aahs never cease.

This is the Tuscany of artfully manicured rows of vineyards, of olive groves stretching to the horizon, of obelisk-like cypresses and sprawling Cedars of Lebanon that were born in this soil more than 300 years ago.This is the Tuscany of prized red wines and ripe pecorino cheeses, of fat porcini and fragrant truffles, of hearty peasant stews and 3-star cookery. And of the oil, of course, whose sometimes flowery, sometimes peppery taste and pungent aromas perfume virtually every dish.

This is the Tuscany tucked serenely between the centuries-old rivals of Florence and Siena, with hilltop towns preserved intact from the Middle Ages, hundreds of ancient castles, monasteries and convents. And art? Seemingly everywhere you look.

This, then, is the Tuscany of Il Borgo. There is simply no other place like it on earth.