And what does one do in paradise?

Within an hour’s drive of Il Borgo is the great art and architecture of both Florence and Siena. Within an hour, too, are the famed Chianti towns of Radda, Greve and Castellina and the fabled towers of the Manhattan of the 13th Century, San Gimignano.

A bit farther afield, yet easily accessible, is the spa town of Montecatini Terme with its sybaritic hot springs, and the fashionable beach resorts of Forte dei Marmi and Porto Ercole. Art lovers will certainly want to visit Cortona, also referred to as the City of Art, and Lucca - the city of the 100 churches.

You also have all of southern Tuscany to explore, with renowned food and wine towns like Pienza, Montalcino and Montepulciano and countryside that has inspired so many literary luminaries including D. H. Lawrence, Henry James, Lord Byron and E. M. Forster.