A Weekend in Tuscany {La Bandita Townhouse + Piscine del Sole + Bagno Vignoni}

After an extraordinary visit to a fantastical castle in Tuscany a few weeks ago we decided since we had driven all the way to Tuscany we should probably just make a weekend of it.

While we spend a lot of time in the countryside, it is usually at a friends house where we sleep late, cook and read by the pool or fire depending on the season. There is sometimes a little bit of exploring, maybe even a visit to a pretty hill town. That means while we have visited lots of places we almost never stay for more than a few hours in those pretty hill towns. In the spirit of doing something different, I sent an email to an Instagram pal who just happens to own the very chic hotel La Bandita Townhouse in the town of Pienza smack in the middle of one of the most picture perfect parts of Tuscany and very near one of our favorite hot springs.

La Bandita Townhouse is just lovely in every single way. Both rustic and modern, an elegant hotel and a friendly comfortable house. There is a book filled lounge with a stack of vinyl for you to spin, while you have a glass of prosecco and browse the innkeepers' impressive collection of gold and platinum record sales. The restaurant is bright and with an open kitchen and a Scottish chef that brings you a basket of freshly foraged white truffles to sniff and a sommelier that completely gets your palate and wallet.

While tempted by the hamburger on the menu, we had had a light lunch so we were both hungry for a multi-course evening. We ordered a silky carrot soup and zucchini flowers stuffed with mint and fresh ricotta. Tender and rich duck breast on a tangle of creamy Tuscan kale was topped with a single perfect porcini filled ravioli. Mark's Chianina beef filet was meltingly tender. Dessert was a perfectly portioned scoop of sea salted gelato served with a dark chocolate tart followed by some remarkable local digestivi.

On Sunday morning we woke up to sunny skies and summer temperatures. It was difficult to leave our comfortable room but after a hearty and healthy breakfast, we headed to one of our favorite hot springs in Tuscany. 

Less than thirty minutes from La Bandita Townhouse, Bagno Vignoni is yet another small and sweet Tuscan town. The reason to stop at this particular Tuscan town is the hot springs. Steeped in history from the early Etruscans to Saint Catherine of Siena to Lorenzo de Medici the draw has always been the water which comes from underground at 49 degrees Celsius. We always head straight to the Piscina Val di Sole. There are certainly more glamorous spas in this pretty little town, but this very affordable option is the one we keep returning to.

After a few hours of soaking in the mineral-laced water and the late fall sun, it was time for a late lunch. Il Loggiata is another of our favorite spots in Bagno Vignoni and is good for a quick snack or an all-out feast. There is one page of the menu of just crostini another for polenta. I had a slice of toasted unsalted bread topped with a rich Tuscan liver spread. My plate of polpette in tomato sauce was comfort food perfection and Mark's maialino was sweet and tender with an incomparable crackling crust. We sat next to the town's main piazza, which is a pool of the same mineral springs we had spent the morning in, drinking local craft beer and then strong sweet coffee and willing time to slow and for this perfect weekend to last just a little bit longer.

La Bandita Townhouse
Corso Il Rossellino, 111
Pienza

Il Loggiata
via delle Sorgenti 36
Bango Vignoni