THE ITALIAN HIDEAWAY

La Bandita, Tuscany, Italy

You know those photos of Tuscany that seem to show a bucolic utopia? Usually there's a cypress-lined road and herd of sheep nearby. Well, that road actually exists. And at the top of it is La Bandita, a brand-new small hotel right in the heart of the Val d'Orcia. The valley, which roughly translates to "the most ridiculous views in Tuscany," is a UNESCO Heritage Site, and there's a delightful dearth of Golden Arches or tour buses. The charm of La Bandita is that it's tiny—only eight rooms—and that American proprietor John Voigtmann and wife Ondine Cohane (a contributor to Concierge.com and Condé Nast Traveler, incidentally) got the couple-perfect details just right: a two-person hammam, open-air waterfall showers, and enormous bathtubs right in the bedroom. The former farmhouse (previous inhabitants, cows) is nestled in a grove of olive trees and these days is outfitted with an infinity pool, hot tub, outdoor living room, and staggering views of what appears to be all of Italy. Word to the wise, though: If you stay in the Pigsty—the private cottage named for its former residents, complete with a spa-style bathroom and gauzy linen canopy bed—you might forget to even notice the view.

La Bandita
Tel: 39 333 404 6704
Doubles from $400