The luxury of Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, where the vegetable garden and the local area are the fundamental elements of Matteo Temperini's cuisine. In the iconic five-star hotel in Val d'Orcia, the Tuscan chef connects guests to his native land with vegetable ingredients and locally sourced raw materials. At his side are Daniele Bianco and pastry chef Michael Boivin, who provides sweet delights starting with breakfast.
The hotel
Staying at Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco means entering an almost fairy-tale atmosphere. After crossing most of the Val d'Orcia (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and leaving Montalcino behind, the road becomes unpaved, the woods grow denser, and the singing of birds, the leaping of roe deer, and the sight of fallow deer become everyday occurrences and privileges.
The resort is a scattered hotel with 42 suites and 11 villas—complete with Range Rovers—nestled in an area of more than 2,000 hectares, where the hotel is the centerpiece of a mammoth project. Inside, there is a golf club, a restored village whose historical origins date back about 900 years, a wine cellar (one of the founding members of the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino), a 2-Michelin-star restaurant, and a contemporary trattoria serving Tuscan cuisine. A true gem of hôtellerie, Rosewood has been awarded three Michelin keys, the highest recognition of the Red Guide in the world of hospitality.
The story
Massimo and Chiara Ferragamo saw something special in this village, which had been abandoned since the 1960s. In 2003, they purchased the estate with the initial idea of turning it into a vacation spot where they could welcome family and friends. But soon after, the family realized the potential appeal of Castiglion del Bosco and began renovations to transform the location into a hotel destination.
The couple's passion for the local area and surrounding nature is the hallmark of the hotel, as demonstrated by the spacious suites furnished with specific paintings and furniture that give the environment the typical atmosphere of a hunting lodge of yesteryear, welcoming and extremely elegant. In 2015, the management of Castiglion del Bosco passed into the hands of Rosewood, while in 2022 the Ferragamos sold the entire property to a major international company, remaining involved in the project to which they are particularly attached.
Castiglion del Bosco's food and wine offerings
Especially in spring and summer, Rosewood allows guests to enjoy a completely relaxing stay between the two outdoor pools and the spa. Alternatively, you can choose to venture out on one of the many walks along the trails through the woods. But throughout the year, guests can intersperse these rejuvenating activities with food and wine tours that showcase the culture of the Val d'Orcia and Tuscany. Starting with the winery, which devotes its 62 hectares to the region's leading grape variety, Sangiovese, which produces deep, distinctive wines.
One example is the unprecedented private collection of Brunello di Montalcino 2019, a label created to celebrate 10 years of Rosewood management. The entirely organic production and attention to quality guarantee wines that showcase the merits of a wine region that is rediscovering immediacy in the glass through Rosso di Montalcino. Castiglion del Bosco is the first to embrace the cause with three different labels, Deimassi, Gauggiole, and L'America, each with its own characteristics but with the common trait of guaranteeing immediacy and sincerity in every sip. The culinary offerings range from the gourmet restaurant Campo del Drago to Osteria la Canonica (where the steaks are delicious and the first courses are flavorful), both under the guidance of executive chef Matteo Temperini.
Originally from Poggibonsi, the chef returned to Tuscany in 2019 after a long career alongside Alain Ducasse and other experiences in his youth, including working with the Iaccarino family at Don Alfonso 1890. “My cuisine is purely classic, after all, I grew up with Ducasse,” confesses Temperini as we stroll through the hotel's vegetable garden, which has distinguished his cuisine at Rosewood since 2019. There are hundreds of seeds that vary throughout the year (60 types of tomatoes alone), providing the chef with locally sourced ingredients that support the entire gastronomic offering at Castiglion del Bosco. “If you start with an ingredient like that, you have an advantage in terms of taste. We are lucky to work in this area.”
Temperini's words convey pride in his homeland and a contagious curiosity about other products such as meat and fish. His three tasting menus, Menu Dello Chef, Menu Dell'orto, and Menu Esperienza (€210, €190, and €230 respectively), summarize his culinary vision of hyper-local products and seasonal ingredients, with France and Tuscany at the heart of the story.
The dishes
In a large room overlooking the Val d'Orcia—also the setting for a splendid morning breakfast—Matteo Temperini does not impose strict rules on himself. He is the first to reach the tables to explain the courses or even take away some dishes. Not only that, but his story is shared with the team, from sous chef Daniele Bianco to pastry chef Michael Boivin (awarded best pastry chef of the year in the latest Gambero Rosso Restaurant Guide), to whom Temperini gives space and freedom of movement, both in the dining room and in the kitchen.
The amuse bouche is a story within a story, starting with the spectacular vine branch on which rest the tartlet with beetroot paste, grape must, and buristo (local salami) and a second tartlet with phyllo dough, lovage mayonnaise, fermented fennel, and mustard seeds. Among the other “mouth delights,” the steamed oyster with foam and elderflower plays on acidity, while the fake chocolate with chicken livers, squid ink, and edible gold is an intense bite.
Before getting to the heart of the dinner, the chef continues to whet the appetite with a carpaccio of porcini mushrooms, chestnut pesto, pasta, and burnt mandarin foam, which precedes an “all-vegetable” dish: Egyptian onion leaf au gratin, Parmesan crusts, and sfogliatella. This dish is subtitled “France” and is a highly modern interpretation of the classic French onion soup. The blue lobster with trombetta zucchini and green figs, expertly cooked by Temperini, is extremely elegant, with sauces that add balance and originality. It's time to return to France with the Foie Gras “Maison Guedes,” sea buckthorn, and Pâté en Croûte cut directly at the table. The foie gras, produced exclusively for Campo del Drago by a small company across the Alps, is impressive for its consistency when cooked, resulting in a fragrant taste and well caramelized thanks to the glaze of honey and pollen from Montalcino. The bonus? A bouquet of herbs from the garden to cleanse the palate.
Strong flavors and a mix of Italian and French traditions characterize the Picio with aglione cream, caciucco, and tamarind. In addition to the typical Livorno preparation, there is a hint of bouillabaisse, a Provençal fish soup. The dish is finished with a side of crudités made from the fish used in the recipe, which enhances one of the most compelling courses of the evening. Daniele Bianco himself presents the main course and completes it at the table: Roasted veal, raw milk curd, lettuce, and caviar. What is striking here is the tenderness of the meat—fed only on its mother's milk—which marries beautifully with the smoky notes of the grilled vegetables. The homemade cheese rounds off the tasting with sweet and sour notes.
Michael Boivin takes center stage with the pre-dessert, a tartlet made exclusively with seasonal produce from the garden. In this case, the stars of the show are basil pesto, mint-infused cucumber, cherry tomatoes, yellow raspberries, sorbet, and aromatic herb foam. The pastry chef's meticulous work sharpens his ingenuity, using only the sugars from vegetables without adding gluten. Plums, blackberries, and must sorbet is a dessert with a sharp taste and convincing complexity. From grape focaccia to smoked kefir sauce with fennel stalks, from blackberry and yellow plum compote to Sangiovese grapes, each ingredient blends with the others to create a dessert that, like Matteo Temperini's cuisine, tells the story of Tuscany using French techniques.
Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco
SP103, 53024 Castiglion del Bosco SI
Phone 0577 191 3001
