Situated in the heart of Tuscany, Il Paretaio makes a great jumping off point to explore Tuscany by car, foot or horseback.

Situated in the heart of Tuscany, Il Paretaio makes a great jumping off point to explore the region by car, foot or horseback.

Saddle up in Il Paretaio's barn and explore the Tuscan countryside on horseback.

Saddle up in Il Paretaio's barn and explore the Tuscan countryside on one of its 30 beautiful horses.

Il Paretaio's delicious dinners give guests the chance to meet people from all over the world.

Il Paretaio's delicious dinners give guests the chance to meet people from all over the world.

Ever dreamt of setting aside your life with its nightly stops at the grocery store for wine and cat food and heading to Italy to mount a beautiful white steed and ride though the Tuscan countryside with an equally gorgeous Italian riding instructor?

Located in the heart of Tuscany, Il Paretaio, a country house and classical riding center, offers you the chance to achieve that fantasy in much more fulfilling fashion than just diving into a bodice-riper with a glass of Chianti after work.

(Of course, there’s no guarantee the dashing riding instructor will return your advances.)

For horseback riding, Il Paretaio offers

  • 30 high-quality horses
  • lessons for beginners through advanced riders
  • riding out and classical dressage riding
  • instructors who speak English, German, French, Dutch and Italian

You also can leave the horses behind and taste wine at some of Tuscany–and the world’s–best vineyards. Or drive to Florence or Siena: both are just 30 minutes away.

Regardless of where you go during the day, you’ll want to return to Il Paretaio for its delicious  four-course dinners (with Chianti) that are included with your stay. And mingling with guests from all over the world can prove just as enjoyable as mingling with the ponies.

Il Paretaio has eight double, triple and quadruple rooms, as well as two self-catering apartments.

For adults, seven days accommodations with buffet breakfasts and dinners and six days of horseback riding start at €710 during the low season and €790 during the high season (which in 2009 is Jan. 1-6, April 4-17, May 9-Sept. 26 and Dec. 19-31).

Il Paretaio
Giovanni e Cristina De Marchi
Strada delle Ginestre, 12
50021 Barberino Val d’Elsa (FI)
Italy
39-055-8059-218
info@ilparetaio.it

(Photos: Courtesy of Il Paretaio)

Related posts:

Hiking Italy’s Cinque Terre Trail

Capri: Romance Central