Timbers Resorts Announces Opening of Hotel Castello Di Casole

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. September 27, 2011

September 26, 2011 - Timbers Resorts today announced that the highly anticipated opening of the company's Hotel Castello di Casole, a restored 10th century castle turned 41-suite boutique hotel, is slated for April 2, 2012. Located within the heart of Castello di Casole - A Signature Development of Timbers Resorts, a 4,200-acre private estate in Tuscany, Italy, the highly anticipated hotel is primed to be one of Europe's premier destinations. Following five years of meticulous and detailed restoration, Hotel Castello di Casole will offer guests rustic Tuscan elegance in a spectacular setting featuring over 100 acres of vineyards and olive groves, a model game reserve, a state-of- the-art wellness center and some of the region's finest cuisine with opening rates starting from €630 per night.

“The opening of Hotel Castello di Casole will be a very proud moment for everyone on the Timbers Resorts team,” said David Burden CEO & Founder of Timbers Resorts. “Seeing through the restoration of this extraordinary castle has been a highlight of my career and I am certain that Hotel Castello di Casole will be a gem in our portfolio for many years to come.”

Once a castle home to Italian nobility, Hotel Castello di Casole's 41 suites - featuring five unique styles - will blend grand Italian style with custom-made Tuscan furnishings, complementing the region's landscape and history. With breathtaking panoramic views, 14 of the hotel's suites will also offer large private gardens and terraces with floor to ceiling windows overlooking acres of vineyards and lemon and olive trees.

With picturesque views of the lush green countryside, guests will have the option of two restaurants. Castello's fine-dining venue Ristorante Tosca will serve a range of local, Tuscan and Italian cuisine with an emphasis on homemade pasta using fresh local produce from the hotel's gardens, and extra virgin olive oil produced on the estate. In season, game will also be a major element to the menu with wild boar, venison, pheasant, hare and rabbit. The gourmet pizzeria, Pazzia, will feature a traditional wood burning pizza oven, an espresso bar and gelateria - ideal for enjoying quintessential Italian cuisine in an informal setting.

At Bar Visconti - named after Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti, who once lived at the Castello - guests will be able to enjoy a bottle of the estate's private label vintage, as well as a range of exquisite cocktails and hors d'oeuvres while overlooking the dining terrace and pool area. The bar's interiors will offer a classic Italian feel with traditional black and white marble flooring and coffered wood ceilings.

Formerly a wine cellar, the Hotel's 5,400-square-foot Essere Spa will feature seven treatment rooms with vaulted ceilings, restored stone walls and locally recycled wine cork penny tiles. The spa and wellness center will be complete with pools inspired by ancient Roman baths and a state-of-the-art TechnoGym fitness facility. Its outdoor spa garden, ideal for yoga and Pilates classes, will emanate the tranquility of Tuscan living. All spa treatments will be inspired by natural products indigenous to Tuscany - such as olive oil, rosemary and grape seeds.

Within the hotel grounds sits a restored 18th century chapel, perfect for both wedding ceremonies and private dinners. In addition, an amphitheater with organic stone seating is located on a grassy hillside offering an ideal setting for private concerts.

Along with the bilingual concierges, guests will also be able to enjoy insightful guided day-trips to nearby towns, private wine tours, truffle hunting, customized on-site cooking classes and mountain biking along the many tree-lined roads in the Tuscan countryside. Designated a Model Game Reserve, the estate is also a haven for wildlife where hares, pheasant and deer can often be spotted on personal tours with the lead game warden.

Castello di Casole is also home to 28 artfully restored and reconstructed luxury Casali farmhouses and 10 Hotel Villas available for private residence club and whole ownership. It is conveniently located 20 minutes west of Siena and 45 minutes southwest of Florence. It is also within easy reach of Tuscany's best-kept medieval towns including Volterra and San Gimigniano, as well as the infamous Chianti and Montalcino wine regions.

For availability inquiries, please visit www.castellodicasole.com or contact Director of Sales and Marketing, Laura Fiore, at [email protected] or +39.0577.967560.

Learn more about Castello di Casole on Facebook and Twitter.

About Hotel Castello di Casole
The Castello (the now restored hotel) and the surrounding estate were originally owned by the Bargagli family - an ancient and noble family of Siena. With account books in the possession of current owners dating as far back as 1680, there is an overall vision of the events that influenced the economy and culture of farm life in Tuscany. The estate included 31 sharecropping farms producing grapes, olives, wheat, and sunflowers until the early 1960s.

The Castello became home to movie stars and Italian nobility in the 1960s; most notably renowned Italian filmmaker, Luchino Visconti. He lived in the Castello with his brother and Austrian actor Helmut Berger, of “Godfather III.” Under his tutelage, the estate became home to an open-air cattle shed at Braccio di Mensano, big enough for 800 head of cattle, as well as a game reserve, a restaurant at Molino d'Elsa and a new system of agricultural management, which employed about 70 farm workers. Visconti, who is best known for his work on the 1963 film “The Leopard,” worked with stars such as Burt Lancaster and Marcello Mastroianni. He lived lavishly at the Castello, frequently hosting the jet-set for large social events.

During the current restoration, a number of significant Etruscan artifacts have been discovered, including ceramic urns and objects d'arte, which are registered with the local historical commission and on display at a nearby museum.

About Timbers Resorts
Since 1999, Timbers Resorts has established a gracious portfolio of properties in the world's most sought-after destinations. As the developer and operator of boutique, private resorts and residence clubs - including ski, golf, leisure and beach locations - Timbers Resorts has created an unrivaled reputation in the luxury resort and real estate industry. Throughout its history, Timbers Resorts has committed to being authentic, unique and respectful of the destination, focusing on family and experiences, and never compromising with regard to quality and service.

To make the ownership and the vacation experience more rewarding, Timbers Resorts has created a collection of amenities and services that are the equal of its residences and resorts. Services that make travel effortless, partnerships with brands that enrich and invigorate, and most importantly, reciprocity among the resorts, so that Owners in one destination can discover and enjoy the entire Timbers Resorts portfolio.

Current Timbers Resorts properties include The Timbers Club in Snowmass, Colorado; Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; The Rocks Luxury Residence Club in Scottsdale, Arizona; Castello di Casole in Tuscany, Italy; The Preserve at Botany Bay on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands; One Steamboat Place in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; The Orchard at The Carneros Inn in Napa, CA; The Villas at Rancho Valencia in Rancho Santa Fe, CA; The Links Cottages at Doonbeg in County Clare, Ireland and now The Sebastian in Vail, Colorado. For more information, please visit www.timbersresorts.com.