Il Falconiere, where luxury hospitality becomes a story
In recent years, the way we travel has changed profoundly. For a long time, luxury was associated with abundance: more space, more amenities, more exclusivity. Today, however, something is changing. More and more people are choosing a destination not only for what it offers, but for the experience it promises.
People are seeking time. They are seeking balance. They are seeking authenticity.
The latest international studies on tourism and hospitality point to a significant shift: travelers want experiences tailored to their own emotions, their own pace, and their own idea of well-being. In an increasingly fast-paced and automated world, perceived value is shifting back toward the more human aspects of hospitality.
Listening. Attention. The ability to understand a need even before it is expressed.
Perhaps this is precisely why some places leave a deeper impression than others.
Not because they are perfect. But because they are authentic.
Il Falconiere, nestled in the hills of Cortona, belongs to this rare category.
A magnificent 17th-century villa transformed into an exclusive boutique residence where you can spend precious moments for the soul, amidst the fragrances of a sun-drenched land.
It does more than just welcome. It tells a story.
It tells the story of a land. A family. A vision.
Above all, it embodies a way of experiencing hospitality that seems to belong to a different era—and for that very reason, it feels more precious today than ever before.
A typical mid-17th-century Tuscan villa, home to the Baracchi family for generations, it has been completely renovated and transformed into a 5-star country Relais. It is a true “spread-out” hotel with the exclusive spirit of a wine resort.
The owners, Silvia and Benedetto Baracchi, will welcome you and personally take care of you, ensuring you feel like welcome guests at all times.
Upon arriving at the estate, the first impression is that of entering a landscape that still retains its natural rhythm. Starting with the EGGcelsior, the home of their free-range farm animals, living in complete freedom.
“Amid the estate’s vineyards, olive groves, and gardens, the slow scratching of the hens and the sudden crowing of the roosters remind us that here, the countryside is not a backdrop, but a living, authentic presence,” they say here.
The vineyards gently follow the contours of the hills. Olive groves alternate with cultivated fields.
The stone of the ancient buildings seems to hold the memory of the seasons and the generations who have lived and worked here.
The light changes constantly. In the morning it is clear and bright. In the afternoon it softens.
At sunset, it envelops everything in a golden hue that seems to belong only to this part of Tuscany. It is in these moments that one understands how Il Falconiere is not simply a lodging facility.
It is a place of the soul. Its story stems from a vision.
It was Riccardo Baracchi who sensed that this property nestled in the Cortona countryside could be transformed into something special. Not a hotel in the traditional sense of the word, but a home open to the world. A place capable of welcoming guests from every corner of the globe without losing touch with its roots.
An ambitious vision, built over time with patience, respect, and a deep understanding of the local area.
Today, Il Falconiere stands as one of the most highly regarded establishments in Italian hospitality, but it would be a mistake to define it solely by the accolades it has received.
Membership in the Relais & Châteaux family. The Michelin star has once again been awarded to the on-site restaurant
“I love using colorful, locally sourced ingredients to celebrate Tuscany and its traditions; I also draw inspiration from places, moments, and emotions to create a menu focused on sustainability,” says Silvia Baracchi.
International awards. Reviews. All of this is a consequence.
Not the origin. The origin lies in the deep connection with the land.
To understand this, one must look beyond the buildings, beyond the gardens, beyond the terraces overlooking the countryside.
One must look at Cortona. Because the Falconiere could not exist anywhere else.
The city’s Etruscan roots, its ancient walls, its stone-paved alleys, and the light that has bathed the Valdichiana landscape for centuries are an integral part of its identity.
Here, the territory is not merely a backdrop. It is the silent protagonist of the story.
The genius loci is evident everywhere. In the scent of the olive trees. In the rhythm of the grape harvests.
In the colors that shift with the changing seasons. In the culture of hospitality that has always been part of these lands.
It is also found within the estate’s spaces. The rooms and suites do not follow a standardized layout. No two spaces are alike.
Each has its own personality, its own atmosphere, its own relationship with the surrounding landscape. Some open onto the vineyards. Others look out over the hills surrounding Cortona.
Still others preserve architectural details that tell the story of the ancient rural structures from which Il Falconiere originated.
The impression is one of widespread, authentic hospitality. As is often the case in lived-in homes, each room has a soul of its own.
Light streams in through the windows, following the rhythm of the seasons. The stones tell the story of time.
The furnishings engage with Tuscan tradition without ever succumbing to ostentation.
It is a discreet luxury. A measured one. A luxury that stems from feeling welcomed.
But the region perhaps finds its most intense expression at the table. In Tuscany, food is memory.
It is culture. It is identity. The cuisine at Il Falconiere stems from this awareness.
Every ingredient tells of a season. Every flavor tells a story.
Every dish represents an ongoing dialogue between tradition and innovation, between memory and exploration.
The Michelin Star recently awarded to the Relais’ restaurant attests to a journey of quality and dedication, but it is not the ultimate goal.
The heart of the cuisine remains the region. The desire to transform Tuscany into an experience.
To tell its story through the raw ingredients, respect for the seasons, and the daily work of those who continue to cultivate, produce, and preserve these treasures.
Silvia Baracchi
The Keeper of the Soul
There are people who build places. And there are people who manage to give them a soul.
Silvia Baracchi belongs to the latter category.
Talking with her, one gets the impression that hospitality is not simply a profession or a business responsibility. Rather, it is a way of being, a form of care for others that arises spontaneously and has, over time, become the hallmark of the Falconiere.
In an age when hospitality sometimes risks becoming mere procedure, Silvia continues to view it as a relationship. And for this reason, she is supported by excellent staff.
Perhaps this is precisely the difference you sense the moment you arrive at the estate. Here, the guest is not welcomed as a customer. They are welcomed as a person. A subtle but decisive distinction.
Every stay brings with it different expectations, different desires, different emotions. And hospitality, according to Silvia, consists above all in the ability to listen.
To listen to what is said. But also to what remains unsaid.
To understand whether someone is seeking tranquility or discovery, privacy or sharing, a slow pace or an experience. It is an approach that requires sensitivity even more than organization.
A sensitivity that over the years has helped define the very identity of the Falconiere.
Walking through the property, you can sense how every choice has been guided by the desire to create harmony between people and the place. Nothing feels forced. Nothing feels artificial.
Among the experiences that best embody this philosophy are its cooking classes, which over the years have become one of the most cherished moments for guests from all over the world
It would be an understatement to call them mere cooking classes. They are, rather, an encounter with Tuscan culinary culture. Gathered around a table, amidst flour, fresh herbs, seasonal vegetables, and family stories, cooking becomes a universal language capable of bringing together people from different countries and cultures.
You’ll learn how to make handmade pasta. You’ll discover ingredients that are part of the local tradition. You’ll hear stories about seasons, harvests, and memories. But above all, you’ll connect with a way of life.
Guests don’t just take home a recipe. They take home an experience.
A scent. A gesture. A memory.
In this sense, Silvia perfectly embodies the soul of Il Falconiere: transforming hospitality into shared participation and making every person feel an integral part of the story they’re experiencing.
Perhaps this is precisely where the true elegance of the place lies.
In the ability to remain true to one’s identity. To welcome without intruding. To offer without ostentation.
To make every guest feel welcome without ever letting them sense the weight of the organization that makes all this possible.
When you watch Silvia move within this world, you realize that her role goes beyond that of an entrepreneur or hostess.
She is the guardian of a vision.
Of that dream born from Riccardo Baracchi’s intuition and nurtured over time to become one of the most authentic expressions of Italian hospitality.
A vision that continues to live on through daily gestures, quiet attentions, and that rare ability to make every guest feel part of a larger story.
The story of a family. The story of a land. The story of a place that has chosen to open itself to the world without ever ceasing to belong to itself.
Alongside the kitchen lies another fundamental soul of the Baracchi family: the wine.
The vineyards surrounding the estate represent more than just quality production.
They preserve a memory.
Every harvest tells the story of a different season. Every bottle preserves the character of a unique vintage. Every glass offers a glimpse of these hills.
For the Baracchi family, wine is not simply a product. It is a form of storytelling. An ongoing dialogue with the land.
A liquid memory capable of transcending time. Perhaps it is precisely this consistency that makes Falconiere so special.
Everything speaks the same language: Home. The cuisine. The wine. The landscape. The people.
Nothing appears separate. Nothing appears contrived.
Every element contributes to telling a story that has its roots in the earth and continues to look toward the future without forgetting where it began.
The vineyards surrounding Il Falconiere are not simply about quality production. They are part of the Baracchi family’s history and the bond that has united them with these hills for generations.
In fact, every label is born from the same principle that inspires the Falconiere: respect for identity.
It is a presence. It accompanies the landscape. It follows its transformations. It preserves its memory.
And year after year, it returns the liquid story of this land. Perhaps this is precisely why, at the Falconiere, wine does not simply accompany a meal.
It completes an experience. It becomes the invisible thread that unites the landscape with the table, nature with culture, daily work with beauty.
A glass then becomes much more than just wine. It becomes a story. The story of a harvest.
The story of a family. The story of these hills. The story of a land that continues to speak through its most precious fruits.
And which, like all great stories, asks only to be heard.
When the sun slowly sets behind the hills of Cortona and evening envelops the countryside in its soft light, Il Falconiere returns to being what it has always been: “a home”.
A home that has opened its doors to the world without ceasing to belong to its own land. Perhaps this is the secret that guests take with them when they leave.
Not the memory of a perfect place. Not the prestige of a Michelin star. Not the international charm of a Relais & Châteaux.
But the increasingly rare sensation of having encountered something genuine.
After all, true contemporary luxury does not consist in having access to everything. It consists in feeling recognized. Feeling welcomed.
To feel like you’re part of a genuine story, even if just for a few days.
And in the hills of Cortona, where time still seems to move at the earth’s own pace, this story continues to be written every day. For Love.
