Podere Le Berne and Villa Cicolina

So here’s what happened.

Pokin had booked a wine tasting at a place called Podere Le Berne, a family-run estate in the hills outside Montepulciano. It was supposed to be for all four of them — Nicholas, Pokin, Bob, and Jane — plus me. A nice afternoon out in the vineyards, learning about Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from the Natalini family, who have been growing grapes here since the 1960s.

Bob and Jane weren’t feeling up to it. Too tired from the previous day’s adventures.

So it was two humans and a bear.

Two humans who don’t particularly care about wine.

And a bear who definitely does not care about wine.

Villa Cicolina entrance with stone arch and gravel drive — Heading out from the villa. The things we do for a booking.

But we had a guide, we had an appointment, and Pokin does not cancel things. So off we went.

Podere Le Berne sits on a hillside about fifteen minutes from the villa. The kind of place where the vineyard rows run right up to the front door and the views go on forever.

Vineyard rows with rolling Tuscan hills in the background — I’ll give Tuscany this: the hills do that thing.

The tasting was conducted by the family — not a hired guide, the actual people who make the wine. They walked us through the vineyard, showed us the cellar with its big oak casks and aging barrels, and explained far more about soil composition and fermentation than two reluctant attendees and a stuffed bear needed to know.

Nicholas bought some obligatory wine. As one does when you’ve just been given a private tour by the family who made it and they’re standing right there watching you.

The real highlight of the day was getting back to Villa Cicolina and actually enjoying the place. The morning had been a rush — arrive early, drop bags, run off to tours. We hadn’t actually settled in.

Now we did.

Sumi Bear on the villa bed with white canopy — I took my usual spot. Canopy bed with mosquito net. Very regal.

The room had terracotta floors, exposed beam ceilings, an iron-frame canopy bed with white linens, and an antique wardrobe that looked like it had been there since someone important lived in this place. Which, given that it’s a Tuscan villa, was probably several centuries of important someones.

Shaded courtyard with vines and stepping stones — The courtyard. Wisteria, stepping stones, two chairs. Peak villa.

Villa sitting room with fireplace and ochre walls — The sitting room. Fireplace, brick walls, a rug that’s seen some history.

The villa had that specific quality where every room felt like it had been decorated by accumulation rather than intention. A fireplace here, a china cabinet there, a rug that predates everyone staying in it. Nothing matched and everything worked.

The next morning, with no tours booked and nowhere to be, I finally got to see the grounds in proper daylight. And this is where Villa Cicolina really earns its reputation.

Infinity pool at Villa Cicolina with olive trees and valley views — An infinity pool. Overlooking a Tuscan valley. Under olive trees. Sure.

An infinity pool that drops off into a valley of vineyards and olive groves. Sun loungers under ancient olive trees. The kind of view that makes you briefly consider abandoning your entire life and becoming a person who just lives in Tuscany and reads books by a pool.

Briefly.

There are games to be made.

But I’ll admit — Tuscany does something to you. The light, the rolling hills, the cypress trees. It looks exactly like you think it will, and then it looks a little better than that.

Not bad at all, Villa Cicolina. Not bad at all.