Castello Banfi Il Borgo

“Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance," said Ben Franklin. If that's true, then few places on earth will make you feel less hurried than the Castello Banfi Il Borno in Montalcino, Tuscany. This castle, atop a hill in the expansive Banfi vineyards is on the site of the medieval Poggio alle Mura fortress, and transports guests to a simpler time.

But rest assured that “simple" doesn't mean “compromised." You'll experience incredible wines in the bar/tasting room, and Tuscan cuisine at La Taverna. Featuring separate entrances, rooms here were converted from the original cottages of the workers who once staffed the castle. The pool overlooks a vista of rolling hills, where the next bottling is already growing on the vine.

Feeling too relaxed? Shake up your routine with horseback riding, hot air ballooning, or perhaps just a drive around the nearby villages in a Ferrari. The grapes may enjoy the music of 12 screaming cylinders.