I had a wonderful holiday in Italy and on part of my stay, I visited Tuscany and stayed at the beautiful Il Paretaio Equestrian centre in Tuscany.  The property is located in the wine country perched on a hill with stunning views across the valley.  The centre is also located close to Siena, Florence, Pisa as well as San Gimignano and some other beautiful towns.

Italy is an amazing country to visit with so much history, amazing sightseeing, wonderful food and wine and so much more.

Il Paretaio offers week long riding holidays which include dressage lessons and trail riding.  It is also a great place to take non-riding partners as there are plenty of things to do.  Single ladies will feel at home here and they are well catered for and looked after.

There are plenty of activities on offer and you will have plenty of time to explore during the day.  Riding lessons and trail riding is normally offered early morning and late afternoon, so you have the day free to relax to maybe read a book or swim in the pool with the glorious view.  You might like to explore the local area, enjoy some cooking classes, Yoga, Tai Chi and wine tasting are also available options.  If you do not have a car, transport can be arranged and there is a local bus that can take you into Florence for the day.

The owners were wonderful hosts ensuring all the guests’ needs were attended to and the staff were very friendly and extremely helpful.  The horses used on the trails were mainly Maremma a local breed suitable for the type of terrain and were very quiet and well trained.  The trails were through farmland properties, in wooded areas and through vineyards.  The scenery was stunning and made for a very enjoyable ride through the countryside on horseback.

For those that enjoy dressage there is a lesson once or twice a day and there are three instructors trained in Classical and a BHS instructor and all speak excellent English.  All horses are trained to varying levels depending on your riding ability. The horses are various breeds including Lusitanos, Anglo-Arab, Sella Italiano, Holsteiner, Arab, Kwpn, Maremmano, Merens and some ponies.

Il Paretaio offers full board as well as half board and all food is homemade and cooked fresh each day.  It was some of the best food I have come across in Italy.  Dinner time is a social event where you enjoy dinner with all the other guests on a long table with all the riders and partners.  It’s a great time to socialise and chat about your day.  The rooms are in the traditional Tuscan farmhouse and are beautiful decorated and most rooms have their own en-suite.  There is a communal lounge area and outdoor area as well as a lovely pool with magnificent views.

Wine tasting is normally offered once a week as well as cooking classes as an option.  Yoga, Tai Chi and landscape photography can be arranged by prior arrangement.  You can also enjoy local walks in the countryside where you may see deer or pheasants and local birdlife.

The owners of Il Parataio want to ensure you stay is a wonderful memorable one and they are more than happy to cater to your needs.

I can thoroughly recommend a stay at this wonderful place and even my non-horsey husband had a lovely time just relaxing.  The atmosphere is so peaceful and the view is to die for.

If you are thinking of visiting Italy contact Snaffle Travel at info@snaffletravel.com.au