A host of high-end hotels are changing the landscape in this rural corner of Italy.

Since 1998, the number of luxury hotels in Tuscany has dramatically increased.

“Simple” was the watchword and this also applied to the service.

Pair of photos from the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco note in Tuscany, Italy, showing a dish at the restaurant, and a guest room

From left: Lunch at Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco; a guest room at the hotel.Federico Ciamei

But rental villas can be a lot of work, even if they come with staff.

I also offer a list of honorable mentions.

All of these Tuscany hotels conjure up their own dream version of the countryside.

Pair of photos from La Pescaia resort in Italy, including the owner riding on horseback, and a view of the hotel’s pool

La Pescaia’s co-owner, Margherita Ramella, horseback riding on the property; the hotel’s pool.Federico Ciamei

Sisters Beatrice and Margherita Ramella originally came here from Milan to sell a property that belonged to their father.

But the real surprise was inside.

Part of it was visual.

Pair of photos from Bar Visconti at the Belmond Castello di Casole hotel in Tuscany, Italy

From left: Cocktail hour at Belmond Castello di Casole; Bar Visconti, a recent addition to the hotel.Federico Ciamei

The other ingredient was social.

To visit Vicarello was to drop into a house party hosted by two affable yet opinionated aristocrats.

Guests who didn’t feel like joining the fun didn’t always feel at home.

Pair of photos from the Castello di Vicarello hotel in Tuscany, Italy, showing the views from a terrace and a sunroom dining area

From left: A terrace at Castello di Vicarello, in remote southern Tuscany; a dining area at Castello di Vicarello, where chef Kevin Fornoni uses ingredients grown on site or by local producers.Federico Ciamei

Cut to the present day.

Today, guest accommodations are dotted scenically around a hamlet still home to a handful of permanent residents.

Both are under the aegis of Italian-American chef Giancarla Bodoni, who also steers Monteverdi’s Culinary Academy.

A pink and mint green guest suite at the Monteverdi Tuscany hotel

A suite at Monteverdi Tuscany, where accommodations are arranged within a once-abandoned village.Federico Ciamei

Monteverdi has 31 rooms and suites, plus three rental houses that sleep anywhere from four to 12 people.

And Borgo San Felice has another arrow to its quiver.

A financial crisis put a stop to that idea, but there was a silver lining.

The piazza at the Borgo San Felice hotel in Tuscany, Italy

Federico Ciamei

Two recent updates have raised the resort’s already strong game.

But a visit to this delightful resort southwest of Siena feels like the 21st-century equivalent.

Jeannette’s organic Seed to Skin skin-care line provides the bathroom amenities and serves the hotel’s spa.

A hotel guest in the pool at the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, in Tuscany, Italy

A quiet dip at Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, in Montalcino.Federico Ciamei

No need to worry about that here.

Now all it’s crucial that you do is talk some friends into sharing the place with you.

Noblesse obliges on a 750-acre estate with an embarrassment of accommodation options.

Pair of photos from La Pescaia Resort in Italy.

From left: The bar, and garden, at La Pescaia Resort in the Maremma.Federico Ciamei

Its 2020 closure in the face of the pandemic nixed a return visit.

Borgo 69: Just half a mile from Fontelunga lies Kastelec and Robinson’s other project.

The hotel now holds one of the nine Michelin stars awarded to Bartolini’s six Italian restaurants.

Pair of photos from the Vitigliano Relais & Spa in Tuscany, Italy, showing cabanas by the pool, and a woman sitting on a terrace

From left: Cabanas surround the pool at Vitigliano Relais & Spa; taking in the views from a terrace at Vitigliano, which looks out over Chianti wine country.Federico Ciamei