First Class: Tuscan Earth

Vineyard and olive-grove owners offer luxury lodgings to visitors

Finding a charming place to stay in Tuscany has long posed a choice between a castle in the countryside or a hotel in a historic city. But to get closer to the fruits of the Tuscan earth, a visitor can now head straight to the farm. Agriturismo lodgings--long popular among Italian vacationers--are adding luxury accommodations and attracting upscale foreign visitors.

Some of the best of these establishments can be found on the winding road between Arezzo and Siena, in a slice of the Chianti region that has been turning out fine wine and olive oil for centuries. Local property owners have...

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