When John Phillips, a Washington lawyer and former American ambassador to Italy, bought the Borgo Finocchieto in Tuscany in 2001, he envisioned it as a place for people to gather and discuss ideas; in that beautiful and idyllic setting, creativity and innovative ways of thinking could be spurred. “It would be nice,” he joked, “to have the Mideast peace talks here.” The Borgo didn’t really end up as a desired destination for international diplomacy but rather, a romantic sanctuary. The latest couple to start their innings there are Indian dreamboat Virat Kohli and his ladylove Anushka Sharma.
Phillips spent eight years renovating the Borgo, which used to be an 800-year-old hilltop farming village, into one of the most expensive holiday destinations in the world. It is an hour’s drive from Florence and two and a half hours away from Rome. He was very particular that the natural beauty and architecture of the buildings be tampered with as little as possible, and tried to retain the original archways, windows and doorways. Collapsed structures were rebuilt according to the original village plans which were gathering dust at the local preservation office. The meandering gardens of the Borgo are planted with lavender, rosemary, jasmine, roses and lime trees. In the mornings, the chatter of swallows, Eurasian jays, wagtails and finches renders the air cacophonous.
The rustic beauty is complemented with the comforts of modernity, like tennis and basketball courts, a 60-foot oval pool, a ballroom, an arcaded courtyard and a fitness centre. To while away the time, one can go horse riding, take helicopter and hot air balloon rides and enjoy wine tastings and winery tours. One can also visit neighbouring attractions like the renaissance paintings at the Accademia in Florence; the 200 vineyards of the town of Montalcino located 17 kilometres away; and the farmhouses and ancient castles of the region of Crete, 20 kilometres away.
There are 22 bedrooms in the Borgo arranged around a central piazza, with nine in the Manor House (which also houses two dining rooms, a parlour, a library with a vaulted ceiling, a cantina for wine tastings, a banquet and conference hall and kitchen) and the rest distributed across four buildings called Fede, Santa Teresa, Filippi and Colussi. A stay there is likely to lighten your pocket considerably; it charges Rs 13,54,744 per night.
Picture perfect: Anushka and Virat wore outfits in matching pink | AFP
The Borgo, spread across six acres, used to be populated by farm workers and is first mentioned in a tax and land audit from 1318, which listed it as a possession of the Giulieschi family. In the middle of the 17th century, the Manor House of the Borgo was used as a country retreat of the Borghesi family. Later, it went back to being an agricultural centre until the late 1960s, when the share-cropping system fizzled out in Tuscany, after which, the residents started trickling out. By 2000, the Borgo lay in ruins, with filth and weeds covering the chapel, the farming sheds and the tiled-roof houses of the peasants.
One might expect that such a calm setting might not be suitable for a high-decibel Indian wedding, but given some bhangra music and expensive whisky, Indians can feel at home anywhere. The wedding, we hear, was a typical Punjabi one, with dhol beats resonating across the property. It was organised by Delhi-based wedding planner Devika Narain, and the catering was done by Chef Ritu Dalmia. The menu included porcini mushrooms wrapped in bikaneri roti, stuffed ravioli with paneer khurchan and Indian desserts like rabdi. Attires of the bride and groom were designed by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Anushka and Virat looked very made-for-each-other in a lehenga and sherwani of matching pale pink, with Anushka accessorising it with uncut diamond jewellery and Virat, with a pink silk stole with gold zardosi work on it.
In a 2014 interview with Harper’s Bazaar Bride, Anushka had said that if she had a destination wedding, she would want it to be somewhere close to nature, “in a vineyard, perhaps”. The perfect gentleman that Virat is, he decided to make her wish his command, taking her all the way to Tuscany for their wedding. How romantic!
