Castello Santa Cristina

We approached the manager or owner seeking assistance for our 900km horseback journey along the pilgrim route of Via Francigena, hoping to find accommodation for our horses for just one night. Unfortunately, this was the only place throughout our entire trip where we were rudely turned away. The condition imposed was a minimum two-night stay in the hotel to accommodate the horses. We were prepared to cover the cost of both the horse accommodation and our camper. It's disheartening and disappointing to encounter such lack of understanding from a place that prides itself on promoting equestrian activities and Italian hospitality. This incident speaks volumes about their overall attitude towards guests. I cannot recommend it based on this experience.

I have just returned from a wonderful riding stay at Castello Di Santa Cristina with my friend. On arrival, we were greeted and talked through our itinerary for the duration of our stay. We were then shown to our rooms and offered lunch which was just being served. Where do I start on the absolutely outstanding experience? The food, just beautiful. Every meal was delicious, authentic and plentiful. The wine was fantastic. The service was excellent, all the staff were attentive, friendly and efficient. They couldn’t do enough for you! Any questions or queries were answered straight away. Our apartment was just beautiful. Comfortable and have everything you needed! I slept so well in the comfortable surroundings (I don’t sleep well normally!) The horses were just wonderful, so well looked after, responsive but safe and so much fun! You really knew they would look after you. Thank you to Kate and Carleigh who were just wonderful throughout the whole trip. I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the Castle and the views from the top were breathtaking. I was genuinely sorry to be leaving this beautiful place and will return, with no doubts!

There are two parts to this review — the things that everyone would experience and the things that made our particular stay unpleasant. Our general take was that the riding was alright and the grounds were pretty, but otherwise we can’t understand what other reviewers are raving about, and would recommend simply choosing a different riding vacation if you are flexible on location. The rooms matched what we expected from the pictures (rustic and needing small fixes / renovation) but the food was pretty awful (a lot of store bought pasta and poorly prepared chicken dishes; a cardinal sin for Italian hospitality!). Perhaps it was specific to when we were there, but we also found a stifling silence during our stay: room doors and walls were thin enough to require quiet if you wanted privacy; not much social engagement by the hosts (other than the owner’s wife who seemed lovely), even while riding — one was on the phone for about a quarter of a day-long ride; little encouragement to speak to other guests. Finally, the horses were good for beginners but not trained well enough for experienced riders, and did not receive amazing care (skin problems, cantering or trotting on hard surfaces, etc). Based on these factors and given the price, we probably would have rated at 2 stars, with the food being the strongest negative. For our personal experience, my wife and I were admittedly not the easiest guests, but even allowing for that, the manager and staff handled our situation abysmally. An hour after arriving, the owner told us remotely via a staff member that we would not be able to ride due to liability around my wife’s medical condition. Although we disagree that the medical condition has any bearing on riding (she rides at home in hyper-litigious America and a 100% ordinary waiver has been sufficient), we can at least understand why it made the owner nervous. However, they did not provide us with any options to resolve other than one which would make us miss at least two days of riding, and when we pushed back the staff member giving the message got defensive and gave us a patronizing lecture. Furthermore, nobody with decision making authority was available to negotiate for the next ~day, so we just had to sit in our room (silently) and eat (crappy) food while we mulled our vacation being ruined. In the morning our travel agent talked the owner into a different solution so that we wouldn’t miss out on riding, and told us the deal they had worked out. When we finally met the owner around noon he gave us the same patronizing lecture and put all the trouble on us, really emphasizing how much work he had to do to sort this out and saying what we should have done differently, when all he really needed to do was tell us when the new paperwork would be ready to sign. Just beforehand, the same staff member was also rude to us a second time over something completely unnecessary. We ended up getting to ride eventually, but we felt so uneasy socially that we de

I stayed at Castello di Santa Christina in June 23 and did a one week horseriding holiday. I could not praise this place enough. Antonio, Cristina and their team are top class. The accommodation is fab, really pretty and very comfortable. The food is so good, proper homemade Italian food by wonderful chefs. My horseriding hacks were fantastic, the horses are excellent, the scenery is beautiful and the girls leading the hacks were excellent. I will definitely be back.

Absolutely wonderful. Went with 2 girl friends who horse ride with me and my husband who mountain bikes. All of us had a wonderful time exploring the area on our transport of choice. My husband enjoyed his biking so much he said he will return even if it is with 3 women again! The horses were great. Well schooled and well behaved but plenty of get and go so when you wanted to canter you really could. My little pocket rocket Da Vinci was just perfect for me. Our guides, Kate and Suska were helpful, friendly and worked with you to find the right horse. Thank you ladies! I cannot say enough about the delightful hosts, Antonello and Cristina. They could not do enough for you, whether it was arranging a professional cycle guide or providing wine so you didn't have to drive to town, anything you asked for was provided. The visit to their home, the Castello itself was a real highlight. The food was typical, superb Italian cuisine. Three ingredients but every one fresh and full of flavour. We are all leaving several pounds heavier. The rooms comfortable with all mod cons, excellent wifi and spotlessly clean. We will be back, sooner rather than later. Thank you from all of us, Melinda,Richard, Tina and Gill

I have spent 5 days with my 16-year-old goddaughter in this fantastic place which has been a unique experience. The location itself is just a magic place in the middle of fantastic nature. The staff as well as the owners were incredibly welcoming and it felt like being with a big family. Food was also good. And we were able to make our own pasta - very delicious. My goddaughter went horse riding and the trainers were amazing. They have taken her in and made her part of the team. A fantastic place to come back.

What a wonderful place! I enjoyed 6 days in the castle as a solo traveller. The accommodation was lovely and I slept peacefully. Antonio and Christina are so welcoming and kind and have an amazing team who go out of their way to make your stay smooth, fun and so enjoyable. Francesca organised everything I needed included a trip to the thermal spa. Karli and Katie took me on some amazing treks! The whole day trek to the lake was like nothing I’ve done before. The horses I rode were amazing, safe and so well trained! Both ladies made sure I felt safe whilst attempting the tricky terrain and ensured I enjoyed every minute of the Italian countryside. The team in the kitchen have fed me the most incredible Italian cuisine. Minimum of 3 courses per meal and I can guarantee you will be happy and full! I even had the chance to learn to make pasta and gnocchi! Met some lovely guests which made the holiday even more special! Thank you x

We had fab holiday we were made to feel very welcome. Accommodation was clean and very comfortable. Food was of very good quality and food and drink very good quality . Perfect holiday destination for horse lover , bikers and people who just want to chill

What an amazing vacation! The people were all extremely kind, warm and welcoming; everyone at the castle was exceptionally friendly, personable and very attentive. Cristina and Antonello set the tone of warmth and caring from the first minute but honestly, I was so impressed by the genuine kindess of everyone! The cooks were fabulous and the food was authentic, terrific and plentiful. The accommodations were very clean, super comfortable and beautifully decorated. The horse riding was absolutely extraordinary, with a spectacular combination of beautiful landscape vistas and forest riding. The horses were very well cared for, seemingly quite happy and I felt completely safe. Riding through the countryside was exhilarating and so much fun, and I didn’t want the time to end. I have been on many other riding vacations but this trip to Santa Cristina was the best; it is a true gem and I can’t wait to return.