True to the Gardner tradition, the protagonists in this country house hotel are the restaurant and its dramatic black and white kitchen.
The kitchen is the first thing one sees upon entering the Villa, as it has been separated from the guests only by a glass partition.
The centrepiece is a custom-built island, made out of one single cooking block of enamelled and chromed cast iron in the workshops of Molteni of France.
This is set amongst elaborately tiled walls, large mirrors and Carrara marble-work surfaces, all designed to make the kitchen a place of passion.
It is a stage set for the Chef, Francesco Fineo's creativity both in the preparation of Tuscan delicacies and in the teaching of his cooking techniques.