"I am a lawyer," he stresses. "I do trial work and litiga-
tion. I am not a developer or hotelier. I'm not even a busi-
nessman—most lawyers are actually really bad business-
men. But out of this passion developed a crazy impulse.
I began thinking about creating a unique, boutique hotel
that could both reflect and incorporate the beauty of the
Val d'Orcia and the spirit of Tuscany."
The doctor he summoned was Ilaria Miani, an inspired ar-
chitect and interior designer who proved to be on precise-
ly the same wavelength. As Cioffi says, Miani "has worked
with me on every square meter of the restoration." And
the result is quite extraordinary.
Somehow the ancient buildings, painstakingly revived,
have retained all their affinity with the belvederes open-
ing in every direction, while being no less seamless with
