Celebrations at the Castle: A Year of Festive Moments in the Val d’Orcia
From the first light of spring to the last toast of the year, every season of the Val d’Orcia finds its own way of being celebrated at Castello di Velona.
Some places keep time by the calendar. Others keep it by what each season asks of us.
At Castello di Velona Resort, Thermal SPA & Winery, a thousand-year-old castle overlooking the UNESCO World Heritage landscape of the Val d’Orcia, celebrations are never staged for their own sake. They grow out of the place: a table set among the vineyards, a pool glowing in the evening, a fire crackling on a winter afternoon.
Just minutes from Montalcino, the Castle turns every holiday into a slow, intimate occasion, shaped by Tuscan flavours, natural thermal water at 36°C and the quiet beauty of the hills.
Easter at the Castle: When Spring Awakens in the Val d’Orcia
Easter arrives slowly in the Val d’Orcia. The hills turn a tender green, the cypresses stand out against the light, and the days begin to stretch.
This spring, Easter at the Castle was conceived as a gentle pause: two nights in a thousand-year-old setting, with soft Tuscan light, thermal waters and a landscape slowly coming back to life.
At the heart of the stay, an Easter lunch signed by Chef Andrea Fanti, followed by a relaxing 50-minute massage.
Easter, here, is not about doing more. It is about letting the season unfold around you.
Under the Stars: San Lorenzo Picnic in the Vineyard
On the night of August 10, when Tuscany looks up to watch the shooting stars, the vineyards of the estate become the best place to simply lie back and make a wish.
This summer, the Castle celebrated the Night of San Lorenzo with a gourmet picnic among the vines: Brunello di Montalcino, a selection of Tuscan delicacies, soft lighting, blankets and refined picnic baskets, with the panorama of the vineyards all around.
No schedule to follow. Only the sky, a glass in your hand and the long Tuscan dusk.
Ferragosto by the Pool
Ferragosto is one of Italy’s most beloved summer traditions, and at the Castle it moves to the water’s edge.
On August 15, from 7 pm, the panoramic pool became the setting for an evening of good food, fine wine and music: live cooking stations with freshly prepared specialities, signature cocktails, live entertainment and curated music, and an after-dinner celebration under the stars.
The evening was open to hotel guests and to visitors from outside, for a summer night shared slowly.
Christmas at the Castle: A Natural Christmas
At Christmas, the Castle dresses itself the way the Tuscan countryside does in winter: with what the land provides.
The festive décor draws on the landscape itself: evergreens, branches and pine cones, warm lights and a few velvet bows in bordeaux, so that the stone, the arches and the light of the castle remain the true protagonists.
Christmas Eve. The Christmas Eve menu opens with sea bass carpaccio, green apple and smoked caviar, followed by a scampi risotto with ginger and finger lime, and a Livorno-style salt cod slowly cooked in olive oil. It closes with the Italian Christmas dessert trolley, a selection of traditional pastries served at the table with their sauces. €170 per person.
Christmas Day. Lunch begins with boiled beef, salsa verde and caviar, continues with traditional cappelletti in capon broth with Tuscan cured ham, and beef cheek braised in the Castle’s own Brunello, with pear, mountain cheese, porcini and coffee. A 70% dark chocolate sphere with panettone mousse and warm brandy cream follows, and then the fireside ritual: roasted chestnuts and Christmas petits fours. €170 per person.
New Year’s Eve at the Castle
The last night of the year is a dinner party: food, drink, celebration. On 31 December 2026, from 7:30 pm until 1 am, the Castle invites you to close the year at the table. €290 per person.
The evening opens at 7:30 pm with an aperitivo buffet. From the sea, tuna carpaccio, sea bass carpaccio, salmon tartare and a selection of French oysters, among them Spéciale Gillardeau. From Tuscany, hand-carved Tuscan prosciutto DOP, finocchiona IGP, fireplace-cured sausage, and cheeses paired with chestnut honey, spiced pears and Pecorino di Pienza with fig mostarda.
At 8:30 pm the gala dinner begins: red mullet with fig mostarda, crispy guanciale, smoked provola and white truffle; a fish-filled raviolo with Livorno-style stew; charcoal-grilled risotto with porcini, Pecorino di Pienza and candied citron; seafood parmigiana with red prawn and burrata; and a contemporary sfogliatella with sheep’s ricotta and candied orange. After dinner, artisanal panettone, pandoro, nougat, chocolates and fresh and candied fruit.
Outside, the hills of the Val d’Orcia fall quiet. Inside, the castle stays awake until one in the morning.
Celebrate the Seasons at Castello di Velona
Whatever the season, a celebration at the Castle begins in the same way: slowly. A table facing the hills, a glass of Brunello, water warm from the spring, and nowhere else you need to be.
For details, dates and reservations, our team is happy to help at [email protected] or on +39 0577 839002.
Celebrate with us, and let the season set the pace.