Tuscany farmhouse holidays: Time out in Roccalabegna

Add to My Stories 'They don't do time in Tuscany', jokes my friend Adrian, as we loiter in a deserted village, waiting for the local grocer's to open. This entire region closes down mid-afternoon for a lengthy siesta. Though, according to the sun-bleached sign on the door, the shop should have reopened 40 minutes ago.

Rock star: Roccalbegna is an idyllic hideaway in southern TuscanyWe are desperate for bread, cheese and, most importantly, wine. But no one - it seems - is watching the clock.There's no tumbleweed, but the place is profoundly, eerily quiet. Only the yap of a distant dog reassures us that we haven't accidentally strayed into the village of the damned.Though this is why we ventured into the wilds of southern Tuscany in the first place.

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Unlike the frenetic tourist traps of Florence and Siena further north, the crumpled hills around the little village of Roccalbegna offer little but silence, solitude - and lengthy waits outside the local store.We are loving every minute of it. After all, Italian 'holidays' are too often nothing of the sort - there's so much to see and do that there's never enough time for the one thing we all want to do most: stop.Not here. Based in a farmhouse so remote it can be found only by people who've visited before - a problem when you arrive for the first time - we are too cut off to worry about 'doing the sights'.Besides, the view from our terrace is attraction enough. Two thousand feet up, we overlook a classic Tuscan landscape that changes sinuously.In the early morning, as we eat breakfast, the hills are pink, as if viewed though a slab of Turkish delight. Gradually, they are bleached by the rising sun, before being swallowed by the clouds that slowly sta! ck up ag ainst the hilltops in the late afternoon.

Simply divine: If you believe the local hyperbole, Saturnia, with its hot springs, was created by Saturn himselfAt night, we are plunged into some spectacular electrical storms; the perfect accompaniment to good conversation, a glass of grappa and a strong after-dinner espresso. But fear not, if doing absolutely nothing proves too much, there are distractions... even here.Leave the villa for Roccalbegna, turn right at the next farmhouse, and a rollercoaster single-track road will tumble you over the hilltops to the small ancient spa town of Saturnia.In fact, Saturnia is so ancient that god-fearing locals believe it was actually founded by the Roman deity, Saturn. Fanciful, perhaps. But what is certain is that it still boasts some pre-Roman Etruscan ruins, a town square lined with divine restaurants - including one that serves the best ravioli I've ever eaten - and a very popular hot spring.Here, the warm, medicinal waters gush down through a series of pools, where crowds of ample-bellied locals wallow among the rocks and plumes of sulphurous steam. It's not for the faint-hearted, but it's free and, we were assured, the ideal antidote to a surfeit of the local red.The other antidote to it, of course, is more of the local red. And the place to find it is the wonderful little Villa Patrizia vineyard.We are met there by the owner and his son, who give us a tour of the winery - including a taste of cabernet sauvignon grapes straight off the vine - and a deliciously generous tasting.It's a 25-minute drive from the villa and we offer our condolences to the dedicated driver. For those who can't bring themselves to abstain, we are told the vineyard even has rooms.After a week in the wilderness, we drive back north to make our flight from Pisa, staying a night in the spectacular, chocolate-box medieval town of Lucca.

Totally tranquil: Roccalbegna is peace personified - especially when the grocer's is closedThis is Tuscany as most of us know it, and after seven days of dead calm and waiting patiently for the grocer to open, we make the most of the hustle, the bustle and the fanfare, diving in and out of the shops, bars, restauranthttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1341442/Florence-citybreak-From-Uffizis, cathedrals and museums.Bikes whizz to and fro, bands trumpet on every corner, and the crowds surge and squeeze their way along the tiny streets. The atmosphere is electric. There's just one problem - it's exhausting. Lucca might have the sights, sounds and sparkle, but there's one thing you'll never experience here; the joy of doing absolutely nothing.For that, you'll have to head back south to Roccalbegna and wait patiently outside the village shop. It might not sound as glamorous, but trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Travel Facts

A week at Podere Bellavista, a four-bedroom farmhouse, starts at 1,700, www.poderebellavista.com. BA flies London to Rome (2 hours' drive) from 99 return, 0844 493 0787, www.ba.com.