9 family hotels in Italy that go above and beyond to please all ages

Kids’ club: complimentary for all ages, under 3s must be accompanied by an adult.

This beautifully maintained 800-year-old estate is set within the UNESCO-listed Val d’Orcia Natural Park – a 5,000-acre, enticing space ideal for little legs to get utterly worn out in, toddling between the dreamy Cypress trees, ancient little church, sparkling infinity pool and even tumble-down castle up a hill. The recently refurbished Rosewood Explorers Kids’ Club offers quite possibly the most varied range of locally-inspired activities in the region, including pizza-, pasta- and biscuit-making, salt and dough art, harvesting in the kitchen garden, coffee-composting, flower-arranging, birdhouse building, Italian classes, painting, pottery, movie nights and even more (those younger than three must be accompanied by an adult, and babysitting can be arranged). It even has a sustainability-focused initiative to help educate ‘the next generation of earth’s stewards’ (to truly minimise parent guilt).

Outside this child-zone, kids are made to feel equally welcome in the two excellent restaurants: the Osteria La Canonica trattoria and even the Michelin-star Ristorante Campo del Drago – children’s meals are served to order in both – as well as on the extensive Brunello di Montalcino wine-tasting tour (crayons, colouring pads and mini platters were placed at the table ready, and they loved running round the circular, £30k-fee ‘wine locker room’). Come winter, a small Christmas market pops up, along with Santa’s secret retreat and even an ice skating rink. Plus parents can pick to stay in one of the 11 villas, some with heated pools, for extra excitable-shriek-friendly space. Becky Lucas