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We meet Peter Weller in the open air restaurant of the Castello del Nero, facing the beautiful countryside that leads from Tavarnelle to Tignano. We sit down and Peter amazes us with his enthusiasm for Tuscany and Chianti.

If you aren’t familiar with Peter, he is extraordinary and unique. He is a history professor and a Hollywood actor: you might remember him in his role of Alex Murphy in “Robocop”.

But we approach the topic of cinema for only a few seconds. Peter is fascinated by our history and culture and talks about it with an open heart: “Here at the Castello del Nero I feel comfortable,” he says, “as if it were my home in Tuscany”.

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Peter Weller

He has very strong ties to our country: for part of the year he lives in his house on the Amalfi coast.

But he always comes to Tuscany. “I began to visit Florence where I studied and taught. I have a love-hate relationship with Florence,” he tells us smiling, “and my assistant told me that I I am just like the Florentines”.

He also has strong ties with Siena, especially with the Palio which he has seen over and over.“I have many friends in Siena. It is a city that I love”.

In fact, he always stayed in a farm stay outside of the walls of Siena during Palio: “One year,” he tells us, “they made a mistake with the dates and I had to find an alternative place to stay. I thought about going to Florence where I often visit. There they suggested I stay in the Castello del Nero. What a discovery! I have been staying here for severalyears”.

CastelloDelNero

Castello del Nero

He soon made close friends, particularly Fabio Baroncelli, front office manager,  and he became a regular guest.

“I feel at home here,” says Peter. “I live in a family atmosphere. It is my paradise. I also came here in the winter the more “rustic” Chianti. It is just as fascinating in another season”.

He has his computer in front of him. “I am writing an article about Antonello Da Messina and it is fantastic to write here while looking at the panorama and tasting the wonderful Tuscan and Chianti cuisine. I love the most typical food, from wild boar to duck and all game”.

Mentioning his second life in front of the camera, he tells us that he “has stayed in many hotels. The difference is always the service. In Italy there are many hotels with mediocre services. Here at the Castello del Nero, the service makes the difference: it is “top notch”, the best”.

He always comes with his wife and son. “I love to relax,” he concludes before shaking hands and saying goodbye, “while my family visits all of Tuscany. Perhaps I take a long walk around or go to church. Where? In the church in Tavarnelle or in the marvelous little church in Tignano”.

Matteo Pucci

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