Poggio dei Medici Golf Club

Poggio dei Medici Golf Club: In the ancestral lands of one of Europe's most powerful historical families, the Poggio dei Medici Resort is home to one of Europe's best inland golf courses. Laid out in the wonderfully scenic Mugello hills to the north of Florence, no roads or housing intrude on the quiet splendour of this open, undulating layout.

From start to finish, this big dimension golf course, winds its way up and down the rolling terrain, with many wonderfully crafted holes along the way. The good-width springy fairways provide an excellent launching pad from which to attack the large, undulating greens, although plenty of stylish bunkering also lies in wait should your accuracy waiver. A links-like openness characterises much of the course, although the par-4 1st and par-5 13th are both attractively lined by woodland.

The front-nine holes alternate in bringing you down to and then away from a small stream, which meanders through the lower levels of the course. The stream threateningly opens out into small ponds alongside the greens of the par-5 2nd and long par-4 5th holes.

The back-nine also contains plenty of elevation change, while bringing you closer to the hillside village of Scarperia and its 14th century castle. Tucked away behind the village is the Mugello racing circuit, a favourite testing ground for Ferrari.

Few courses in Italy can claim to be more scenic, few in Europe more handsomely sculpted. If you can tear yourself away from this excellent layout in the Hills of Medici, the wonders of Florence are located just 30 minutes to the south.