There is a downside to visiting Tuscany out of season, but I’ll come back to that. It’s only a minor quibble, and coming here in autumn – when the crowds have gone and the vineyards are golden and the hills snag with mist in the mornings – is probably the dreamiest time to visit.

Dreamy is the right word, because there is something languid and sleepy to visiting in the off season. I came with my husband and two daughters in mid-October, travelling with Tuscany Now & More, a villa operator that has been finding historical villas for 34 years, specialising in family-owned and -run properties with character.