Would you like to sleep among the rows of vines?

If we asked any of our readers to associate a drink with Germany, the answer would probably (if not certainly) be beer!

You won't be surprised, then, to read that The Barrel was born right there: a Bed & Breakfast that gives its guests the opportunity to sleep in enormous barrels dating back to the nineteenth century.

Ancient barrels transformed into romantic and rustic "dens" for beer lovers!

The barrel-bed features a small ladder to climb up into it, a mattress inside (naturally), and a barrel-vaulted ceiling with ample space for two guests.

Particularly evocative is the special touch of the "beer sauna" – a barrel transformed into a sauna offered to visitors to provide moments of themed relaxation.

Since it's a double bed, some bring a blonde from home, others try to find new loves and adventures in the very nation of blondes; either way, a cold beer will be waiting for them in the room!

A great idea of recycling and repurposing – and if you want to impress your partner, you'll certainly be in great shape! If it's no surprise that this first unconventional B&B was born in Germany, a wine-dedicated establishment is certainly not what you'd expect to find in that same country – yet right there, specifically in Sasbachwalden, a small community on the border with France at the edge of the Black Forest, the B&B Shlafen im Weinfass was born, welcoming its guests in enormous restored wine barrels placed among the vines planted on a hillside.

We are in an area that, prejudices aside, is well known for its vineyards; here the rooms are well appointed and take their names from the wine that the barrel contained before being repurposed.

All barrel-rooms are heated and equipped with two beds. The contact with nature is truly evocative, not to mention the local wine and gastronomic specialties.

We hope to soon have similar places in Italy to boost wine tourism and showcase our magnificent hills and vineyards – copying from those who do things well is never wrong!