CARBONDALE, Colo.--Timbers Resorts, developers and operators of private boutique resorts, hotels and residence clubs with properties in some of the most sought-after locations in the world, announces the appointment of Daniele Sera as Executive Chef of Castello di Casole, the company’s 4,200-acre luxury estate in Tuscany, Italy. In his role, Chef Sera will develop and lead the culinary program for the property’s 28 privately owned Tuscan homes and farmhouses along with the 41-suite Hotel Castello di Casole, scheduled to open July 1, 2012. Chef Sera will oversee the hotel’s signature Tuscan restaurant, Ristorante Tosca, as well as casual dining venue Pazzia Pizzeria and the stylish Bar Visconti. In addition, he will manage the culinary program for weddings, banquets and room service, as well as the private chef program for Castello di Casole’s farmhouses.

“We are honored to welcome Chef Sera to the Timbers Resorts team,” said David Burden, Founder and CEO of Timbers Resorts. “His years of experience in Italy’s finest hotels and restaurants will ensure that our homeowners and guests experience the best in dining, whether enjoying a signature pasta dish at Ristorante Tosca or a wood oven pizza at Pazzia Pizzeria, no detail will be overlooked.”

A native Italian who grew up outside of Genoa, Chef Sera has 16 years of Executive Chef experience, and has held the top kitchen spot at a number of Italy’s most renowned five-star hotels including Rome’s Hotel Splendide Royal, Grand Hotel Via Veneto, Hotel Regina Baglioni and St. Regis Grand Hotel. He was most recently the Executive Chef at the Grand Hotel in Florence and has been the personal chef to the Royal Family of Morocco since 1992.

“After many years working in city settings, I am thrilled to return to the Italian countryside where nature inspires and where the indigenous ingredients found on the Castello di Casole estate will come together in thoughtfully prepared dishes,” said Chef Sera. “I look forward to bringing people together with exceptional food in this truly exceptional Tuscan setting.”

Known for his experimental, yet respectful, approach to food, Chef Sera employs simple and traditional cooking methods and believes in maintaining the integrity of ingredients in order to fully express the flavors while finding the perfect well-balanced complements. Signature dishes found on the menus at Castello di Casole will include lobster panzanella with Tuscan bread, celery, cucumber and fried leeks; pici pasta with red prawns, broccoli, and flavored bread crumble and warm-frozen praline iced parfait cantuccio.

About Castello di Casole
Castello di Casole – A Signature Development of Timbers Resorts, is a five-star resort and private residence club in Tuscany, Italy, located 45 minutes southwest of Florence. The historic 4,200-acre estate features 28 artfully restored and reconstructed Tuscan farmhouses and a 41-suite boutique hotel complete with a world-class spa and wellness center, swimming pool, pizzeria, stylish bar and visionary fine-dining restaurant. The estate is also home to a model game preserve, 88 acres of vineyards, 13 acres of olive groves and an expansive trail system.

The Castello became home to movie stars and Italian nobility in the 1960s, most notably renowned Italian filmmaker, Luchino Visconti. He lived in the Castello with his brother and Austrian actor Helmut Berger, of “Godfather III.” Under his tutelage, the estate became home to an open-air cattle shed at Braccio di Mensano, big enough for 800 head of cattle, as well as a game reserve, a restaurant at Molino d'Elsa and a new system of agricultural management, which employed about 70 farm workers. Visconti, who is best known for his work on the 1963 film “The Leopard,” worked with stars such as Burt Lancaster and Marcello Mastroianni. He lived lavishly at the Castello, frequently hosting the jet-set for large social events.

During the current restoration, a number of significant Etruscan artifacts have been discovered, including ceramic urns and objects d’art, which are registered with the local historical commission and on display at a nearby museum.

About Timbers Resorts
Since 1999, Timbers Resorts has established a gracious portfolio of properties in the world’s most sought after destinations. As the developer and operator of boutique, private resorts, hotels and residence clubs – including ski, golf, leisure and beach locations – Timbers Resorts has created an unrivaled reputation in the luxury resort and real estate industry. Throughout its history, Timbers Resorts has committed to being authentic, unique and respectful of the destination, focusing on family and experiences, and never compromising with regard to quality and service.

To make the ownership and the vacation experience more rewarding, Timbers Resorts has created Timbers Collection, a host of amenities and services that are the equal of its residences and resorts. Services that make travel effortless, partnerships with brands that enrich and invigorate, and most importantly, reciprocity among the resorts, so that Owners in one destination can discover and enjoy the entire Timbers Resorts portfolio.

Current Timbers Resorts properties include The Timbers Club in Snowmass, Colorado; Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; The Rocks Luxury Residence Club in Scottsdale, Arizona; Castello di Casole in Tuscany, Italy; The Preserve at Botany Bay on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands; One Steamboat Place in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; The Orchard at The Carneros Inn in Napa, CA; and The Villas at Rancho Valencia in Rancho Santa Fe, CA; The Links Cottages at Doonbeg in County Clare, Ireland; and the newest The Sebastian in Vail, Colorado. For more info, please visit www.timbersresorts.com.