Estate of Nine Centuries

A medieval wine-growing estate with a villa, tower and chapel in the Sienese Chianti region

Ref. SIE473

In the Sienese Chianti region, some fifteen kilometres from Siena, an estate of approximately 160 hectares encompasses nine centuries of history amidst vineyards, olive groves and oak woods. Built on the foundations of an ancient medieval castle, the manor house stands today, flanked by a stone tower, a small consecrated chapel and a winery that continues to produce wine from these hills. Surrounding the estate, three historic farmhouses welcome guests from all over the world, and life on the estate still follows the rhythm of the grape harvest.

The villa and the tower

The villa comprises three storeys above ground and a partial basement. On the upper floors, the large master flat opens onto a living room of approximately 80 square metres with exposed beams and access to a 58-square-metre terrace overlooking the countryside; with a second flat on the top floor, the villa comprises 18 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms across approximately 650 square metres of living space, with independent pellet-fired heating. In the basement, within the castle’s ancient cisterns, 50 barriques are stored. Next to it, the medieval tower, fully restored in stone and wood, houses a 105-square-metre flat on the first and second floors with a fireplace and a panoramic terrace, whilst on the ground floor there are three cellar rooms and a woodshed with a fireplace for baking bread, situated near a well. Completing the centre of the estate is a second three-storey building with seven flats totalling approximately 580 square metres, a lemon house where the Vin Santo grapes are left to dry in autumn, and a small sales office with two bathrooms.

The chapel

The oldest of the buildings is a consecrated chapel of approximately 110 square metres, dating back to the Middle Ages, where weddings and ceremonies can still be held today. A 17th-century portal surmounted by a terracotta bust, a 19th-century fresco behind the apse and the ancient tombstones on the walls recount, in the dim light of the nave, the long history of the families who have lived here.

The winery and the land

The wine is produced in a winemaking cellar of approximately 500 square metres, featuring 6 temperature-controlled stainless-steel fermentation tanks, 13 concrete tanks, a bottling and labelling line, and a climate-controlled storage room, served by a long canopy and a forecourt accessible even to heavy goods vehicles. On the ground floor of the villa, covering 480 square metres, there are offices, an analysis laboratory, a second barrel cellar with 50 barriques and eight oak casks. The estate comprises 19 hectares of specialised vineyards, 8.75 hectares of olive groves, almost 16 hectares of arable land and approximately 116 hectares of woodland, as well as replanting rights for 5 hectares of vineyards.

The farmsteads and accommodation

Three ancient stone farmhouses form the basis of the agritourism business. The first comprises six flats in two buildings, with a brick bread oven under the canopy. The second, arranged in a horseshoe shape around a small stone square accessed through an archway, comprises nine flats covering approximately 555 square metres. The third combines five flats with a restaurant of approximately 190 square metres, featuring an enclosed veranda of the same size, where summer dinners stretch on until the hills fade into the blue of the evening. A 16 x 9-metre swimming pool with an annexe, toilet facilities and a canopy, and a tennis court complete the estate.