Things To Do
Hamlet of Monteriggioni
We absolutely suggest you walk or take a drive to the hamlet of Monteriggioni (the castle on the hill that you can see from the venue.) There are charming little shops to pop into, or you can walk the walls of the medieval fortress, which dates all the way back to 1214. For restaurants, there is Ristorante Le Torri (perhaps the most refined, but still traditional and local), and Osteria Antico Travaglio (rustic and simple but lovely), Ristorante Il Feudo (rustic, hearty home-style food), Ristorante Il Pozzo (good food, maybe not the best in town) and Ristorante da Remo (traditional Tuscan trattoria).
Nearby Restaurants
Bar dell'Orso - a nearby (4 min by car) road-side place that is a local institution (more of a local dive than a restaurant) known for it's high-quality prosciutto, salame, porchetta, pecorino cheeses, artichokes and more. They also make great lasagna, stewed meats, as well as pasta. You can sit at an informal table for a meal alongside local bikers or businessmen, or pick-up a sandwich to go. Open daily 5am to midnight. Foresteria Villa Cerna – on the road to Castellina in Chianti, this place has lovely food, incredible vineyard views, and very good service. 10 min from Stomennano. Excellent for pre-booked group meals. Ristorante Il Frantoio – in Colle Val d'Elsa Alta (“alta” means high, so the high and old part of town.) Excellent food with only local ingredients and carefully selected wine list in the basement of a Renaissance palace. 15 min from Stomennano.
Nearby Restaurants Part 2
Ristorante Arnolfo – for that 2-star Michelin experience this is the place. Just outside of Colle Val d'Elsa. 15 min from Stomennano. Il Fondaccio – great pizzeria in Castellina in Chianti. 20 min from Stomennano. Grotta Santa Caterina da Bagoga – in the pedestrian-only part of Siena, a bastion of traditional Sienese cuisine. 20 min drive + 7 min walk from Stomennano. Taverna di Cecco – a simple trattoria in Siena that does Tuscan food justice. 20 min drive + 5 min walk from Stomennano. Dario Cecchini – the “mad-butcher” now famous world-wide has a few small restaurant spaces in the village of Panzano in Chianti. Not that much fun for vegetarians. Each place has set menus. 40 min drive from Panzano. Boccondivino – in Montalcino, an all-female run restaurant that is creative as it is delicious. Incredible wine list, especially Brunellos. Closed Tuesdays. 1 hr from Stomennano.
Winery Visits
We highly suggest booking in advance. These are what we consider some of the best wineries in the area, and also those who accept visits from the general public, pending availability. It may help to say when inquiring that you've been recommended by Annie Adair and Francesco Gronchi of Tuscan Tour. (Annie is the wedding planner and her husband Francesco is a wine critic and writer for Slow Wine, number 1 in sales for wine reviews in Italy, also focusing primarily on natural or organic wines and small to medium-scale producers.)
Chianti Wineries
Il Palagio di Panzano - Traditional family, mostly female–run winery with excellent wines, near Panzano (ask for Monia). 40 min drive from Stomennano. Montebernardi - Biodynamic – excellent wines. 30 min drive from Stomennano. Monterinaldi - Historic winery near Panzano that also produces superlative Vin Santo (ask for Fabrizio.) 35 min drive from Stomennano. La Massa - Anti-Chianti producer of Super Tuscans in the Chianti heartland (ask for Francesco.) Fonterutoli – One of the most historic wineries of Chianti, with a state-of-the-art cellar and a production of very good wines. They've organized really lovely experiences. 45 min drive from Stomennano. Dievole – Historically great at marketing but haven't lost its focus on quality wine production. Because of the way they've structured the visit, and the history of the place, this might be one of the most enjoyable winery visits in the area, especially for those not hyper-specialized in Tuscan wines. 30 min drive from Stomennano.
Montalcino Wineries
Castello Tricerchi - Exceptional price/quality ratio for Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino in one of the most historic castles of Tuscany. The tour is usually done by an extremely discreet member of the noble family that owns it. (Ask for Tommaso or Paolo). 55 min drive from Stomennano. Solaria – Patrizia Cencioni – A 3-generation, all-female run winery in Montalcino that produces some of the most elegant and interesting Brunellos and amazing olive oil, of course. (Ask for Arianna.) 1 hr drive from Stomennano.
Weekly Markets
Here is a list of the weekly markets in the area, which are usually running in the morning until 1 pm (but sometimes all day): Tuesdays: Poggibonsi Wednesdays: Siena Thursdays: San Gimignano & Castellina Scalo Fridays: Colle Val d’Elsa Saturdays: Castellina in Chianti, Greve in Chianti & Volterra Sundays: Panzano in Chianti
Group Tours
The following towns offer group tours for which you do not need to book in advance: Volterra Daily one-hour tour, held at 12:30 pm Monday & Wednesday, and at 6 pm all other days of the week €10 per person, minimum 3 persons For details and more info see www.volterrawalkingtour.com Siena Every day at 11 am – 2 hrs - €30 per person For details see https://www.guidesiena.it/en/buy/classic-siena-tour San Gimignano Sundays at 11 am €15 For details see https://www.guidesiena.it/en/buy/san-gimignano-tour
Sightseeing: Siena
Best known as the home of the Palio, Siena introduces you to Tuscany as it once was. One of the most interesting aspects of Siena is its rich architectural heritage – a stroll through the winding city streets leaves you with a strong sense of its medieval atmosphere like no other Tuscan city. The city is brimming with monuments that attest to Siena’s past economic and political grandeur: the imposing, art-filled churches, the magnificent world-renown cathedral (with one of the most extraordinary marble facades) and the fascinating town square Piazza del Campo (once the center of the town’s political power and where the Palio horse race is held twice-yearly). 25-minute drive from Stomennano.
Sightseeing: San Gimignano
Used as the setting for E. M. Forester’s Where Angels Fear to Tread and the Merchant-Ivory film Tea with Mussolini, San Gimignano (pronounced “sahn jim-in-yano”!) captivates every visitor with its sky-piercing towers and quaint city streets. An ancient medieval trading-town, San Gimignano is a Tuscan architectural gem, surrounded by softly-contoured hills and vineyards that produce the highly-acclaimed white wine Vernaccia di San Gimignano. 35-minute drive from Stomennano.
Sightseeing: Volterra
The hidden secret of Tuscany, Volterra is the connoisseur’s city of choice. One of the largest and most important Tuscan cities from 1,500 BC until the late Renaissance, Volterra still retains aspects from each period of its long and rich history – from the carved funerary urns and city walls of the Etruscans to the open-air Roman Theater, the Medieval city structure, the Renaissance palaces and churches. One of the charms of Volterra is that, perhaps because of the winding roads that lead to it, it tends to be less touristy than other Tuscan towns. 50-minute drive from Stomennano.
Sightseeing: Florence
The birthplace of the Renaissance and the Italian language, the ancient capital of Tuscany, and the center of Italian cultural and artistic production, Florence in its entirety can be a bit overwhelming. Stendhal became light-headed and weak when he came to Florence, overcome by its bewildering beauty. The sites to see and experiences to be had in Florence are endless, and no list could ever do justice to this town, considered the Cultural Capitol of Europe. From the museums and churches that house astonishing collections of the world’s finest art, to the bottegas where Florentine artisans still work their trades much as they did 500 years ago, the surprising delights of the Florentine trattorias, markets, and boutiques, the frenzied enthusiasm of Florentines while doing their daily shopping, Florence is a city which engages all five senses. 1 hour drive from Stomennano.
Sightseeing: Cortona
Cortona is a wonderful medieval village standing on a buttress overlooking the Val di Chiana. While best known in recent years as the backdrop for Frances Mayes’ “Under the Tuscan Sun”, Cortona, which is on the eastern tip of Tuscany and on the Umbrian border, is a charming medieval town that contrasts with the rest of Tuscany. Cortona was an early Etruscan town, as seen by city walls and graves that remain to this day. At the end of the 4th century B.C. Cortona formed an alliance with Rome, in order to gain its citizenship. In 450 Cortona was conquered by the Goths, but it began its development in the 12th century, when it became a commune, known for its arts and crafts. It became first a Ghibelline diocese in 1325, then a Signoria with the Ranieri family and remained the same until 1409. In 1411 it was sold to Florence and began a period of decline. 1 hour 15-minute drive from Stomennano.
Sightseeing: Montepulciano
Montepulciano is a charming town in the province of Siena, which has Etruscan origins and was already known in ancient times as Castello Politiano; the first document where “Mons Politianus” is specifically mentioned, dates back to 715. From the center of town the surrounding landscape can be admired, and the marvelously variegated view includes the Chiana Valley, Perugia and Assisi, Mount Amiata and even, at the foot of the Appenines, the long trail of Lake Trasimeno. The inhabitants of this town (the Poliziani) had always been enemies of Siena and so, in 1202, they took an oath of allegiance to Florence, but were definitively annexed to the town only in 1511. Montepulciano is a suggestive small town with some of Tuscany’s finest Renaissance architecture. 1 hour 15-minute drive from Stomennano.
Sightseeing: Pienza
Pienza owes its position as one of the most charming art towns of Tuscany to one man, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who became Pope Pius II in 1458. With the help of the architect Bernardo Rossellino he transformed the insignificant village of Corsignano, where he was born, into a model Renaissance town laid out on clear planning principles. Just a few years after the works began, Pienza was officially recognized as a town and a wonder for all to see. Pienza, which retains most of its original architecture, is also known for its artisanal production of pecorino cheese. 1 hour 15-minute drive from Stomennano.
Sightseeing: Pisa
Pisa is the Tuscan city with the most clichéd image, and at the same time one of Tuscany’s best-kept secrets. The famous tower is an apt representation of the scientific geniality of Pisa, yet Pisa is much more than just a tower: from Medieval buildings to the finest examples of Romanesque sculpture, Renaissance palaces and Baroque churches, Pisa is full of art and architecture that pay witness to the magnificent past of the Maritime Republic of Pisa. 1 hour 40- minute drive from Stomennano.