Journal

Notes from Tuscany

Long pieces, written by the people who organise the stays: itineraries that hold, real calendars, logistics from the villa. Not lists of “ten things to do in Tuscany”.

Featured·Guides·3 June 2026

A day between Greve, Panzano and Montefioralle

Chianti Classico is done from the villa, not from a Florence hotel. Piazza Matteotti in Greve, Macelleria Cecchini in Panzano, walled Montefioralle and one cellar — not three. Times, parking and a transfer: what the concierge closes before you leave.

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Events·10 June 2026

Summer 2026 in Tuscany: Luminara, Calcio Storico and Palio

Three real dates, not a list of fairs: Pisa on 16 June for the Luminara, Florence around 24 June for Calcio Storico, Siena on 2 July and 16 August for the Palio. How to reach them from the villa, where not to leave the car, and why one large event a week holds better than two nights in a row.

Tips·22 July 2026

Pienza, Bagno Vignoni and the white roads of Val d’Orcia

Val d’Orcia has been UNESCO since 2004, and the coaches know it. How to enter Pienza before ten, stop at the pool in Bagno Vignoni without treating it as a spa park, read the cypresses of San Quirico and go down to one cellar in Montalcino — then back to the villa.

Guides·14 April 2026

Uffizi, Oltrarno and Santo Spirito: Florence in a real day

Timed Uffizi entry, lunch in Oltrarno, afternoon at Santo Spirito. One large museum, one neighbourhood, not five stops. Transfer from the villa, ZTL closed to the house car, a timetable that holds until dinner in the garden.

Tips·9 April 2026

Pici, ribollita and Chianina: cooking at the villa, properly

Not a cooking show at the villa. Pasta rolled on marble, ribollita, fiorentina from Chianina cattle, shopping from producers or Mercato Centrale — closed three days ahead, with allergies and times already written. The chef cooks in your kitchen; you decide whether to stay at the table or in the garden.

Events·18 June 2026

Palio of Siena 2026: 2 July and 16 August

Two races in Piazza del Campo, always 2 July and 16 August. Trials on the three afternoons before, the cava or a stand, seventeen contrade. You reach the city by transfer: the centre is closed, the house car does not enter, dinner on return is the choice that holds.

Tips·11 March 2026

Bagno Vignoni, Saturnia and Fonteverde: baths near the villa

Three addresses, three distances from the villa. The pool in the square at Bagno Vignoni, the Cascate del Mulino at Saturnia, Fonteverde at San Casciano dei Bagni. They are not interchangeable: the water changes, the minutes of road change, and so does when a massage at the house is the better day.

Guides·19 February 2026

Torre Grossa, Vernaccia and Piazza della Cisterna

San Gimignano at nine, before the coaches. You climb Torre Grossa, drink Vernaccia DOCG at a cellar outside the walls — not at a stall in the square — and take gelato in Cisterna while the piazza is still a town. Then back to the villa, before the main street becomes a corridor.

Events·5 August 2026

Harvest 2026 and Expo Chianti Classico in Greve

Grape picking has no fixed date: the vintage decides, week by week. Expo Chianti Classico in Greve does, and has for decades, in Piazza Matteotti in September. Then San Miniato and white truffle, on weekends from late October. Autumn is booked from the villa, with an empty day between one appointment and the next.