Picturesque San Gimignano with its soaring medieval bell towers is a popular tourist destination in Tuscany. Many people visit this walkable hilltop village for day trip, but we recommend spending two or three days to explore the small shops and museums and try some of the town’s very good restaurants. And everyone indulges their sweet tooth at Italy’s award-winning Gelateria Dondoli. We go for gelato here every day we are in San Gimignano.
Two centrally located hotels (3*) we where we have stayed in San Gimignano are La Cisterna and Hotel Leon Bianco Both overlook the Piazza della Cisterna which is adjacent to the Piazza de Duomo. Cars must be parked outside the city and be prepared to walk up hills with your bags.
The three nearby wineries we visited all offer very nice accommodations with parking.
Fattoria La Torre is named for one of San Gimignano’s medieval towers. Its founder, Alvaro Angiolini is originally from Livorno, on Tuscany’s coast, and owns a publishing and graphics arts business. He is also a passionate collector of the Italian Impressionist painter Macchiaioli, and is also landscape artist himself. Angiolini acquired Fattoria la Torre in 1960 as a hunting reserve. The 400 hectares also include vineyards and olive trees. Vineyards range between 300 and 580 meters above sea level, some of the highest vineyards in the region. Soils are a mix of sand and clay. Under the direction of Alvaro’s son, Enrico. Fattoria La Torre began bottling their wines in 1982.
Landscape paintings in Fattoria La Torre’s Wine Boutique
The tasting room, referred to as the “WineArt Boutique,” features Angiolini’s collection of his beautiful painted landscapes inspired by the hills of San Gimignano. Fattoria La Torre also has agritourism with four rooms and two apartments as well as a few large areas for group tastings. In addition to selling their wines, Fattoria La Torre produces excellent olive oil. Website
We tasted nine wines. Here are three we recommend:
Acquaiole 2024 Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG. Pronounced grapefruit laced with pineapple and a hint of thyme and ginger. Nice minerality and freshness
Carrobaco Vernaccio di San Gimignano 2022 Riserva DOCG. Aged half in 100% new French oak barrique and half in concrete with some lees stirring. This wine is creamier and softer with more pronounced notes of ginger, pineapple, mango and a squirt of grapefruit.
“A” 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon IGT Toscana. We tasted the first release of this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 24-36 months in French oak. Grapes are sourced from vineyards dating to 1971. This wine has elegant character and balanced tannins with notes of dried and fresh dark red berries and fine leather. A hand-applied gold “A” for Angelini identifies the bottle.
Owners Sergio and Lucia Failli have spent more than four decades working in the family’s hospitality business. This includes Hotel Sovestro and the Ristorante da Pode where we had an excellent lunch. Lucia is the restaurant chef, and Sergio personally prepared the excellent steak tartare. The restaurant was started by the patriarch, Alfredo (nickname: “Pode”), and the menu continues to serve the family’s recipes. Today, it is a destination spot with a Michelin Bib nod. Sergio and Lucia’s daughters work with them.
Sergio and Lucia Failli with daughters, Alessia and Barbara, at Da Pode
The farm-winery came later, in 2017, when the family acquired Fattoria Sovestro, renovated and renamed it Tenuta Sovestro. The 15 hectares include vineyards and olive trees. There is also an on-site 16 room agritourism; many rooms overlook the vineyards. The wines are mainly sold on-site, and total production is 10,000 bottles. Tenuta Sovestro is worth the visit to taste the wines and definitely make a reservation at the restaurant. Website
Three wines we recommend
Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2024. This wine spend 5-6 months in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling. It’s a balanced blend showing notes of grapefruit, ginger, lime leaf, and a hint of pineapple. Nice minerality and acid.
“Donna Lucia” Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG 2023. Named for owner, Lucia Failli, this wine spends one year on lees. Nice acidity and balance of grapefruit-pineapple-ginger-herbs.
Chianti DOCG 2023, 100%Sangiovese This wine delivers ripe strawberry, dried cherry and a touch of anise. A delightful easy- drinking every-day red.
Selection of wines we tasted at Tenuta Sovestro
Il Colombia di Santa Chiara is a family-owned wine estate established in 2000 by three brothers, Giampero, Stefano and Alessio Logi. The winery is part of a larger complex of carefully restored medieval buildings that form La Locanda di Logi, a luxury inn, bar and restaurant with patios overlooking the vineyards. A centerpiece of the locanda’s gardens is the ”Tree of Life” created by Tuscan sculptor, Andrea Roggi.
Tree of Life by Andrea Roggi on display at La Locanda di Logi
Patriarch Mario Logi was a farmer who purchased the former 11th century monastery and surrounding land in 1983 to plant vines. Today there are 24 hectares of vines producing Vernaccia, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
Filippo Logi, the grandson of Mario Logi, represents the third generation to work at Il Colombaio di Santa Chiara alongside his father, uncles, and brother Mauro. Filippo personally led our tour and tasting and later sat down with us for conversation on The Connected Table LIVE! (link is at the end of this post).
Fillipo Logi and his father, Mario
We tasted nine wines at Il Colombaio di Santa Chiara. Here are three:
Selvabianca 2024 Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG. An aromatic white with strong pineapple, ginger, bergamot (Early Gray) and grapefruit plus some other tropical notes. This wine spent six months in concrete tanks prior to bottling.
Campo de la Pieve (“Field of the Parrish”) Selvabianca 2023, Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG. An aromatic white with balance, finesse delivering notes of pineapple, ginger and grapefruit, lemon rind, plus thyme and bergamot. This wine undergoes whole bunch skin maceration and spontaneous fermentation in concrete. It spends18 months on lees prior to bottling.
Il Colombaio di Santa Chiara “Columbacoon” 100% Sangiovese aged 24 months in barrique, 50% new oak. Beautiful structure, balance, and elegance, with spicy cherry and toasted almond notes.
Listen to our conversation with Fillipo Logi, Il Colombaio di Santa Chiara, on The Connected Table Live podcast. Or watch on The Connected Table TV on You Tube. Click below.