A Love Letter to Horses Around the World

We at Torciano have always loved horses — noble animals, sensitive and proud, both in their bearing and toward everyone who respects them.

We see them in every fresco, in battle, in the hardest moments of the bond between man and horse: a world made of love, respect and understanding. A horse's sensitivity is something unique; its nature of trust in people becomes a bond for life. It sacrifices and never backs down for the person who has its confidence, giving everything it can, until the end.

I've lived with horses since I was 20 years old, and I've spent my best years and happiest moments with them, exploring landscapes I'd never seen before. We've laughed, cried, won, and shared difficult and wonderful moments together. My horse never once put my life in danger — he always did his best to keep me balanced.

Rides on sunlit prairies, walks along dirt roads, sultry Tuscan summer weekends: these are memories I will never forget when I think of my life with horses. And the true friendships too, made of laughter, help in the hardest moments, picnics in the woods — real life, lived sincerely and simply. I wish everyone could get to know horses this way: born free, then tamed by people for their strength, speed and help with the heaviest work, yet keeping their proud bearing, their big sweet eyes, and a beauty no other animal can match.

Wandering through vineyards, olive groves and vegetable gardens at Tenuta Torciano San Gimignano, crossing breathtaking landscapes and the medieval streets of San Gimignano, hills of vineyards and olive groves: horse trekking is an experience to live when you visit Tenuta Torciano.

It's a holiday in touch with nature in Tuscany, the Italian region with the greatest number of itineraries — from paths through the vineyards and woods to the Via Francigena, which passes right through the centre of San Gimignano.

The Tenuta Torciano winery and Torciano Hotel Vecchio Asilo, in San Gimignano between Florence and Siena, are the ideal stop to continue the experience of Tuscan food and wine with a relaxing night in nature — and riding stables just a short distance away to shelter the horses.