Travel to San Gimignano between Wineries, UNESCO Treasures and Chateau
This week Tenuta Torciano had the pleasure of hosting the Tri Star Yachts, an important yacht and mega yacht charter and brokerage agency, together with the Hotel Principe Forte dei Marmi, to present and let them to personally live the full-day experience: Travel to San Gimignano between Wineries, UNESCO Treasure and Chateau. The day began with a private transfer by Helicopter directly from Pisa, which, after an exciting panoramic flight over San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, the Chianti vineyards and the medieval villages of Tuscany, accompanied our guests with style to the helipad of Tenuta Torciano Winery. Upon arrival they were welcomed directly by the owner Pierluigi Giachi for a welcome toast based on Prosecco and a short visit of the historic property. Following the visit of the cellar Pierluigi accompanied guests to San Gimignano for a guided walking tour of the famous city with a “thousand towers” and a private visit to the Chigi Tower, one of the twelve famous towers still existing in this beautiful medieval city and now owned by the Giachi family.
The Chigi Tower is a UNESCO treasure and a monument perfectly preserved within a magnificent palace of 1200 rich in history and legend, located in the heart of the central Dome Square in San Gimignano. Inside the building you can visit all the most secret rooms and floors until you reach the top, where a breathtaking view of the Tuscan lands and all the other towers will leave you literally speechless. The tower also has the largest terrace of the San Gimignano Castle, and thanks to its incredible panoramic view it is the ideal place for an aperitif immersed in history and nature. Inside the palace it is possible to organize romantic dinners and exclusive evenings with private Chefs, fantastic dishes and the best wines of Tenuta Torciano.
At the end of the visit the guests were taken back to Tenuta Torciano, passing by the beautiful “Strada del Vino”, for a traditional tuscan lunch in the cellar with a complete tasting of all the company’s products. Pierluigi Giachi has followed the experience explaining in first person how to taste the wine, which are the best wine/food pairings, the history and the winemaking techniques of each product. The tuscan plate with appetizers has been paired with Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Chianti, ribollita and truffle lasagna with Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino, stewed Capriolo with Super Tuscans and the finest reserves, cantuccini biscuits with dessert wine. Unforgettable moments, in total intimacy and surrounded by a refined atmosphere where guests can taste our wines, served with delicious dishes, and learn how to combine food and wine in an unforgettable guided tasting.
After the Wine Tasting Experience with lunch in the winery the tour continued at the Cusona Castle, an aristocratic estate that boasts more than a thousand years of history. The oldest document that bears witness to the existence of Cusona dates back to 994. The Cusona estate extends over 530 hectares and is situated among the green Tuscan hills, near the medieval town of San Gimignano.
The access is limited to very few people and thanks to Torciano it is possible to visit the Historical Millenary Cellars, tasting wines of the noble estate and visit the gardens. The Chateau of Cusona is the perfect setting for a private tour to discover the Tuscan traditions, surrounded by an enchanting view of the green hills cultivated with vineyards, woods, olive groves, cypresses and old local farmhouses. The Italian garden is perfect for relaxing walks into the nature and it also hosts an Old Oak Tree which is the symbol of the enchanting nature that surrounds this charming property.
Guests had the opportunity to explore the underground cellars of the 900, a real treasure in the heart of Tuscany to discover the most secret tunnels, where still today some of the bottles produced by the estate are stored. A guided tour between ancient barrels, caves and underground passages to transport visitors in the ancient Italian wine culture. Back to the surface, our guests tasted a glass of the best wine produced by the Cusona Castle, walking through the hedgerows of the beautiful garden and crossing the avenue of love, to embrace the ancient oak tree. The day ended with a second Helicopter flight which, starting directly from the Cusona Castle, took the guests back to their starting point, flying over the hills and the Tuscan coasts again.
The Helicopter is the perfect way to enjoy Tuscany from above and reach this dream place. Visiting Tenuta Torciano is the perfect experience to enjoy a full day of pure relaxation and fun immersed in the peace of nature and drinking fine wines. Thanks to the experience “Travel to San Gimignano between Wineries, UNESCO Treasure and Chateau” of Tenuta Torciano, visitors will have the opportunity to experience a truly unforgettable day in the world of wine, Tuscan traditions and the rarest Italian heritage.
FOTOGALLERY DELLA GIORNATA
Author
Luciana Cilemmi
Luciana Cilemmi, deals with Magazine, Style Director and Co-founder of Tenuta Torciano winery and Tenute Giachi wines and the innovative Viviarium Restaurant of Bottega Torciano- Tenuta Torciano & Winery is part of an international reality that is born in Italy by an initiative of Pierluigi Giachi and Luciana Cilemmi, who have worked for years in the Italian wine market , expanding throughout in the United States, managed and controlled by the american company ' Bellavini winery. Luciana Cilemmi was born in San Gimignano to a family of artists specialised in the restoration of medieval buildings. Having completed her technical studies, she now pursues the interests passed on to her by her family, like her passion for artistic objects, in particular works of art created in Tuscany between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. But she reserves her keenest enthusiasm for the historic works completed in San Gimignano between 1100 and 1300. Alongside her love of medieval history, she is fascinated in wines produced from Tuscan vineyards, which, together with saffron and wool, were the most sought-after goods traded by the wealthy noble families of San Gimignano already in medieval times. Luciana Cilemmi left San Gimignano at the age of 21 and embarked on a pilgrimage in search of knowledge and to discover the new winemaking skills and products that were then developing both in Italy and in France. In the meantime she added to her knowledge of wine by attending specialised courses and becoming a master of wine. On returning to Siena, she discovered a wonderful area near Murlo where she fell in love with the tiny, unspoilt village of Montepescini. She bought the estate of Montepescini where, based on the experience she had acquired over the years, she found a particular lie of the land, special climatic conditions and an altitude suited to the creation of great wines. With enormous enthusiasm, doggedness and considerable effort, a reclamation programme was started to renew the terrain which was then used to plant 30 hectares of specialised vines. Sangiovese is the dominant vine, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Years of experimentation and the introduction of new winemaking techniques eventually led to the creation of Luciana di Memmi’s prestigious wines. Some years ago, Luciana Cilemmi succeeded in realising her dream of a lifetime: to return to her home town, San Gimignano. She was destined to buy the historic palace with the medieval tower, which had been owned by the prestigious Useppi family from 1200 to 1927 and had then passed to the noble and historic Chigi family of Siena. The Useppi were a powerful Sienese family who owned several castles. This beautiful medieval building has an elegant and distinctive façade full of Sienese and Pisan architectural influences. If you find yourself in San Gimignano, make sure you visit the Chigi Tower and Palace. Luciana Cilemmi holds regular events in the rooms of the medieval tower, such as the presentation of wines, both from her vineyards and elsewhere, attended by international journalists, experts from the sector and critics. She also organises exhibitions of works of art and paintings, and press conferences on the subject of "Wine in San Gimignano during medieval times”. Visiting the home of Luciana Cilemmi is like re-living an aspect of the past that will not return except through the imagination of those who have believed and continue to believe in this story.
