CHIGI PALACE: How a family lives in a Tower at the time of the lockdown.
A magnificent palace of the thirteenth century,
full of history in the heart of the central Piazza Duomo in San Gimignano,
enriched by one of the famous twelve towers still exist
in this beautiful medieval city …
Welcome to Chigi Palace!
How to live in a Tower in the time of the lockdown.
Living in history is the value of the Giachi family.
“Cit. Pierluigi Giachi”
Piazza Duomo is one of the most beautiful squares in Italy: elegant, refined, luxurious and mysterious and is the heart of the city, with its medieval style, typical of the Tuscan transformations.
The Tower of the Podesta, the Towers Salvucci, the Tower Rognosa, the Tower Chigi, the Tower Ardinghelli, the Collegiate Santa Maria Assunta, are some of the jewels of this beautiful and unique city, UNESCO heritage, which rises to the sky as a star on a hill.
“My father taught me that good wine needs a historic beauty as a frame to be better accompanied” .
San Gimignano has always lived inside of me as beautiful memory. It is the city that, as a child, I have always tried not to give up, because it has always been part of me.
Here, every day of the year you start breathing the air romantic, a special and unique place, created to celebrate festivals, appreciate the simple things in life, cherish old buildings witnessed many vicissitudes and glories, and supervised by experienced extraordinarily high and majestic towers that rise into the sky, presenting this magnificent and magical star.
ROMANTIC DINNER AT THE PALACE – SAN GIMIGNANO TOWERS
Chigi Palace is the best place to end a day with a romantic dinner at the palace.
From here, you can savor every moment of sunset, enjoy delicacies, overlooking the balcony and admire the magnificent Piazza Duomo and all the towers around; while a pair of lovers strolling arm in arm amidst the narrow streets. In this magical place you can lose yourself and find yourself in a different place, full of charm, beauty and uniqueness.
Celebrate a birthday, or an engagement or anniversary in the historical Chigi Palace, is a special event, a luxury to remember and celebrate an important date.
Here the theme is the middle Ages, with the background music of the harp graceful and sweet soprano voice that gladdens the flow of the evening with his melody.
Dinner starts with an aperitif served in feet, which is limited to a glass of champagne accompanied by snacks, cashews, walnuts and hazelnuts.
The aperitif will entertain guests before going to the table.
We serve only a menu in according to the season; we always use fresh and seasonal ingredients, preferably bought at the market stalls outside.
RECEIVE AT CHIGI PALACE
Invite someone to dinner, it means having to heart his happiness all the time spent in the company of family Giachi. For this reason, each guest or someone who takes part in a special event, it will become a person who will live with joy and happiness our hospitality.
The opportunity to have dinner in the palace Chigi must be a very special event, not always invite friends and guests at Palazzo Chigi, but only for an important birthday, a wedding anniversary, an engagement; all events here will become unique and memorable to remember in time. Only in these unique opportunities, we open the doors of the palace to celebrate.
On these occasions, the evening is divided into three moments.
There will be appetizers served up with a passage made by the waiter.
The wine will be the main protagonist of the whole evening.
We will start with presenting the Vernaccia di San Gimignano; it’s delicate and fragrant white wine; followed by a Chianti Classico two years old, then we will taste Chianti Classico Riserva three years old. Chianti Classico Riserva is produced from selected grapes; this vines have a minimum age of 20 years.
Then we will continue with a Super Tuscan four years old with a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon aged in oak barrels, then with a Super Tuscan composed of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon aged four years in chestnut barrels, followed by a splendid Brunello di Montalcino and from our “Wine Event” Terrestre, wine ages well.
During meals, we will test the delicate Extra Virgin Tuscan olive Oil, Truffle Oil and Balsamic Vinegar delicate Gold Reserves.
During the dinner, that is the most important part of the evening, you will taste all this wines and oils. You will also taste special dishes, for example Risotto with figs.
The dinner will have an apparatus and a table service.
In the third part of the dinner, you will have a fantastic homemade dessert with chocolate fondant and raspberry. All accompanied by coffee, champagne and wines from the end of the meal and meditation.
Music theme will be the background to the whole evening, and for big events, there will be live music.
THE TABLE SET
The table is set with a nice tablecloth, possibly lace.
On the table are arranged mats hand-decorated by beautiful decorations coordinated environment.
Is positioned above the top end plate of white porcelain, the flat plate there will be another porcelain plate of the same service, napkins, plates for the bread, and the trays will be the stars of a beautiful service.
The glasses will be fanned eight for each guest, one for each wine that you will taste during the dinner.
On the table, there will be crystal decanters vintage coaster for wine bottles, silver candlesticks with candles to create a romantic and scenic. All these details will make your dinner at the Useppi Palace unique and unforgettable.
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.
