{"id":14541,"date":"2020-06-10T16:00:34","date_gmt":"2020-06-10T14:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/?p=14541"},"modified":"2020-10-22T07:47:01","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T05:47:01","slug":"summer-2020-tuscany-wine-tourism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arttrav.com\/tuscany\/summer-2020-tuscany-wine-tourism\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer 2020 in Tuscany: wine tourism and agrotourism ideas and events"},"content":{"rendered":"

The thing I missed the most during the long covid lockdown here in Italy was the great outdoors. Vast expanses of sky, fluffy clouds, birdsong, fresh air\u2026 All I really wanted was to get back out to the countryside and sit there, or go for a hike, and enjoy these simple things. And that\u2019s indeed what I did as soon as it was allowed. As businesses are opening up further, I\u2019ve remained particularly conservative about exposing myself to other people, but I really want to get back to doing fun things like the weekend getaways in Tuscany and beyond that my husband and I usually do every few weeks.<\/p>\n

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This is my sister-in-law literally escaping down a picturesque road in Tuscany, her first time out post-lockdown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first time we ate out in a restaurant after lockdown was at a wine resort in Maremma, and this got me to thinking about how well positioned our area is for outdoor, and particularly wine tourism or agrotourism, with plenty of space for guests to remain socially distanced. Be it just for a dinner or for a longer stay, here are some ideas for post-lockdown, outdoor travel for your Summer 2020 in Tuscany.<\/p>\n

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Outdoor dining in the Tuscan Countryside<\/h2>\n
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A dining table set up to enjoy the sunset at Conti di San Bonifacio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My first evening out was, as I mentioned, at a winery near Gavorrano in Maremma<\/strong>, not far from where we have a little home base. Conti di San Bonifacio<\/strong> is a wine resort with seven fabulously decorated rooms that I\u2019d love to stay in! A popular place for destination weddings, their outdoor dining setup is absolutely stunning. Most weekends, they offer set menus at promotional prices; tempted by a \u20ac15 euro BBQ (wine included!) we went with my mother in law and my husband\u2019s aunt\u2019s family. We were seated outdoors under a portico at two separate, large tables to ensure that our two \u201cnuclei\u201d did not mix. Staff was always gloved and masked. There were perhaps fifty people at dinner but the space there is so huge. Arrive early, get a cocktail and take in the fabulous sunset over their vines. Wine-wise, get the Merlot. For future special menus, I suggest following them on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Instagram, my friend Lisa\u2019s IG (@this.tuscan.life) tipped me off to Podere il Casale<\/strong>, a farm and cheesemaker in the Val d\u2019Orcia. I\u2019d actually heard about them a few years back when I stayed at Follonico, a boutique B&B nearby, but we didn\u2019t have time to visit then. At this farm, you can wander around and check out the animals for as long as you want, so we made a day trip out of it. Following Lisa\u2019s lead, I brought my niece and nephew and the highlight for them (and for me) was two peacocks who really do prance about gracefully and who frequently put up their plumage for us (I think we kinda irked the one\u2026). Food\u2019s fantastic, don\u2019t miss the cheese and meat platter. For their weekly menu schedule, see this post on Instagram<\/a>. From here it\u2019s a 20-minute drive to the famous Vitaleta Chapel<\/strong>, that symbol of Tuscany that is ideal for a photo op before the tour groups come back.<\/p>\n

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Podere il Casale has two rather friendly peacocks to delight diners<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the Valdarno area<\/strong>, a short drive from the Montevarchi exit of the A1 highway, the rambling garden of il Canto del Maggio<\/strong> has always been a dining paradise, with farm-fresh produce served to naturally distanced diners seated at mismatched wrought-iron tables and chairs. In terms of outdoor dining, this for us is a perennial favourite. The restaurant is part of a restored borgo that features six no-frills apartments; staying at one of these gives you access to the medicinal garden and picturesque swimming pool.<\/p>\n

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Plenty of space at Bolgheri Green<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another favourite place for lunch, aperitivo or dinner outdoors is located in the countryside just outside of the town of Bolgheri: Bolgheri Green<\/strong> is a project of farm producer Podere Arduino. Hipster comes naturally to vegan chef and triathlete Farbrizio Bartoli, who makes amazing things in his outdoor kitchen, using slightly exotic flavour combinations that are uncommon in Tuscany. Guests lounge on Moroccan style carpets or poufs, or sit at tables spaced generously on the lawn, each with a little covering from the sun. Make it a day-trip by visiting the nearby beach and booking a wine-tasting at one of the world-famous wineries on the same street at this casual shack.<\/p>\n

Closer to Florence<\/strong> is a restaurant I really love, Ristorante Al 588<\/strong><\/a>. Young chef Andrea Perini\u2019s experiments with olive oil, diverse flavours and boutique vegetables from his garden are always spot-on, while Giulia runs a tight ship that I know I can trust. Weeknight dinners and weekend lunches are served to tables set around the pool to increase space between guests.\u00a0 On Sundays, weather permitting, they host \u201cLunch and music in the hills,\u201d an event with special musical guests as well as market services (including manicures!); reserve your picnic lunch, grab a beanbag chair or blanket and pick your spot anywhere on the property for dining in complete privacy. Rooms are also available (see \u201cBorgo I Vicelli\u201d) as well as swimming pool day passes.<\/p>\n

Wineries to visit, eat or stay<\/h2>\n

Visiting a winery<\/strong> is an ideal option for non-crowded travel opportunities and it also helps support the local wine industry, which suffered greatly due to the lack of restaurant sales this spring. In most cases, winery tours don\u2019t have more than a dozen people on them, and often we\u2019ve found ourselves with just one other couple doing a tour and tasting. People who visit wineries on an individual basis also tend to be, in our experience, quite interesting to talk to \u2013 starting from the fact that you\u2019ll share at least one passion, that for wine!<\/p>\n

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Husband and MIL visiting a winery, masked<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Conversation struck up easily with one of the two other couples on our recent visit to Salcheto<\/strong>, an winery in the Montepulciano<\/strong> area that is truly organic from the ground up. I took advantage of a special offer on the first weekend they opened up after lockdown, when tours and wine were half price, coming home with 18 bottles! My mother in law came along with us and she has less experience visiting wineries so was asking me what to expect \u2013 if you\u2019re in that category, see my article \u201cWhy you should take a wine tour<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

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The almost utopic Salcheto winery features this outdoor wine bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Salcheto\u2019s well organized to conduct tours while respecting Covid distancing regulations. The tour begins outdoors on the large terrace that is their open-air tasting room as well as the roof of the cellar. In the cellar, on two levels, there are coloured dots on the floor indicating where to stand apart from each other and it is enough fun to stand on them that you don\u2019t even bother standing with your significant other! The cellar is modern and super technological, designed to operate off the grid using only sunlight that is cleverly channelled down metal tubes from above, naturally cool thanks to a wall of plants, and low-impact in everything down to water recycling. Time spent indoors is quite limited, and we\u2019re swiftly funneled out the lower level and into the vineyards before returning up to the terrace for a tasting. My favourite wine here is the Salco, made from their oldest vines and released late on to the market (the 2015 is now selling but the 2013 was also available so we took home lots of that). Suites decorated with furniture from previously-loved wood and wine-barrel hot-tubs are available, as well as light dining at the enoteca.<\/p>\n

The Maremma<\/strong> area is less well known for wine, but combining a visit to the Tuscan coast with a few sips of refreshing whites that taste of sea breeze may be a good idea. I\u2019ve listed a few Maremma wineries to visit<\/a> on the blog. If you\u2019re interested in the architecture of wineries, Petra<\/strong>, near Suverto, is totally characteristic of architect Mario Botta, while Rocca di Frasinello<\/strong>\u2019s cellar by Renzo Piano combines functionality with harmonic beauty. There\u2019s a project by the Region of Tuscany you could check out for inspiration: Toscana Wine Architecture<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The very private picnic tour with view of Brolio castle at Barone Ricasoli’s winery (this was in 2015, they may no longer offer this tour)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you prefer grand castles, Chianti Classico has tons of those. Head over to the property of Barone Ricasoli<\/strong>, where Bettino Ricasoli invented the original recipe for Chianti Classico in 1872, and where he found the solution to make vines resist invasions of phylloxera, an insect that had threatened to wipe out the entire European continent\u2019s wine production. They offer a wide range of wine tours that you can book online<\/a>, from the most accessible visit to the castle, with its fascinating museum, and simple wine-tasting to e-bike tours, sunset dining and more. Read about my tour of this winery here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A tasting of Malenchini wines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For something close to Florence, Villa Medicea di Lilliano<\/strong><\/a> is an historical villa, the 17th century country retreat of the Medici, in the hands of the Malenchini family for four generations. 70 hectares of vineyards and olive groves, yet with the city of Florence a mere 15-minute drive away and the top of the Duomo even visible from the balconies of the estate! Here you\u2019ll get a tour of the traditional historic cellars and taste wine in an ambience fit for, well, Medici rulers! On select July evenings, attend the estate’s “Cinema del Vino” events<\/strong> – get a glass of wine, a tagliere of snacks, and watch Italian classics from the comfort of your own picnic blanket (bring your own). Elegant modern yet classy apartments have been made from buildings near the villa, which can be rented short or longer term; to ensure a fully disinfected environment carried out with vaporizing technology, staff will accompany guests only to the door of the apartment so that it remains yours and perfectly safe.<\/p>\n

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The Roccafiore Wine Chalet is my dream home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A little further afield and not technically in Tuscany, one winery near Todi (Umbria) has the perfect place to \u201cdrink in the vines\u201d in an isolated setting. Roccafiore\u2019s Wine Chalet<\/strong> is a little, self-contained wooden house at the edge of a vineyard and the woods, where the sound of birds are the most noise you\u2019ll hear. Of course, the winery offers tastings (they\u2019re famous for their Grechetto), and has a full wine resort with an intimate spa, swimming pool and all the good stuff. I\u2019m seriously thinking a stay in that Wine Chalet is in order. It\u2019s really my dream home!<\/p>\n

Summer 2020 winery events<\/h2>\n

While initially it looked like tourism would be 100% cancelled in Summer 2020, the wind is quickly changing. Even if there are more Italian travelers than foreigners, many wineries are organizing events that appeal both to residents and visitors. I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for the coolest of them.<\/p>\n

In the Chianti hills, winery Torre a Cona<\/strong> has partnered with the famous, traditionally Tuscan Trattoria da Burde to hold a \u201cSecret Picnic\u201d on the grounds. Spend the day out from 11am to 4pm on the property and you\u2019ll get a winery visit, tasting, and picnic basket, and they\u2019ll transport you to your secret picnic location once you get there. Running every Sunday, this event can be booked online<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Dinner in Querceto di Castellina’s vineyard at the blue hour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the Chianti Classico,<\/strong> Querceto di Castellina<\/strong>\u2019s picture-perfect vineyard dinners<\/a> are something to look forward to each year. This year the owners were afraid they might not be able to hold them, but have just announced 2020 dates for June 27, July 18, August 15 and September 5 due to popular demand. Diners will be spaced at 1 meter, and 2 meters for those who are not of the same family nucleus. If you can\u2019t make it to the events, visit them anyway and request their \u201cwine and cheese bar\u201d with cheeses by Andrea Magi, who I\u2019ve had the pleasure of meeting at an event in Florence and was blown away by the fact that he makes literally hundreds of different types of cheeses; your hosts will explain the cheeses to you along with a tasting of their wines. Querceto also offers comfortable apartments in the Tuscan style, with modern touches.<\/p>\n

Of the winery events I\u2019ve seen announced this year, some of the most interesting are the intimate themed tastings by Swedish-owned winery Terreno<\/strong> in the Chianti Classico. Friday evenings in June (from July 12 to July 3) they\u2019re holding dinner events; two that fascinate me are Scandinavian wines (paired with Scando-Tuscan food) hosted by journalist Asa Johansson and owner Sofia Ruhne, and \u201cChianti Classico da vigne in quota\u201d, presenting six female winemakers, six vineyards above 500m, and six wines and landscapes from the famous area. (For info see their Instagram post<\/a>).<\/p>\n

What to expect if you\u2019re traveling in Italy post-Covid<\/h2>\n

During the long lockdown, businesses and travelers have had a chance to re-think the way travel will look in the future. Many have expressed the hope that we won\u2019t go back to things exactly as they were, particularly in areas that have suffered from overtourism like the Cinque Terre<\/a> or Florence itself (see my article on hypertourism in Florence in The Florentine<\/a> from a few years ago). Things are currently much less crowded than they used to be, and tourists are mostly Italians, with a few intrepid Europeans already making their way down by car. As the summer progresses, we might expect more of the latter, but probably there won\u2019t be any mass tourism (busses, cruise ships) nor travelers from non-EU countries. Italians are, at least until August, most likely to be weekend trippers, so if you\u2019re traveling mid-week in Summer 2020, it probably will be quite uncrowded.<\/p>\n

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Masks and social distancing as practised during a winery visit at Salcheto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Italy has put in strict rules about entering into closed spaces, as well as distancing outdoors, that you should be aware of. Here\u2019s what to expect (information current as of June 10, 2020, and subject to change):<\/p>\n