Discover Chianti

Fabbrica

The Castle of Fabbrica dominated the Pesa valley: from this fortress the Buondelmonti ruled unbridled over the region. From the 11th century it too fell under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Florence, who became patron of the Church of Sant’Andrea, situated within the fortress walls. It was partly dismantled by the Ghibellines after the battle of Montaperti, while the castle was gradually transformed into a villa, built around the garrison tower and the two fortified towers.
Of the old castle only the turret and traces of a fortified gate are left. The Church of Sant’Andrea has a graceful facade crowned by a broken curved pediment with two pyramid shaped pinnacles, datable to the late 18th or early 19th century. The oratory stands next to the church, possibly on the site of an earlier Romanesque church. The Buondelmonti coat-of-arms is incorporated into the masonry of the facade, with an inscription commemorating Manente dei Buondelmonti and bearing the date 1642.

Villa Sant’Andrea The Villa Sant’Andrea estate covers more than 600 hectares within the Chianti Classico area. At the heart of the estate is the old village of Fabbrica, with the villa, the Church of Sant’Andrea, the olive press, and the cellars for aging wine. Around the farm, at an altitude of approximately 250 m, the vineyards are set on the slopes which best capture the sunlight. The estate also farms 80 hectares of olive groves. The valleys and plains are cultivated with cereal crops and irrigated using water from the two large lakes inside the property. The farm produces fine quality wines, extra-virgin olive oil, grappa and vinsanto.
Villa Sant’Andrea is part of the nature and hunting reserve “Fabbrica-Santa Cristina”. For those who love walking and cycling, the surrounding countryside offers many itineraries in a spectacular and pristine landscape. Today the villa is owned by the Vicini family and takes its name from the adjacent Church of Sant’Andrea. The estate welcomes guests in both Bed & Breakfast rooms in the hamlet and in the Agriturismo apartments, in one of three farmhouses in the countryside which have been recently restored in keeping with Tuscan style.
The villa address is Via di Fabbrica, 63 – Montefiridolfi San Casciano Val di Pesa Phone +39 055 8244254 e-mail: info@villas-andrea.it – www.villas-andrea.it.

Santa Maria a Macerata

To reach Villa Antinori take a left turn at the bottom of via di Campoli. In the 14th century the property belonged to the Buondelmonti, then passed on to the Niccolini Sirigatti, a local family. From the late 13th century, the Sirigatti began buying land around the Church of Santa Maria and around the nearby Villa di Paterno, built on the site of a castle in 1015. In the 17th century part of the estate was held by the Medici and the nearby font with fresh spring water still bears the name Fonte de’Medici. Further along the road is the Church of Santa Maria a Macerata, mentioned in a document dated 981. The church underwent a complete renovation in 1828, while the portico and the circular window on the facade were added after the Second World War. From here the road, mostly unpaved, continues on to Badia a Passignano. ln the opposite direction it leads to Montefiridolfi.

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