Description

Villa S. Andrea is situated on the top of a hill near Montefiridolfi, part of the municipality of San Casciano in Val di Pesa. San Casciano belongs to the Chianti Classico area, in the heart of Tuscany, 16 km from Florence and 40 km from Siena. The farm offers the possibility to pass a marvellous holiday in the apartments of the 3 farmhouses or in the rooms of the Villa that are part of the property.

HISTORY

The center of the farm is the antique hamlet Fabbrica, composed of the Villa, a little church, wine cellar, oil mill and some other rural buildings. The name Fabbrica originates from the Latin word Faber meaning smith. It has actually been proven that the ancient Romans manufactured in this place some of their weapons. The current Villa was rebuilt on the ruins of a 11th century medieval castle which once belonged to the Buondelmontis, an aristocratic family from Florence.
Villa S. Andrea faces the Pesa Valley and is situated on the same side of an ancient, magnificent Abbey known as Badia a Passignano.

The castle built by the Buondelmontis dominated and controlled some of the most popular ways of the region. In the subsequent divisions of the family the castle passed in the hands of the Scolari family (16th century). It was again inherited by the Buondelmontis some years later and it remained part of their many properties until the extinction of the family, at the beginning of the 19th century. In the years after, the estate belonged to various important Tuscan families such as the Rinuccini, the Corsini and the Piatti dal Pozzo. In 1946 the property was inherited by the Vicini family, the current owner of the estate.

The Castle was surrounded by defensive walls. Inside the walls there was the elegant house of the owners, some other rural buildings used for storage and the church. 
The hamlet expanded in the course of the years, as the stones were falling down from the walls and therefore supplied the farmers with new building material. Only the defensive tower, the so called torrino (engl. small tower) and the remains of an old stone door, still visible at one side of the main entrance, are left of the old castle and walls. The Church is dedicated to Saint Andrew , which gives the name to the estate. 

THE FARM

In the middle of the beautiful hilly landscape studded with villas and castles, the Farm Villa S. Andrea extends over approximately 600 ha. 
50 hectares of the most sunny hills are used for viniculture. 41 ha are used for the production of the Chianti Classico DOCG wine. Another 80 ha are planted with olive trees that are destinated for the production of the extra-virgin olive oil. In the underneath valley are cultivated cereals, which are irrigated by the two artificial lakes that belong to the estate.
Villa S. Andrea offers holiday in a typical Tuscan farmhouse with swimming pool and rooms in the Villa, located in the small hamlet Fabbrica.

Upon request we organize also wine-tasting and
guided visits to become acquainted with the production techniques used for the making of wine, olive oil or vinsanto (typical Tuscan dessert wine). 

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