Fonte de Medici (Chianti - Val di Pesa)
Central Tuscany, Chianti, and Siena, Italy
The village of Fonte de Medici dates back to 1400 and is located in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. Around the village lie the vineyards belonging to the Antinori family vineyards, which produce two of their best-known wines: Tignanello and Solaia. It takes its name from a fresh water spring, which served as a resting place for pilgrims on their way from Florence to Rome. The nearby Badia a Passignano was, at the time, a powerful Vallombrosian monastery and bears witness to the historic importance of this area. The proximity of both Florence and Siena, the beauty of the "Chianti" countryside, the wealth of its food and wine, together with the attention to its furnishings and attentive hospitality, makes Fonte de Medici a unique place! Fonte de Medici consists of two Tuscan hamlets, Santa Maria a Macerate and Podere Tignanello.
Santa Maria a Macerata is a typical "Chianti" hamlet where the reception and communal facilities such as the swimming pool, the "Trattoria della Fonte", the conference room, the wellness center, the tennis court and a number of apartments, are located. The heart of Fonte de' Medici is set in a wonderfully ancient Tuscan hamlet, with stone houses, colored renderings, and a small square with a country chapel. The reception, the "Trattoria della Fonte", the tennis court, the small wellness center, a conference room and the swimming pool for the apartments, are all surrounded by countryside, with views of the Tignanello vineyard and, in the distance, the Valle della Pesa.
Apartments 2 pax: large bedrooms, with or without kitchenette and fireplace, private bathroom with bath or shower, air conditioning, telephone and satellite TV.
Suites 2+1 pax: kitchen/lounge with optional sofa-bed, double bedroom, bathroom with bath or shower, air conditioning, telephone and satellite TV.
Superior Suites 4 pax: kitchen/lounge, two double bedrooms, two bathrooms with bath or shower, air conditioning, telephone and satellite TV.
House 6 pax: lounge with fireplace, kitchen with eating area, three double bedrooms, two bathrooms with bath or shower, air conditioning, satellite TV, large loggia and private garden
Podere Tignanello - Taking the picturesque country road that passes through the vineyards, one arrives at Podere Tignanello, on the hill that faces Santa Maria. Here, you will find more apartments and a second swimming pool, in a peaceful setting surrounded by countryside. Podere Tignanello is located at the highest point of the vineyards from where the famous wine is made. The hamlet is a place of local historic importance, entirely built in stone and surrounded by countryside, offering breath-taking views of the rolling Chianti hills. Each apartment has an independent entrance and outside area (veranda or garden), terracotta floors, wooden beams, very comfortable bathrooms and well-equipped kitchens. A number also have a spacious, external "loggia", with barbeque and large fireplace.The layout and furnishings of the apartments are true to the Tuscan character and particular style of a historic farm.
- Apartment 2 pax: kitchen/lounge with eating area, double bedroom, bathroom with bath or shower, telephone, satellite TV and private garden.
- Apartment 3/4 pax: large lounge, kitchen with eating area, two bedrooms, two bathrooms with bath or shower, satellite TV, telephone, private garden/veranda.
- Apartment 5/6 pax: large lounge, kitchen with eating area, three bedrooms, two bathrooms with bath or shower, satellite TV and telephone.
- All apartments at Podere Tignalleo are equipped with floor-mounted fans.
Trattoria
A wide choice of dishes is available in the friendly, informal atmosphere of the trattoria. The recipes are simple, but exude the aromas and flavors that are typical of traditional Tuscan cooking. The menus include Canapés and Tuscan cold meats, first courses with fresh pasta, grilled Chianina beef, Chianti stew, a selection of local sheep's milk cheeses, together with a wide choice of Marchesi Antinori wines. The trattoria offers both fixed price and à la carte menus. The setting and the friendly welcome offered to guests make the Trattoria della Fonte an ideal place not only for special, sophisticated dinners, but also for cold meat snacks, or wine tastings accompanied by the best local produce.
Activities
Fonte de Medici is an ideal place to relax, enjoy the local culture, food and wine and sport. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Internet access points
- Mountain bike trekking
- Tennis / mini-football (synthetic pitch)
- Turkish bath and sauna
- Fitness in a small gym
- Massage (on request)
- Swimming pool
- Guided visits to the new Antinori monumental wine cellar for 25 Euros/person - only 5 km from Fonte de Medici
- Wine tastings
- Tours of the Chianti, Florence, Siena and San Gimignano, or other destinations with minibus and guide/driver. (on request and when available)
Cooking school
The new Fonte dè Medici Cooking School was inaugurated in 2013, the result of a professional partnership between the Agriturismo (farmhouse) Fonte dè Medici, the Michelin starred restaurant Osteria di Passignano and Kitchenaid, legendary brand for those passionate about cooking.
The school is as young as its chefs; talented, professional chef-instructors who conduct classes with expertise and great enthusiasm, and as solid as its roots that go back to 2000, the time at which Osteria di Passignano and the farmhouse Fonte dè Medici opened.
The idea of creating a cooking school came naturally and is aimed at gathering around the hearth food enthusiasts, whether novices or gourmets, and other food lovers curious about Tuscan culinary traditions in a unique full immersion experience.
The school offers basic courses focused on revealing secrets of the Tuscan culinary arts; traditional dishes under the guidance of Fonte dè Medici’s chef, and sophisticated preparations with the talented chef from Osteria di Passignano.
The exceptional location of the farmhouse Fonte dè Medici, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region overlooking two of Tuscany’s most famous vineyards Tignanello and Solaia, lends itself to the total culinary experience; the school’s chefs share amusing stories and legends about local products and producers while participants learn to recognize and savour flavors and aromas typical of the area.
Lessons are followed by a lunch or dinner, depending on the course’s schedule, in the adjacent Trattoria della Fonte or at nearby Osteria di Passignano where it is possible to visit the vast thousand-year old cellars that run beneath the Badia a Passignano, an ancient abbey dating back to 395 still owned by monks of the Vallombrosan Order, where Chianti Classico Riserva D.O.C.G. is aged.
Classes can be scheduled everyday except for Sundays between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Reservations are required. Each class must have a minimum of 4 participants.
Call or e-mail for rates and availability
Hotel will be Closed for the Winter, October 31, 2022 - April 1, 2023
Rates at the Borgo Santa Maria include VAT, service, buffet breakfast and a complimentary gift
Apartments are rented by the week and include VAT, heat, water, electricity, weekly linen change, and a complimentary gift