Just over 20 kilometers from Florence there is a resort with widespread hospitality where you can experience the perfect autumn weekend in the Tuscan hills, without ever having to move once you arrive
There Artimino estate, covering 732 hectares, includes a charming hotel within the ancient Paggeria Medicea, about sixty apartments scattered around the charming medieval village of Artimino, the Biagio Pignatta Cucina e Vino gourmet restaurant and a modern and relaxing spa.
But the real draw of this lovely place is Villa La Ferdinanda, a prestigious Medici hunting lodge, built at the end of the 16th century, which since 2013 has obtained the recognition of UNESCO heritage.
The history of "stolen" wine
The Tenuta di Artimino is also one wine destination where the guest has the opportunity to get in touch with viticulture and enjoy unique tasting experiences.
The estate, over 80 hectares, is located in the Carmignano Docg area, an ancient denomination already celebrated by the Medici and the first excellence produced on the estate together with Chianti Montalbano Docg. Over the years, other grapes have also begun to be grown such as Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Malvasia.
Among the wines produced, the one with the history most linked to local traditions is Vin Ruspo, a Barco Reale di Carmignano Rosato Doc, so called because it was originally the wine that the farmers "free-hoisted", or "stole" as it filtered from the crates of freshly picked grapes, thus becoming the first wine of the harvest. Today, of course, the process is adapted to modern winemaking, but keeps the traditional idea of a fresh and fruity rosé wine intact.
The wine experience on the estate is truly all-encompassing, as treatments based on grape polyphenols are also carried out inside the spa.
When ribollita is not a soup
The Biagio Pignatta gourmet restaurant, led by executive chef Michela Bottasso, provides a menu linked to contemporary reinterpretations of the classics of the Tuscan tradition: from duck to Caterina de 'Medici to Ribollita alla Carmignanese which, unlike the classic Tuscan one, is not a soup, but is sautéed in a pan and forms a tasty crust.
In the kitchen, the philosophy is that of sustainability, which is why the dishes on offer are made with seasonal vegetables and fruit, grown in the estate's vegetable garden, to always offer seasonal cuisine at zero kilometer.
Autumn is therefore the ideal opportunity to discover or rediscover home-grown wines and other products such as oil, truffles and honey, thanks to a calendar full of special tastings.
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