USEFUL INFORMATION FOR THE AREA AROUND STOMENNANO - MONTERIGGIONI

Supermarket

The closest mini-market is the Coop in Castellina Scalo (7 min by car from Stomennano) . Open Mon-Sat 8:30-1 pm and 4-7:30 pm. Closed Sundays.

The best full-stocked supermarket is Conad in Colle Val d'Elsa (15 min by car from Stomennano). Open Mon-Sat 7:30am-8:30 pm and Sundays 8am-8pm. They also have a really nice beer, wine & spirit selection.

Pharmacy

No CVS or Rite-Aids in Italy.... pharmacies basically sell only medicine and things related to personal hygiene. The closest pharmacy (7 min by car from Stomennano) is open Mon-Sat 8:30-1pm & 3:30-8pm

Sporting goods

if you forgot your swimsuit, yoga pants or sunglasses, there is a Decathlon nearby (10 min by car) for all your sporting-goods needs. Open daily 9 am to 8 pm.

Nearby Restaurants

There is a nearby (4 min by car) road-side place called Bar dell'Orso that is a local institution (more of a local dive than a restaurant) known for it's high quality prosciutto, salame, porchetta, pecorino cheeses, artichokes and a lot more. They also make great lasagna and stewed meats, as well as pasta. You can sit at an informal table for a meal alongside local bikers or businessmen, or pick-up a sandwich to go. Open daily 5 am to midnight.

In the hamlet of Monteriggioni there is Ristorante Le Torri (perhaps the most refined, but still traditional and local), and Osteria Antico Travaglio (rustic and simple but lovely), Ristorante Il Feudo (rustic, hearty home-style food), Ristorante Il Pozzo (good food, maybe not the best in town) and Ristorante da Remo (traditional Tuscan trattoria).

More restaurant recommendations

Foresteria Villa Cerna – on the road to Castellina in Chianti, this place has lovely food, incredible vineyard views, and very good service. 10 min from Stomennano

*also excellent for pre-booked group meals

Ristorante Il Frantoio – in Colle Val d'Elsa Alta (“alta” means high, so the high and old part of town) – excellent food with only local ingredients and carefully selected wine list in the basement of a Renaissance palace. 15 min from Stomennano

Ristorante Arnolfo – for that 2-star Michelin experience this is the place. Just outside of Colle Val d'Elsa. 15 min from Stomennano.

Il Fondaccio – great pizzeria in Castellina in Chianti. 20 min from Stomennano

Grotta Santa Caterina da Bagoga – in the pedestrian-only part of Siena, a bastion of traditional Sienese cuisine. 20 min drive + 7 min walk from Stomennano.

Taverna di Cecco – a simple trattoria in Siena that does Tuscan food justice. 20 min drive + 5 min walk from Stomennano.

Dario Cecchini – the “mad-butcher” now famous world-wide has a few small restaurant spaces in the village of Panzano in Chianti. Not that much fun for vegetarians. Each place has set menus. 40 min drive from Stomennano.

Boccondivino – in Montalcino, an all-female run restaurant that is creative as it is delicious. Incredible wine list, especially Brunellos. Closed Tuesdays. 1 hr from Stomennano.

Winery visits

We highly suggest booking in advance. These are what we consider some of the best wineries in the area, and also those who accept visits from the general public, pending availability. It may help to say when inquiring that you've been recommended by Annie Adair and Francesco Gronchi of Tuscan Tour. (Annie is the wedding planner and her husband Francesco is a wine critic and writer for Slow Wine, number 1 in sales for wine reviews in Italy, also focusing primarily on natural or organic wines and small to medium-scale producers.)

CHIANTI

Il Palagio di Panzano (traditional family – mostly female – run winery with excellent wines, near Panzano; ask for Monia). 40 min drive from Stomennano

Montebernardi (biodynamic – excellent wines). 30 min drive from Stomennano.

Monterinaldi (historic winery near Panzano that also produces superlative Vin Santo; ask for Fabrizio) 35 min drive from Stomennano.

La Massa (anti-Chianti producer of Super Tuscans in the Chianti heartland; ask for Francesco)

Fonterutoli – one of the most historic wineries of Chianti, with a state-of-the-art cellar and a production of very good wines. They've organized really lovely visits, or “experiences” as they call them. 45 min drive from Stomennano.

Dievole – one of the Tuscan wineries that has historically been the best at marketing, and at the same time haven't lost their focus on quality wine production. Because of the way they've structured the visit, and the history of the place, this might be one of the most enjoyable winery visits in the area, especially for those who are not hyper-specialized in Tuscan wines. 30 min drive from Stomennano.

MONTALCINO

Castello Tricerchi (exceptional price/quality ratio for Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino in one of the most historic castles of Tuscany- with the tour usually done by a extremely discreet member of the noble family that owns it; ask for Tommaso or Paolo). 55 min drive rom Stomennano

Solaria – Patrizia Cencioni – a 3-generation, all-female run winery in Montalcino that produces some of the most elegant and interesting Brunellos (and amazing olive oil, of course); ask for Arianna. 1 hr drive from Stomennano

Taxis

There are no taxis in the Monteriggioni area. The closest town with taxis is Siena, which is about 20 min away. Siena taxis are not always willing to come to Monteriggioni, and if they do, they will charge you also for the drive from Siena to Monteriggioni, which is about €25-€30. So it wouldn’t make sense to call a Siena taxi to take you just a few miles in the Monteriggioni area. If you do need a taxi it is a good idea to book in advance through Siena Taxi. The difficulty in finding taxis is why it is highly advisable to have a rental car.

Getting Fuel

Most gas stations have attendants from 8 am to 12:30 pm and then from 3:30 to 7:30 pm, Monday to Saturday. Usually when the attendant is there you simply fuel up your car and then pay the attendant by cash or card.

Most stations also have a self-service option, but there will be one machine per row of pumps (you don’t pay at the pump). You insert your money and then select the right pump number. These machines rarely accept American-issued debit or credit cards and so you must pay in cash. Be careful to not put too much money in as they do not give change! You also only have a few minutes to start fueling after payment so make sure you’ve got everything ready and know how to open the tank before. Should you have a problem and not get the fuel, or pay for more than what fits in your tank, the payment machine will issue a paper receipt that you can take back to the station during opening hours for a refund.

Weekly Markets

Here is a list of the weekly markets in the area, which are usually running in the morning until 1 pm (but sometimes all day):

Tuesdays: Poggibonsi

Wednesdays: Siena

Thursdays: San Gimignano & Castellina Scalo

Fridays: Colle Val d’Elsa

Saturdays: Castellina in Chianti, Greve in Chianti & Volterra

Sundays: Panzano in Chianti

Photos