Il Cellese
Owner Sergio Sardelli’s grandfather planted the first vines at Il Cellese in the Sixties, and his aunt was one of the first women in the region to produce Chianti Classico. A 20-year restoration has transformed the ruins of this family-run private wine estate in Castellina into a drop-dead gorgeous villa that sleeps 19, a vision of Tuscan tradition given a cool, contemporary twist. An immersive way to experience one of Italy’s finest wine regions.
A wine-tasting session at the house, led by a seasoned cellar master
The indoor-outdoor pool and its accompanying spa, steam room and sauna
Party-perfect outdoor dining space, complete with pizza oven, that seats 30
A yoga platform in the olive, lavender and cypress-lined gardens
An outdoor cinema screen for family-friendly evening entertainment
The Villa
With interiors of terracotta tiles and exposed beams and bold abstract art on the stone walls, Il Cellese fuses quintessential Tuscan charm with state-of-the-art modernity. Headline acts include the indoor and outdoor pools, an open-air yoga studio and indoor wellness area with gym and sauna. The estate’s nearby winery offers a private restaurant space that invites oenophiles to sample wine produced by the villa’s own vineyard, where custom barrels are painted by artists Santiago Ydáñez and Miki Leal. (Take home your favorite bottles in the villa’s custom-made crocodile leather trunk.) In the beautifully landscaped gardens is a wood-fired pizza oven and barbecue for those who love to cook, with a terrace for under-the-stars suppers overlooking Chianti’s hills and Il Cellese’s rows of vines.
Minimum age is 10 years
Welcome briefing at 8am on Day 2
This journey includes long walks
Farewell Dinner at 7pm on Day 8