Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci

The cypress avenue

I cipressi che a Bólgheri alti e schietti
van da San Guido in duplice filar…
("The cypresses that, tall and straight, run from San Guido to Bolgheri in a double row")

The avenue starts at the Oratory of San Guido, a small octagonal chapel on the old Via Aurelia, and climbs straight up to the walls of Bolgheri: almost five kilometres between two rows of cypresses, more than two thousand trees. It is the road Carducci travelled as a boy, when his family lived in Bolgheri, and which he made famous with the poem Davanti San Guido.

The avenue is an open road with no pavements: do not stop on the carriageway to take photos. The best way to enjoy it is to drive it slowly on the way in and, if you have time, walk or cycle a stretch starting from the village. The light is at its best in the late afternoon, when the sun sinks towards the sea behind San Guido.

The village of Bolgheri

The way into the village leads under the arch of Bolgheri Castle, with the crenellated red-brick tower of the della Gherardesca family, who have owned these lands for centuries. Beyond the gate you explore the village on foot: a few narrow streets of stone houses, flower pots, wine bars, shops selling local produce and tables outside.

You can walk round it in under an hour, but it is worth lingering: for a glass in a wine bar, lunch in an osteria or simply to sit in the little square. In the square, opposite the house where the Carducci family lived, stands a terracotta statue of Nonna Lucia sitting on a bench: the poet's grandmother, remembered in Davanti San Guido, who is buried in the village's small cemetery that bears her name.

Castagneto Carducci

Until 1907 it was called Castagneto Marittimo: after the poet's death the town took his name. It is a medieval village built in a ring around the della Gherardesca castle at the top of the hill, with steep lanes, flights of steps and terraces looking out over the coast. On clear days you can see Elba and Capraia.

In the centre you can visit the Museo Archivio Giosuè Carducci, devoted to the poet and his years in this area: admission is free and opening hours change with the seasons.

Compared with Bolgheri it is less touristy and more lived-in: a good stop for a coffee in the square or lunch with a view before heading down to the sea.

The wineries and wines of Bolgheri

Between the hills and the sea lies one of the best-known wine areas in the world. This is where Sassicaia was born, the first of the wines the world later called "Super Tuscans"; since 1983 the area has had its own appellation, Bolgheri DOC, created for white and rosé wines and extended to reds in 1994: today the best known are the reds based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, alongside Vermentino.

Many wineries, from historic estates to family businesses, open their doors for tours and tastings. You almost always need to book a few days ahead, directly on the winery's website, and visits are paid. If you would rather not plan, the village of Bolgheri has wine bars where you can taste wines from several producers by the glass.

The area is part of the Costa degli Etruschi Wine and Oil Route, which links wineries, olive mills and farm stays along the coast. If you are driving, decide beforehand who is at the wheel: tastings usually include several wines.

The sea at Marina di Castagneto

Below the hills, the Castagneto coast is a long sandy beach backed by pine woods: Marina di Castagneto Donoratico has beach clubs, free beaches and a seafront promenade, while further south, between Donoratico and San Vincenzo, the pine woods come almost down to the water.

If you make the trip in summer, you can combine a morning on the beach with an afternoon of villages and wineries; but with Golfo del Sole's private beach right on your doorstep, the sea at Castagneto is above all a change of scenery.

How to get there from Golfo del Sole

From Golfo del Sole: about 50 km · 45 minutes by car

Bolgheri and Castagneto are about 45 minutes away by car:

• from the resort take the SS1 Aurelia northbound, towards Livorno;
• leave at the Donoratico exit;
• for Castagneto Carducci, follow the signs up the hill, a few kilometres;
• for Bolgheri and the cypress avenue, take the old Via Aurelia (Vecchia Aurelia) north to the Oratory of San Guido, then turn right into the avenue.

Where to park

Bolgheri has a small paid car park on the right just before the village, a short walk from the castle gate: from there you explore the centre on foot. In Castagneto Carducci too, it is best to leave the car in the car parks on the edge of the old town and walk up. On spring and summer weekends spaces fill up quickly: arrive by mid-morning or in the late afternoon.

Bolgheri in half a day: an itinerary

Leave the resort in the early afternoon. Drive up to Castagneto Carducci first for a walk through the village and the view over the coast; then head down to the old Via Aurelia and drive the cypress avenue from San Guido to Bolgheri in the late-afternoon light. End with a glass in a wine bar and dinner in one of the village osterias, and you are back at Golfo del Sole in three quarters of an hour.

With a full day, add a winery visit in the morning (booked in advance) or a few hours on the beach at Marina di Castagneto.

When to go

The best months are spring and autumn: the weather is mild, the vineyards are green or coloured by the harvest, and the villages are quieter. In September the grapes are picked and many wineries hold events. In summer Bolgheri is very busy, especially in the evening: book dinner ahead.

The cypress avenue is beautiful in every season, even in winter, when clear days reveal the outline of the hills and of Elba.

What to see near Bolgheri

Bolgheri is the northernmost day trip from Golfo del Sole, and on the way back you pass other places in the Val di Cornia and on the Etruscan Coast:

• Suvereto, one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, with its fortress and wine bars;
• Campiglia Marittima, the hilltop village and the San Silvestro Archaeological Mining Park;
• Baratti Bay and Populonia, with the beach and the Etruscan necropolis;
• Piombino, with its old town on the sea and the ferries to Elba.

You will find all the destinations in the section on the surroundings of Follonica.

Frequently asked questions