Peccioli & Ghizzano: tradition and contemporary art with wine tasting

A guided visit to Peccioli and light lunch
Explore a beautiful area that surprisingly offers a perfect mixture of both modernity and tradition, like contemporary art works next to thousand-year-old churches. We will start our guided tour discovering Peccioli, a charming hilltop village developed from a castle, whose traces are still hidden in the architecture of the town today.
While walking in town, we will see a fascinating mixture of ancient and contemporary art in Peccioli too: the town became famous in the last few decades for important works of contemporary art that are now part of the local urban style.
You will enjoy both an 11th Century church and the new Palazzo Senza Tempo, an ancient building of the 14th Century beautifully restored in 2021 and added of an amazing minimalist style suspended deck that overlooks the typical Tuscan countryside, with a view that seems to come out of a postcard. Many international contemporary artists, such as Hidetoshi Nagasawa, Daniel Buren and Jeppe Hein, worked in town, leaving here their amazing work of arts.

After visiting all attractions in town for about 2 hours, we will enjoy a light lunch based on Tuscan specialities at a local restaurant, with 1 glass of wine included.

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A small hamlet that turned very popular
The tour continues in the afternoon as we move to Ghizzano, a little hamlet 15 minues away from Peccioli, where just 300 persons live, perched on the top of the hill, and surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. Close to a little oratory that preserves a couple of wooden statues from the 14th Century, we will find the first contemporary art work, an interesting sculpture of the artist Alicja Kwade, whose works are visible also in the town center. During our stroll in the little lanes of the village, we will admire several contemporary works of art that relate to some ancient buildings in the village and we will walk in the most famous work of art in town: Via di Mezzo, a street completely decorated by the famous British artist David Tremlett.

Visit to a winery and wine tasting
The village develops all around the villa of the Counts Venerosi Pesciolini, who settled in Ghizzano in the 14th century and live in the village still today. They family has an extended farming estate around the village and produces great organic wines, which we will taste after visiting their impressive historical cellar and after walking in a beautiful Italian garden right in front of their villa, restored at the beginning of the 20th century.. Their well known wines range from typical Tuscan ones, based on the Sangiovese indigenous grapes, to an amazing Supertuscan based on merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot. The tour will end in their fascinating tasting room, where 4 of their wines will be served with little snacks.

This tour is perfect to discover the real life in our villages and to see how local people cope with the challenges of modernity, with a full view on their history, from the ancient Etruscans to today’s world.

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This is a list of specialties that you are likely to sample as part of the program of this tour. Please, note that the specialties of the tasting session and/or lunch may vary according to the season and the availability of the products in the day of the tour.

Bruschettas

Bruschettas

A plate of mixed bruschettas, topped with fresh tomatoes, cheese and sausage or simply extra virgin olive oil. Bruschettas are very common appetizers in all Italy and in Tuscany they are commonly called crostini.

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Caffè espresso

Caffè espresso

The most common coffee ordered at Italian bars is espresso. Its quantity is very small and it is supposed to be nicely creamy on the top. Many Italians sip it quickly while standing at a bar, so not sitting or longly debating around it.

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Tuscan salamis and prosciutto

Tuscan salamis and prosciutto

A plate of mixed Tuscan cold meats: rigatino (a kind of bacon), Tuscan salami (a regular salami with large fat bits), finocchiona (a salami with fennel seeds) and arista (a pork loin long baked and seasoned with rosemary and other herbs).

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Tuscan red wine

Tuscan red wine

The Tuscan soil provides a wide variety of red wines, from easy-to-drink young table wines to full-body and robust riservas. Tuscan red wines are often based on Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo or Colorino grapes and sometimes on international grapes like Merlot, Cabernet or Syrah.

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In our tour we like showing you places off the beaten track and introducing you to Tuscan people with their personal stories, careers and characters.
You will have one of our guides with your party during the whole tour. Please, see below all the guides who can be with you.
During this experience you can also meet some of the Tuscan friends involved in the events. Please, see below which friends you are likely to encounter.

Moira

guide

Moira

Pisa city tour guide & and tour leader at Arianna & Friends'

Ciao a tutti! My name is Moira and I'm the "foreigner" here at Arianna & Friends! In fact I come from the north west of Italy, from the town of Turin, and I moved to Tuscany in 2012, falling immediately in love with the culture, the arts and foods and of course - my favourite! - wines of this beautiful region. I started working at Arianna & Friends' back in 2013 as an assistant at the Tourist Information Office of a small hilltop village, where our office was initially located; then I got my licence as tour guide and I am today the city tour guide in the team for the main towns of Pisa, Volterra, San Miniato, but also for all our less famous tiny villages, which hide lots of secrets and such a loooong history! Last year, together with my colleague Luca, we got a licence as official truffle hunters, but I'm still mainly a truffle eater! When I'm not walking around in our amazing places talking about arts, culture and history, or discovering together with our guests the local specialties, you find me in the office, taking care of bookings and reservations. I really hope to meet you soon to show you around our beautiful land, and as I come from another region, I can also reveal some of the secrets that Tuscan people will never confess!!

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Ginevra

friend

Ginevra

Ginevra is a renowned winemaker, owner and manager of the wine estate Tenuta di Ghizzano, one of the most famous wineries in Terre di Pisa. She elevated the wine production of the Pisan hills to very high standards leading the growth of the whole district. She welcomes visitors in her marvellous estate in Ghizzano, where she opens the door of her majestic villa in exclusive and interesting wine tasting tours.

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Luciana

friend

Luciana

Luciana is a friendly guide of the wine estate Tenuta di Ghizzano. She shows guests the beautiful premises of the noble villa and the park before leading into the wine cellar for great wine sampling sessions. Luciana is also an old friend of Massimo, as they went to school together in the village of Peccioli.

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