A tradition of women,
men and land
San Donato is a medieval hamlet near San Gimignano along the Via Francigena, on the way to Volterra. It is the ideal spot to breathe, eat and drink the history and traditions of the most authentic Toscana.
FATTORIA SAN DONATO
San Donato before the hamlet
San Donato has been an important Etruscan centre. The village located near the woods was an important and bustling centre for ceramists, as the numerous remains at the San Gimignano Museum testify. In 2001 while working on one our vineyard - now The Etruscan Grapevine- we discovered a V century BC Etruscan tomb with various remains amongst which a Kylix, a wine drinking cup and a crater used to mix wine with water and honey. The wine tradition at San Donato is centuries long, a story that takes roots in the Etruscan populations, later in the roman all the way to us.
FATTORIA SAN DONATO
From the Middle Ages to today
The village, first mentioned in 971 AD document as a villa, flourished in the High Middle Ages under the name San Donato extra muros, highlighting its position in the countryside, right outside the city walls. In 1833 San Donato counted 151 inhabitants. In the 1970s, when the sharecropping method ended, the countryside depopulated with the Fenzi Family as only inhabitants. Miolanne, the Fenzi Grandmother, decided to turn the farmer’s houses into holiday houses, saving the houses from ruin and giving new energy and life to the villa. When in San Donato, you can still enjoy part of the medieval architecture: the fortified villa that now functions as Fenzi Family’s home, the guarding tower - today used for tastings and breakfast- and the San Donato Church dated around the XI and XII century. What used to be farmers’ houses in San Donato are now used as guesthouses for the Agriturismo and as cellars.
FATTORIA SAN DONATO
The ruins of Castelvecchio
In the nearby area, walking through the woods, one can find the ruins of the medieval town of Castelvecchio, with the castle and the remains of the Saints Frediano and Giovanni’s church. The wood surrounding the castle hosts an incredibly various flora and fauna and is the reproductive home of the Short-toed snake eagle, who you could be lucky enough to spot. So remember while you are walking, to look up and down.
A strategic position for a holiday
a visit, a relaxing stop or a getaway under the beauty of the Tuscan sun.
Fattoria San Donato is the perfect starting point to visit the beautiful artistic cities and most suggestive places in Tuscany 4 km from San Gimignano, 15 Km from Volterra, 35 from Siena,55 from Firenze, 60 from Pisa, 70 from Arezzo and 80 Km from Lucca).
ADDRESS
Loc. San Donato, 6
San Gimignano (Siena) Italy