The Fattoria Nittardi, a wine-estate with a centurys old tradition, lies in the heart of Tuscany between Florence and Siena. Nittardi was once a fortified tower that was first mentioned in the 12th century as "Nectar Dei". In the 16th century this spacious estate was the property of Michelangelo Buonarroti. There he planted his own vineyard and offered the Pope wine as "genuine gift". Today Nittardi is an estate of 12 hectares vineyard, several hectares olive groves und 100 hectares woods, idyllicly set in the middle of a game protected area, eight kilometres from the nearest village Castellina in Chianti. In the centre of Chianti Classico region, the Nittardi grapevine grows in an ideal situation: 450 metres high on the southern flank of a chain of hills, protected from raw winds by the surrounding oak woods. 

Considering the long history of Nittardi in the world of wines and art, we are obliged to keep up the tradition. Each year since the beginning of the 80s Nittardi has commissioned a renowned artist to design a label and appropiate wrapping paper for a limited number of bottles. This collection contains work by international artists including, among others, Rudolf Hausner, Alfred Hrdlicka, Valerio Adami, Corneille, Paul Wunderlich, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Horst Janssen, Igor Mitoraj and Elvira Bach, and has already been on display in many museums. 

In the art of wine production Nittardi combines deep rooted regional basic principles with modern quality expectations. The historical dimension is manifest not only in the preservation of proved values, but also in the continued development and improvement. 

Nittardi is a wine estate and also a country house full of tradition and a very personal ambient. The style of both houses belonging to the estate is typical of the strict and beautiful Tuscan architecture of the 16th and 17th centuries; the antique furniture and exquisite carpets and paintings harmonising with it. Nittardi is open all the year around for a few guests, who are literally in touch with the green hills and its inhabitants, who wish to experience the secret of the Italian philosophy of life: the Viverbene. Belonging as well is the delicious cooking of Tuscany, the cultivated drinking, the discovering of hamlets from the middle ages - but also immersion in the fascinating mixture of art, culture and the natural environment of this region. Here in an idyllic romantic old estate set in a dream spot between Florence and Siena, off the tourist path, visitors can enjoy and experience deep-rooted traditions with all the senses. Seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting - it is the simple things that make a holiday in Tuscany very Italian. 

Further to Stefania Canali