Spedaletto: Garden Art, Wine and Trails in Tuscany

Spedaletto is a destination for travelers who want to discover Tuscany through garden art, viticulture and trails through the landscape. Villa Poggio Torselli brings together several distinct aspects: a historic driveway, a carefully designed Italian garden, an extensive citrus collection and a vineyard with a clear focus on grape varieties. This creates a place where culture, landscape and regional production can be viewed side by side in tangible form.

Villa Poggio Torselli and the Giardino all’Italiana

Villa Poggio Torselli in Spedaletto is accessed via a cypress avenue leading to an elegant 18th-century façade. This connection between driveway and architecture alone gives the site a distinctly historic character. Poggio Torselli’s Giardino all’Italiana is laid out on two levels. Its planting includes plants with seasonally changing blooms as well as aromatic and medicinal herbs. The garden therefore showcases not only formal design, but also different botanical themes. Particularly striking is the collection of 130 citrus trees planted in Impruneta terracotta pots. For travelers interested in culture, this number is just as revealing as the craftsmanship evident in the garden design. The Giardino all’Italiana preserves a fully intact irrigation system dating from the 18th century, consisting of channels made of pietra serena. It also includes basins carved from pietra forte. The slope of the terrain ensures that all the garden beds are irrigated by gravity. Historic design, materials and function are therefore directly interconnected here.

Viticulture with Sangiovese

Viticulture is also a defining feature of Poggio Torselli. The Montecapri vineyard is entirely dedicated to growing Sangiovese. The winery also has a fermentation room with stainless steel tanks whose total capacity exceeds 3,000 hectoliters. If, during a trip to Tuscany, you would like to consider regional production alongside art and architecture, this focus is clearly evident in Spedaletto.

Road and hiking connections

For exploring by car, the municipal Itinerario 3 is a specific reference point. The route is 47 kilometers long, leads to Spedaletto, runs approximately 300 meters behind Villa Poggio Torselli and joins the SS2 Cassia near the historic center of San Casciano. This makes it possible to understand the geographical relationships between Spedaletto, the villa and San Casciano without adding distances or travel times. On foot, the CAI hiking trail Sentiero 452, Anello del Principe (Albergaccio di Machiavelli), leads to Spedaletto. One section runs on a natural surface and crosses the Borro Suganella. This trail description complements the historic and viticultural aspects of the area with an active option in which the trail itself and its surface play a role.

Further historical context

Villa Tosi and its outbuildings in Spedaletto are protected under a preservation order dated August 2, 1974. For public transport orientation, SPEDALETTO SAN CASCIANO is listed as a bus stop on route 368. This does not imply any specific information about the timetable or current service. If you would like to place Spedaletto within a broader selection of destinations in Tuscany, you can also view San Godenzo, Linari, Palazzuolo Sul Senio, Sambuca, Il Castagno D'Andrea, Vaglia, Fucecchio and Gaville.

For the overarching travel overview: Florence.