When in Florence or the Chianti region spend a day at Antinori. But start planning well on beforehand. The visit to the estate and the wine tasting is very popular. Booking a couple of weeks or months on beforehand is no luxury. Believe me the visit of the estate, without the cellars, is already nice. It starts in the….parking. The stairs are stunning. The way the building is integrated in the hill is top. But the cellars and the tasting are extra ordinary. It’s like you visit an underground cathedral filled with wine barrels. All the details are there, have a look at the handmade tiles, the way they circulate te air, the color on the barrels, the lights,… the visit is an experience worth every euro. And it gets better if you book a tasting. The guide that takes you around is actually also the specialist in wine that runs the tasting. No guides talk here but people that know more about the wines than the history.
If you want the real experience, book a table in the restaurant before you visit the cellars and do the tasting. In summer you can eat outside under a very creative structure of steel with climbing plants that give you shelter from the sun. And the food is like mostly in Italy…high quality. If you lunch at 12, you will finish the lunch around 13h30. It gives you the chance to walk around the estate and start the tour at 14h. You will finish around 16u , ready to buy great wines in the shop. Worth a day visit for architecture lovers, for wine lovers, for foodies.
