The surrounding area and its curiosities
In the surrounding area of the Farm, travelling along winding roads that characterize the Chianti countryside, you can discover the hidden and unspoilt corners of Tuscany, where time seems to stand still: ruins of old houses, medieval villages and ancient churches.
Such as the splendid Romanesque Church of Sant’Appiano, which is just a few steps from the Sant’Appiano Farm.
Dating back to the ninth century, it houses an important historical artifact, reflecting the presence in the place of the Gherardini family. This is the most ancient chivalry tomb in Tuscany: the Gherarduccio Gherardini tombstone, buried here in 1331.
It was the various branches of the Gherardini family who ensured that a group broke away from the Florentine origins to arrive even to Ireland, where they founded the Fitz Gerald dynasty which later moved to Boston. The surname Gherardini was difficult to pronounce for the British and was therefore transformed into Geraldines from which comes Fitz Gerald (children of Gerald). It was Thomas Fitzgerald, grandfather of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who moved from Ireland to the States. This truth emerged, for the first time, in 1962: it was the same John Fitzgerald Kennedy to tell the story, on the occasion of his speech for Columbus Day.
Activities
Some suggestions of outdoor activities around Sant’Appiano
