Podere La Chiesa — Attraction in Terricciola

Podere La Chiesa is a unique small winery located in Terriccola, about 45 minutes from Pisa, Italy. While many wineries offer tastings, and some offer tours, La Chiesa offers the combination of tasting, a tour and art work. The production facility is nestled in the rolling Tuscan hills amongst the vineyards. The building is visible from the road and very different from the classic Tuscan stone buildings. It is very modern and from a distance looks like a large concrete building with holes similar to swiss cheese. As you get closer, you realize it is representative of grapes. The architectural design is so well thought through and executed that you can see the vineyards from each of the circular cut-outs when inside the two story (high ceiling) structure. We drove to it without any reservation around midday (when a lot of places start to close for the afternoon break). We were the only people there at the moment. We met Maurizio Iannantuono, the ‘wizard’ of their wines, as he was going out to check on the grapes. They were very close to being ready for harvesting. Inside we were met by Palma Tonacci, who along with Maurizio, are the proprietors. We asked if they were offering tastings, tours and possibly related to lunch or dinner. She said we could have all of that whenever we would like. So, we decided to do the combo with lunch (about 25 Euro per person). Palma proceeded to give us a tour including background on their winery (it was built on property that was originally owned by the Catholic church out of Florence), the different types of wines they produce (one white and five reds), their process, etc. As you can see in the accompanying pictures, the facility is very cool with a ‘floating’ gallery on the second floor around the aging barrels, a gallery that looks over the stainless steel storage vats on onside and out the front at the flowing hills of vineyards. The tasting included their white Punto di Vista (100% vermentino), and four reds: the Le Redole di Casanova (80% sangiovese, 20% canalolo), theTerre di Casanova (100% sangiovese), the Sabiniano di Casanova (80% sagiovese, 25% cab. Sauvignon, 15% merlot), the Opera in Rosso (100% sangiovese), and Opera in Nero (100% merlot). The last 3 reds are aged in French oak barrels while the others are aged in stainless steel tanks. Along with the tasting, Palma gave us more detail on each wine and a very nice accompaniment of food including a delicious vegetable lasagna. The entire experience was delightful and Palma made us...

Just a three minute walk around the corner from our villa apartment in Borgo Alle Vigne in Terricciola, Toscany, which was very convenient since August 2024 temperatures have been oppressive.

We did not know what to expect, it was just something to do. As it turned out we had a marvelous experience. The arquitecture of the winery was just beautiful and comforting, and the landscape of the vineyard itself was equally beautiful. Our host Palma Tonacci went far beyond what we expected in terms of wine tasting and cuts to eat while tasting the wines. Also, the gallery holds beautiful art work.

Palma was exceptional; and although we had no particular expectations, we were pleasantly surprised at how lovely the wines produced at Podere La Chiesa turned out to be. In fact, we ordered several wine bottles to be shipped to our home in San Juan; we are awaiting their arrival.

We would definitely visit once more, if only to taste additional wines and converse with Palma. Its a low key activity that should not be missed if visiting the Terricciola/Peccioli,...

This is a must visit if you are in the area. Palma and Maurizio are wonderful hosts and they have a beautiful property with breathtaking views of their vineyard and a stunning contemporary building which is a piece of art in of itself. They support local artists with a gallery of art which also is used for their labels. For the record, I have never been a wine drinker, but my family wanted to go. The varying wines and methods gave me new appreciation for wine and learned that Chianti is my wine of choice.

The tour and tasting was extremely reasonable at €35 per person. When you book they say it will include snacks. In reality, it is more like a meal with some of the best local ingredients. The highlights for us was the Bruschetta with amazing bread, the Quiche with phenomenal local cheese, and the selection of cold cuts all from local butchers.

It was a great family experience for us and our two 18 year old children. We even bought several bottles and are having them shipped back home. ...