What is Castelnuovo Berardenga known for?

Southern edge of the Chianti Classico zone since 1932, producing Sangiovese on clay-rich hills between 300 and 500 meters. Founded in 1366 by the Republic of Siena as the last strategic outpost against Florence, the borgo grew around the fortress walls. Noble Sienese family whose villa anchors the centro storico and whose foundation runs the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.

Where is Castelnuovo Berardenga?

Castelnuovo Berardenga is a comune in the province of Siena, Tuscany region of Italy, about 79 kilometers from Firenze.

Tuscany · Siena

Castelnuovo Berardenga

A Chianti Classico communebetween the Ombrone and the Crete Senesi, the last castle Siena built against Florence, in 1366.

79 km / 49 mi

Nearest hub (Firenze)

8,924

Population

Apr–Oct

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Why come

Castelnuovo Berardenga sitseast of Siena, on the southern edge of the Chianti Classico zone where the hills give way to the clay swells of the Crete Senesi. The name comes from the Terra Berardinga, the area controlled in the tenth century by a Frankish nobleman named Berardo. Castelnuovo itself was founded by the Republic of Siena in 1366 as the last strategic castle against Florence. The commune has been part of the Chianti wine zone since 1932 and produces some of the southern-Chianti Sangioveses with the strongest tannic spine. The Villa Chigi Saracini, with a park designed by the Sienese composer Guido Chigi Saracini, sits inside the centro storico; the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena still draws on the family foundation. Across the territory, 13 castles, 70 churches and 200 farms record the medieval pattern of the Sienese contado.

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Gallery

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Known for

Villa Chigi Saracini
Eighteenth-century villa and Italian garden inside the centro storico, built by the family that founded the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena.
Torre dell'Orologio
Surviving tower of the 1366 Sienese fortress, now bearing the civic clock, the highest visible point of the centro storico.
Chiesa dei Santi Giusto e Clemente
Eighteenth-century parish church with a neoclassical façade, built on the site of an earlier Romanesque pieve.
Pieve di San Felice
Eleventh-century Romanesque parish church in the frazione of San Felice, with a single nave and a square bell tower.
Chianti Classico vineyards
Southern Chianti zone from the Ombrone to the Crete Senesi, producing Sangiovese with the tannic structure characteristic of higher elevation.

Signature product

Chianti Classico DOCGDOCG

Southernmost Chianti Classico commune, reaching almost to the gates of Siena.

See every town in our catalogue producing Chianti Classico DOCG.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Oct

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into October are the months Chianti Classico shows best, the green hills moving toward the gold of harvest. The Sagra del Vino runs the second weekend of September. July and August push past thirty and the centro storico empties between two and six; the cellars on the surrounding hills offer cool tastings and longer rentals. November through March is quiet by Chianti standards, meaning most cellars open by appointment. The Crete Senesi at dawn, the clay hills bare and folded under fog, are five kilometers south of the centro storico and a different landscape from the vineyards above.

How to get there

From Firenze, Castelnuovo Berardenga is roughly 79 km by road. Allow about 68–95 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).

Drive time to the nearest gateway airports