The Relais Riserva di Fizzano is a medieval “borgo” (hamlet), owned by the Rocca delle Macìe winery (www.roccadellemacie.com), which rises up on a hilltop in the heart of the Chianti Classico production zone, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. The hamlet, which dates from the 11th century, has recently undergone a painstaking renovation, overseen by architects Fabio Zingarelli and Lucia Peretti, which has made the most of the existing architectural structure, equipping it with every imaginable comfort to provide guests with highest-quality services and unrivaled privacy in an exceptionally relaxing atmosphere.
Here, guests can enjoy a vacation that places them in direct contact with the natural world, in every season: fall offers the warm colors and aromas of the harvest; winter is full of crystal-clear days and invigorating air; spring affords the opportunity to experience at first hand the glorious reawakening of nature; and, last but not least, summer offers wonderful breezes, a relaxed atmosphere, the joys of the swimming pool and the spectacle of the fireflies’ nocturnal illuminations.

Located along the ancient “Via Francigena”, halfway between Siena and Florence and close to San Gimignano and Volterra, the Relais comprises six buildings, which play host to a total of 19 apartments, along with gardens and extensive landscaped areas, a chapel, two swimming pools, a bar, a restaurant and a small retail outlet selling the wines, olive oil and honey made by Rocca delle Macìe.

Original tiled flooring, vaulted wooden ceilings, grand fireplaces and ancient feeding troughs are just some of the features that you can find inside the apartments, all of which are furnished with understated elegance in rural Tuscan style to evoke the magic of times past. At the Riserva di Fizzano, you will enjoy a wonderful vacation that’s all about the flavors, colors and atmosphere of the Chianti production zone – you are sure to experience all of the emotions that this unique, inimitable land succeeds in evoking in everyone who sets foot here.

A Little bit of history
To discover the first written records of the existence of the hamlet of Fizzano, you need to dig your way back more than 1000 years. In a document drafted at Abbadia Isola and dating from 1007, Fizzano is referred to as the site of a castle and a court.
Due to its location, right on the border between the litigious municipalities of Siena and Florence, Fizzano was subject to several jurisdictional disputes: in 1203, for example, it was classed as an inhabited village within the Sienese catchment area, but shortly thereafter it was absorbed into the dominion of Florence along with nearby Castellina. At the end of the 13th century, it became one of the bulwarks of the Florentine defensive line in the Chianti area and, under the name “Vizzano”, attained a measure of local renown.
In the 15th century, Fizzano became part of the so-called “Lega del Chianti” (Chianti League) – as did Radda, Castellina and Gaiole – whose coat of arms was a black rooster in a gold field.
Following numerous battles between Siena and Florence, the ancient castle and court were destroyed, and in 1817, according to certain documents, Fizzano consisted of nothing more than a farm, a farmhouse, two bell towers and a chapel. The make-up of the settlement remained mostly unchanged for more than a century until, in 1984, the abandoned farm was purchased by Rocca delle Macìe, a winery based in Castellina in Chianti and owned by the Zingarelli family, which used the plots to cultivate grapes for its own wines and built a traditional oil-press (complete with millstones) for the production of olive oil.