San Felice: Medieval Village in Chianti

San Felice offers several tangible points to consider when choosing a destination: a medieval village, a long church history and a rural Chianti landscape.

Medieval Village and Chianti Architecture

San Felice is an old medieval village with typical rural Chianti architecture. It lies among vineyards and olive groves in hills that slope gently down towards Siena’s striking cityscape. The village of San Felice consists of attractively restored stone buildings, including both manor houses and rural homes. They line the lanes and small squares typical of Chianti; the original cellars from that period are also found there. In this way, a shared building material and different types of houses come together: stone connects the buildings, while their manor-house or rural character gives the townscape its variety.

Church History with Two Points in Time

The Pieve di San Felice is documented from the year 714 under the name “baptisterium sancti Felicis.” The present-day church of San Felice was built in the first half of the 20th century to a design by the architect Fantastici. The two details refer to different periods: the early date concerns the recorded name, while the later period concerns the construction of the present-day church. Those interested in the history of the place can distinguish between its early written mention and the later construction of the church.

Hills, Vineyards and Olive Groves

The hills near San Felice lie between 300 and 450 metres above sea level. The San Felice estate covers 650 hectares, including 150 hectares of vineyards and 60 hectares of olive groves with 15,000 trees. These figures describe different scales: the estate’s total area, as well as the specified areas of vineyards and olive groves. The soils are predominantly clayey and calcareous; sand and silt predominate in limited areas. Together with the elevation, these features provide a more detailed picture of the rural landscape, without conflating the area figures with the elevation figures.

Taste Olive Oil

Three olive oils can be tasted at the wine shops in San Felice. Olive oil sommeliers explain how to get the most out of the tasting. The opportunity to taste may change. So if you would like to make specific plans for it, we recommend checking before your visit.

Considering San Felice as a Destination

When choosing your destination, you can distinguish between features by their scale: lanes, small squares and stone houses shape the village’s character, while hills, vineyards and olive groves describe its rural setting. The history of the church adds a temporal perspective to this sense of place. When looking for a hotel in San Felice, you can therefore consider whether medieval architecture, the history of the church or the landscape should be the deciding factor for your trip.

Discover more destinations: Pianella, Pievasciata, Villa A Sesta, San Gusmè, Guistrigona, Quercegrossa, Casetta, Monteaperti

For the broader travel overview: Castelnuovo Berardenga.