We have no documented sources regarding the origin of this farmhouse (which does however appear on a mid-17th century map) but the construction techniques originally used were similar to those used in the construction of the towers of San Gimignano. This allowed the architect to date the construction of the farmhouse to approximately the second half of the 15th century. It was only in 1984 that Sestilio (the sixth of seven siblings) bought the almost derelict farmhouse with the old vineyards. Following his untimely death, the farmers who worked the land left too and it was only after several years of total abandonment that Susanna decided to bring the small estate back into operation, starting with the restoration of some of the vineyards and the expansion of the olive grove.

This is how Azienda Agricola Sovestro in Poggio was born. The estate sits on a small hill, a “poggio” in Tuscan dialect, named Sovestro and this was our name for the first 20 years of activity, precisely because we are situated on the top of this little hillock.

The renovation of the farmhouse began in 2003 and continued for four consecutive years. Many of the materials used to rebuild the farmhouse were recovered from the demolition of the various structures (the barn, the stable, the woodshed, the oil mill): for example, the coloured tiles, known as “pianelle”, now positioned between the beams of the breakfast room were originally the floor.

The renovation of the farmhouse was almost complete and, in 2007, it became necessary to find a different name, one that would not be inspired by the location but would distinguish us from other local businesses which, like us, used the name of the hill. The idea for the current name, Guardastelle, came to Susanna, the second-generation owner, when, one late summer evening, when she was coming out of the cellar after a hard day’s work during the grape harvest, she saw a star-studded sky that left her in awe. The names Sovestro in Poggio and Guardastelle coexisted to identify two parts of the business for more than ten years. The first belonged to the vineyard with the cellar and its own wine production, with facilities for tasting and sales, while the second was given to the rooms of the B&B and the apartments with kitchen and private pool.

In 2018, the need for a unique name, one that would distinguish us unambiguously, became increasingly evident. And so Tenuta Guardastelle, now a wonderful country house hotel with swimming pool in Tuscany, was born. Our estate is very close to art towns such as Florence (link alla pagina del territorio) and Siena (link alla pagina del territorio). And we are surrounded by the hills of Chianti, an area internationally famous for its bold, full-bodied red wine, and by our vineyards and approximately 400 olive trees, which we tend with great effort and intense passion, producing our own wines and extra virgin olive oil, made with native varietals. It gives us great pleasure to organise tastings of typical local products in combination with our wines.