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In the countryside around Siena, one of the most renowned areas for the production of Chianti Classico wine, there’s an ancient XVI century building, Villa Geggiano. Owned by the Bianchi Bandinelli family since 1530, it was originally a farmhouse, transformed into a villa with a chapel and a garden only in 1768.
The exceptional state of conservation of the house, its heritage of original XVIII century furnishings and decorations have been acknowledged as part of an official national monument.
This outstanding building was already recognized by writers and film directors, such as Vittorio Alfieri who, at the end of the XVIII century, shot one of his tragedies in the green theatre of the villa. Bernardo Bertolucci, on the other hand, shot here some scenes of his famous “Stealing Beauty”.
Today, the Bianchi Bandinelli family produces high-quality wine exported all over the world.

THE VILLA

The villa was built on three floors with a central attic that rises to another, fourth floor, and a noble chapel on the right side of the main building. The interior preserves an entrance gallery frescoed by Ignazio Moder in 1790 – he was a travelling Tyrolean painter who chose to depict the “12 months”.
In four other rooms, the Blue Room, the Green Lounge, the Cardinal’s Room and the “Ciarlatorio”, there is still the original “rustic Venetian” furniture and the French paper and fabric linings on the walls.

THE GARDEN

A long tree-lined avenue, with cypresses in the first section and holm oaks in the second, leads to the entrance gate. Inside the premises, the garden is divided into two areas: one in front of the villa – known as the “Piazzone” – the other housing the vegetable garden.
The first section is decorated with flowerbeds surrounded by low box hedges, and ends with the XVIII century “green theatre”. The latter is on a slightly elevated position and surrounded by tall laurel hedges; it also features a proscenium equipped with two masonry stages in late Baroque style surmounted by triumphal pediments with the coats of arms of the Bianchi Bandinelli and Chigi Zondadari families. These insignia are set within arches decorated with niches containing the statues of the Tragedy and the Comedy.

The vegetable garden, which covers a square portion to the west, ends with a semicircular masonry fishpond and it is organized according to the typical Italian style – with geometric flower beds arranged around a well.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)