Opening on March 26th is the show curated by Max Seidel,“From Jacopo della Quercia to Donatello. The Arts in Siena in the Early Renaissance.” Its main venue will be the Santa Maria della Scala museum complex, but it will take visitors on a special discovery tour of a Siena that, on a parallel path with Florence, experienced an extraordinary period in art which witnessed the transition from Gothic to the Renaissance.
The Tenuta of Monaciano would like to offer two different possibilities to relax and celebrate a romantic Valentine’s Day with the one you love: a quick love escape to enjoy the magical charm of Tuscany, in the heart of the Chianti and only 5 minutes from Siena with the one you love! Romantics can enjoy a visit to nearby Pienza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a suggestive walk on the aptly named streets Via dell’Amore (Road of Love) and Via del Bacio (Kissing Road)
Special Offer – “1 night of love at Monaciano” Euro 220,00 per couple
Our latest last minute offer is a wonderful combination for those who want to enjoy a romantic weekend together. Not only will you have the chance to enjoy the beautiful Chianti countryside, the gorgeous town of Siena (only 5km from us) but also tickets included in the price of your stay for the Hot Springs of S. Giovanni in Rapolano http://www.termesangiovanni.it/index.php?lng=en
The resort boasts a total of four thermal pools with varying natural temperatures.
The first pool is in an octagonal structure made of glass and wood, from which water pours in a natural waterfall into the two outdoor pools that provide a breathtaking view out over the Crete Senesi.
On Friday evening our new olive oil arrived here at Monaciano. Days and days of harvesting were worth it as the oil is superb. On Monday we will be having a tasting of the oil as well as our wines for those who are spending this long weekend with us. Wish you could be here!
Tenuta di Monaciano's Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Siena)
Olive Oil, Wine & Grappa produced at Tenuta di Monaciano (Siena)
We are currently harvesting the “black” grapes (Sangiovese, Canaiolo & Merlot) which we use for our red wine. 
According to our calculations, we will produce about 250,000 liters of red wine which translates in t 333,000 bottles!
Fortunately the weather has been on our side and the wine harvest is going at a great speed, especially because we are using, where possible, our new harvesting machine that we attach to the back of a tractor and pull through the vines.
We purchased this new machine this year. It is Volentieri-Pellenc. It can harvest between 25,000 and 30,000 kg (55,000/66,000 lbs) of grapes per day.
The new mechanical harvester allows us to improve the quality and the quantity of the grapes that arrive in the wine cellar and reduces the amount of manual labor becaue of the 2 tanks that collect the grapes and holds them until it arrives at the end of the row where it then unloads into a large cart.
The grapes harvested have already had the stems removed by the harvesting machine but once they arrive in the wine cellar, they are still put into the distemmer machine to remove any leaves and stems that remain.
The first wine, called “vno novello”, will be ready in November where you will find amny celebrations around Italy, especially here in the Chianti. Siena has their own parties as well. For the more mature wine, we will have to wait until the springtime to bottle it.
Last month we held a graduation party at the Villa of Monaciano and we wanted to post some of the photos to show how special it is to hold an event, be it a graduation, wedding or birthday at a splendid Villa in the Chianti.
The graduate, Dr. Dora Piperno 
The Villa is a perfect location for this type of event. Inside of the Villa are different rooms of different sizes and outside is the magnificent garden with a fabulous view of the sunset that creates a wonderful backdrop to a celebration.
Dora with her brother Giuseppe and her sister Sofia and
. . . the unmissable cake and the dessert buffet table 
After dinner, Dora and her guests danced until the early hours and these photos prove how fun it is to celebrate in a place that is versitile for all your needs as well as immersed in the Chianti countryside but also only 5 km. from the heart of Siena.
On the 18th of October 2009 the 3th annual Chianti Ecomarathon at Castelnuovo Beradenga, (15 km from Siena) will be held. Castelnuovo Berardenga is one of the Italian “Slow Cities and and the centre of the Cities of Wine” .
The route will take you on paths (only 2.5 km of asphalt) through some of the most important and historical places and very impressive landscapes of this corner in Tuscany.
To read more about this, their website is http://www.ecomaratonadelchianti.it/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=1
We are running a special offer for this event:
Apartments for 2 to 8 people, daily rate for this weekend is 35 euro per person. Single supplement is 30 euro more.
The cost includes :
Photos and other details can be found on our main site www.monaciano.com .
On Monday (21/9/09) we started the wine harvest, picking the white grapes that we grow here. We took some pictures to give you an idea of the fun we have.
Trebbiano Grapes
The process for white grapes is different than for red grapes due to the facta that it is always done by hand, one bunch at a time.
Hand picking the grapes
The grapes are put into plastic baskets
which are then emptied in a the cart of a tractor which when full is then brought to the cellar and emptied.
The cart is emptied into a machine that removes the grapes from the stems and then using a pump, the grapes are then brought to the press to get the juice.
The resulting juice is called “must”.
EASTER IN SIENA - Get away from the hectic city and stay with us in the heart of the Chianti but only 5 km from Siena. Easter is the time to relax after the stress of winter’s work! Come enjoy with us! SPECIAL OFFERS
