Colle
ai
Lecci

The Location

Castelnuovo Berardenga lies in the southern Chianti Classico, where gentle hills between cypresses and vineyards slope gradually towards Siena. Colle ai Lecci sits on two hectares of its own land, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, with views over Siena, Castelnuovo Berardenga and neighbouring San Gusmè. Three simple stone farmhouses, originally part of a wine estate, together form a small borgo, an ensemble with a central main house, through which guests wander from apartment to studio to garden.

Backstory

Nina Mair and Ana Turcan know each other from Studio Nina Mair in Innsbruck, where Mair is working as an architect and product designer since 2012, honoured among other things with the German Design Award. Turcan was part of her team for years. Out of the collaboration grew a friendship, and out of the friendship the idea of building something of their own together.

That it became Tuscany also has to do with Mair’s own past: she studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence before returning to Innsbruck. In 2022 the two bought the derelict wine estate near Castelnuovo Berardenga and converted it into the borgo, the most consistent realisation yet of their shared architectural practice: a place meant to invite, inspire and stay.

Interior & Architecture

The renovation stays visible, not hidden: exposed stone walls, old wooden ceilings, brick archways, worn stone floors, interspersed with antique furniture the two architects gathered themselves. Over this lies a second, markedly more restrained register – purist design, light natural tones, soft warm textures, terracotta and clay.

The contrast defines the whole place: old against new, raw against soft, without either side dominating the other. Materials and craft stand at the centre, less as decoration than as a statement of an architectural practice that also works with manufactories and craft workshops in Innsbruck. The result feels less restored than translated – an old wine estate, rendered into a contemporary but unobtrusive language.

A Look Inside

Three holiday apartments for two guests each, six beds in total. Each has a bedroom with a double bed, a living room with kitchenette, a bathroom, plus either its own terrace or a private garden where breakfast can be taken among flowers.

Beyond this, guests have access to large shared spaces: a big, open kitchen with kitchen island where cooking classes take place, a library, several studios, a workshop and the room for the estate’s own olive oil production. The house is thus neither a classic holiday home nor a hotel, but something in between – conceived for couples and small groups alike who want to enjoy slow living and simply spend time together.

Culinary

Colle ai Lecci has no restaurant, though it has its own herb and vegetable garden and its own olive production – guests can help with the harvest when the season allows. Community and socialising are part of the philosophy at Colle ai Lecci. Every Wednesday, the hosts invite guests to join them for dinner. A chef prepares a three-course meal, and guests are free to chat and get to know one another if they wish.

Breakfast is best taken outside, in the private garden among the flowers or on the guests’ own terrace. Anyone looking for a glass of wine need not go far: the Villa Sesta wine estate lies right next door and offers tastings of wines from the same Chianti Classico site.

For dinner out, Castelnuovo Berardenga or nearby Villa Sesta are a short trip, with simple, unpretentious trattorias in the village centre.

Wellness & Relaxation

The pool lies in the shade of the olive trees, a place to swim when the midday heat presses down, with no spa pretensions. All around, quiet corners in the olive grove invite reading or simply doing nothing. Anyone wanting structure can book a yoga session from the workshop programme, usually in the morning, overlooking the hills. Anyone wanting something more classic drives twenty minutes to Rapolano Terme, to thermal springs known since Roman times. Relaxation here means above all: a slow pace, no fixed choreography, a day that arranges itself between garden, studio and pool.

Surrounding Area

San Gusmè, the fortified neighbouring village, lies just a few minutes away – a compact, barely touristy village with the Pieve dei Santi Cosma e Damiano, documented since the year 867. Villa a Sesta, also nearby, offers an even older church in the Pieve di Santa Maria, first mentioned as far back as the eighth century. Castelnuovo Berardenga itself, the next larger village, has a small historic theatre in the Teatro Vittorio Alfieri.

Siena, with its cathedral and the Palio, is about half an hour’s drive away – ideal for a spontaneous afternoon trip. Florence is a good hour and a half away, making it close enough for a full-day trip. Anyone interested in the region beyond the well-known destinations can drive to the Crete Senesi, the barren, almost lunar hills south of Siena. Those interested in history may know L’Eroica, the vintage cycling race that runs through exactly this area every autumn, on dusty white gravel roads, with old bicycles and even older jerseys. Rapolano Terme, finally, combines thermal bathing with a small, unhurried village centre that is worth a detour even without the baths.

Activities

Anyone wanting to experience the area beyond the house will find a first sorting by interest here.

Workshop & Creativity

• Ceramics and craft workshops in the house’s own atelier
• Cooking classes in the big kitchen
• Flower art workshops using material from the garden

Wine & Enjoyment

• Tastings at the neighbouring Villa Sesta wine estate
• ‘Cooking with Nature’ workshops, harvest straight from the garden
• Help with the olive harvest, depending on season

Culture

• San Gusmè, fortified village with the Pieve dei Santi Cosma e Damiano
• Pieve di Santa Maria in Villa a Sesta, eighth century
• Teatro Vittorio Alfieri in Castelnuovo Berardenga
• Siena and its cathedral, half an hour away

Active & Nature

• Hiking and cycling in the hills of Chianti and the Crete Senesi. The Chianti Classico region is a hotspot for cycling enthusiasts. Both road cyclists and gravel bikers will find plenty to enjoy here.
• L’Eroica, the legendary vintage cycling race in autumn
• Thermal bathing in Rapolano Terme
• Yoga retreats within the workshop programme

Details

• Four holiday apartments, two guests each, six beds total
• Shared kitchen with island and bar, library, studios, workshop
• Own olive oil production
• Pool in olive grove, organic herb and vegetable garden
• Workshop programme: design, architecture, ceramics, floristry, cooking, yoga
• Weekly or shorter rentals possible
• Design: Nina Mair and Ana Turcan
• www.colleailecci.it