A barrel cellar carved into rock 50 metres underground, a dome resembling a shell, a “Grape” overlooking the vine rows, and a pop-art façade shaped like two stacked wine crates. With the grape harvest behind them and vineyards turning autumnal shades, these wineries provide a full experience of design, scenery and wine tasting.
There are stories to uncover, spaces created by leading architects to admire, and local areas to experience during a season full of flavour. Here are four selected Italian addresses for an autumn break that may surprise, inform and inspire.
Rocca di Frassinello (Tuscany): the winery designed by Renzo Piano
In a part of Tuscany that receives less attention than some of the region’s other wine destinations, there is a project that has reshaped the idea of a winery. Rocca di Frassinello was designed by Renzo Piano and grew out of a shared idea with Château Lafite.
Outside, a slim red tower captures natural light and channels it into the barrel cellar. Inside, visitors descend into a real theatre of wine, with the barrels arranged like an audience. The ageing room sits within the rock at a depth of around 50 metres. It makes quite an impression, but its design remains firmly practical.
The complex connects with the area’s history through a small Wine Museum recalling its Etruscan heritage. Outside, a large terrace, named the “churchyard” by Renzo Piano, looks out across the hills of the Maremma. It turns a pause into a secular ritual among the wind, light and vine rows.
- Address: Località Poggio alla Guardia, Giuncarico (Gavorrano)
- Telephone: 0566 88400
- Website: castellare.it
Tenuta Castelbuono – Il Carapace (Umbria): art and Sagrantino
In the Umbrian countryside, amid rolling hills and rows of vines, stands an architectural work that is already a piece of art in its own right. Commissioned by the Lunelli family, associated with Ferrari wine, the winery designed by Arnaldo Pomodoro takes the form of a large shell.
It is a symbolic shape that recalls a tortoise, a metaphor for continuity, time and resilience. It pays tribute to Sagrantino di Montefalco, a wine closely tied to this part of Italy.
Inside, the lower floor contains an intimate and theatrical space, shaped by a carefully planned play of light and sound that takes the experience beyond a straightforward tasting. It shows how a working site can also tell a story through materials, symbols and the memory of its surroundings.
- Address: Vocabolo Castellaccio 9, Bevagna
- Telephone: 0742 361670
- Website: tenutelunelli.it
Tenuta Monsordo Bernardina (Piedmont)
Just outside Alba, where wine and truffles set the rhythm of autumn, a historic farmhouse has been reworked with restraint and sensitivity. Tenuta Monsordo Bernardina was named Italy’s most attractive winery at the World’s Best Vineyards 2023, recognising the successful balance it strikes between past and present.
Thirty hectares of vineyards surround the building, with traditional and international grape varieties forming an agricultural patchwork that shapes the view.
Beside the farmhouse, the “Grape” has stood since 2009: an iconic structure overlooking the vineyards and serving as a statement of innovation. It is an architectural feature that does not interrupt the scenery, but frames it, encouraging the eye to linger on the area’s details.
- Address: Località San Cassiano 34, Alba
- Telephone: 0173 268033
- Website: ceretto.com
L’Astemia Pentita (Barolo): the pop winery that breaks the mould
In the heart of Barolo, where restraint and elegance are often celebrated, this winery takes a different approach. L’Astemia Pentita looks like two wine crates stacked on top of each other, a statement of intent that overturns established visual codes and expectations.
Its interiors have been designed as a creative journey, where humour sits alongside local wine culture without reducing it to a cliché.
Set among 17 hectares of vineyards in the Langhe, the building presents a pop-inspired view of wine that can sit alongside a more traditional setting without giving up its originality.
- Location: Barolo (Langhe)
- Vineyards: 17 hectares
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