History

Borgo San Felice, in the heart of Chianti, lies on a hill 350 m. above sea level, only 15 Km from Siena, 6 Km from Castelnuovo Berardenga, an hour by car from Florence and two and a half hours from the capital, Rome. This jewel, set amid straight rows of vines and olives, has something to offer for all visitors: the woods on the steep slopes of the high Chianti Mountains, the imposing castles in the vicinity,
	the vineyards and hills descending towards the Crete Senesi. The hamlet, appearing almost suspended amid the succession of hills and valleys, is mentioned in a document dated 714, the year the controversy between the Bishops of Arezzo and Siena flared up over possession of the Church of S. Felice in Avane (the toponym suggests Avane to be Etruscan in origin). From 988 San Felice was known as a Pieve (parish church). Throughout the
Middle Ages the hamlet was caught up in the fierce battles between the rival towns of Florence and Siena. For many years San Felice has been considered among the most important Chianti Classico wine producing estates, and, at the same time, it offers residential accommodation for élite tourism. San Felice is one of the most notable examples of ‘new' Chianti, with the Estate producing high quality wines and the Hotel the most prestigious in the Relais & Chateaux chain.
	The careful restoration has highlighted the architectonic features of the nineteenth-century palazzos and the period charm of the limited number of stone-built houses on the picturesque lanes. The hamlet provides a perfect slice of the Middle Ages, where time itself should be ‘savoured'. A piece of unmistakeable Tuscany.