Bolgheri, Tuscany: the pretty village of Nobel prize fame you will love

All you need to know to visit Bolgheri, the pretty Tuscan hilltop town Nobel Prize winner for literature Giosue Carducci called home.

Bolgheri is a pretty town in Southern Tuscany, perched on a hill overlooking the beautiful Etruscan Coast.

The town is a delight to visit and it also has an important claim to fame: it appears in a famous Italian poem by Nobel Prize winner for Literature Gisue’ Carducci, who called this area home.

His words capture the beauty of one of the most distinctive traits of Bolgheri, the road leading into the village, framed by tall cypress trees.

The poem goes like this:

I cipressi che a Bólgheri alti e schietti
Van da San Guido in duplice filar,
Quasi in corsa giganti giovinetti
Mi balzarono incontro e mi guardar
Carducci, Rime Nuove, 1906

which in English translates approximately as ‘The tall cypresses that in Bolgheri, tall and stern, head from San Guido in double row, like giant youngsters at a race bounced towards me and looked at me”

The road into Bolgheri is wonderful and the perfect introduction to this tiny, pretty village.

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What to see in Bolgheri

Bolgheri is a tiny village and the main thing to see there truly is the village itself!

However, there are a couple of things you should pay special attention too.

The Cypress street – Viale dei Cipressi

Viale dei Cipressi is the main driving road into the town.

It is the one immortalized by Carducci and indeed it is a very pretty and imposing sight.

Bolgheri Tuscany, Viale dei Cipressi — Bolgheri famous cypresses trees straight boulevard landscape. Maremma landmark, Tuscany, Italy, Europe. This boulevard is famous for Carducci poem.

You will find yourself driving onto this road as you approach Bolgheri from the coast so if you simply follow directions into the town, you will not miss it.

Please be advised! This is NOT the cypress view you see on so many Tuscany brochures. That is in Val d’Orcia, farther North, in the area between San Quirico and Montepulciano

Bolgheri’s Castle

As you approach the town, you will be welcomed by the pretty side of Bolgheri’s Castle, Castello della Gherardesca.

The castle is closed to visitors however, its pretty tower made of orange bricks is pretty and the most iconic site in Bolgheri!

Tower of casle of Bolgheri with orange flowers

Bolgheri’s ancient streets and shops

Once you are inside Bolgheri, you will find yourself in a lovely medieval hamlet of pretty streets and cute piazzas.

Pretty shop i Bolgheri Tuscany with pasta and baskets outside

The town has many corners connected with the life of Carducci, remembered by several plaques around the town, a lovely small church, and many pretty shops catering to tourist with local delicacies and artifacts.

Worth seeking our is Piazza Alberto, the the statue of Carducci’s beloved grandmother Nonna Lucia.

What to do in Bolgheri

As well as enjoying a walk around this town pretty streets, the best thing to do in Bolgheri is indulging into the delicious food and wine of the area!

‘Bolgheri wine’ (Vino di Bolgheri) is the star of the show here and you can taste it in one of the wine bars in the village or visiting one of the wineries nearby.

Some worth consideting are:

Tenuta Ornellaia – Cabernet Souvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sangiovese, viognier, Petit Verdot.

Cantina PetraWine – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah, Petit verdot, Malbec.