Castello di Meleto
Gaiole in Chianti (Siena) - Italy
Type:  Wedding venue
Other: Meetings, wedding, anniversary and family reunions and parties.  On site catering.
ItalianVisits.com links: Tuscany, Siena, Greve, Montalcino, San Gimagnano
Booking: IV Travel (please make first contact by email)
Facilities:
  • Complete wedding, banquet and meeting facilities
  • Accommodation for up to 40 people - rooms with private bathrooms and other amenities
  • Breakfasts, lunches, dinners for up to 150 people
Amenities: 
  • Banquet halls and dining rooms
  • Reception rooms
  • Terraces for private dining
  • Gardens and grounds
  • Parking on site (free)
Location:
  • The Castle is centrally located and well-served by good roads to all major art towns.
Directions:
Distances:
Map: MapQuest (Gaiole in Chianti)
Availability:
  • April to October
Cost:  see table below
Payment:
  • ask for a quote based on services rendered
Description
Like a fairytale, Meleto Castle announces itself in the enchanting Chianti landscape at the end of a pleasant driveway lined with cypresses and junipers, amid sun-kissed fields and vineyards.

A magnificent testimony of history and the industrious presence of man. Today more than ever we are invited to plunge into the peacefulness of the countryside to savour its tastes and perfumes - wine, the odour of cellars and oil-mills, the wood of the furniture, grain, the thousand essences of field and meadow - forgetting time and its frenetic rhythms on the other side of the hills.

Meleto welcomes and embraces the visitor, the tourist, the lover of nature. It's like an oasis, a parallel dimension to be experienced in its rhythms set by habits and customs great and small, millenary, which have given rise to a vast range of products today, all of highest quality, the fruit of research that unites modern technology with the contribution made by deep and ancient traditions.

The imposing bulk of Meleto Castle stands in the heart of Chianti Classico, not far from the boundary between the ancient Republics of Siena and Florence, about 1 Km. from Gaiole in Chianti.

The Castle originally belonged to the Benedictine monks of the Coltibuono Abbey. The name "Meleto in Chianti" appears for the first time in 1269, in the Florentine Guelphs' precious "Libro degli Estimi", as the property of the family of Rainerii de Ricasolis.

The Ricasoli family extended and embellished the building over the centuries, and today the Castle still has its massive 15 th century fortifications with an imposing cylindrical tower built as protection against artillery fire. But there is also the aristocratic grace of the villa nobile, with its sequence of furnished and decorated rooms, and an unparalleled 18th century theatre.
Wedding services

Wedding receptions can be organised at Meleto Castle: the entire Piano Nobile (a series of furnished and frescoed rooms) can be put at Guests' disposal, together with the garden, a splendid terrace overlooking the unspoilt panorama of the Chianti hills, and the Stables, where you can relax or let yourself go in dancing.

The Celebrations can be organised as you wish: aperitif in the garden, lunch or dinner in the Castle and dancing in the Stables. Or aperitif in the Castle, lunch or dinner in the Stables and the garden for enjoying a touch of sun.

You can receive your guests in this villa, put at your exclusive disposal, and they will be enchanted by such special surroundings. They can move from room to room, pause in the sitting rooms, admire the paintings and furniture and then go, with curiosity, into the little 18th century theatre where you can surprise them with a musical performance.

The kitchen made available to your chosen caterers is large, spacious and fully equipped with the most modern appliances. So the food too will leave a pleasant memory for you and your guests!

You and any of your guests who have come from far off can stay in the B&B rooms situated on the first floor of the Castle, or in the Casa Canonica (Priest's House) next to the Castle, or in the holiday farm apartments.

For religious or symbolic weddings there is a small private chapel overlooking the square opposite the Castle.

For a larger number of guests there is our Romanesque Parish Church of Santa Maria in Spaltenna. Immersed in splendid natural scenery, it is only 2 kilometres from the Castle. The first mention of the church dates to the year 1000!

There are other fine Romanesque churches in the immediate vicinity including the Parish Church of San Giusto in Salcio, the Parish Church of San Polo in Rosso, the Church of Vertine, the Parish Church of San Leolino in Panzano and the Commendam of Sant'Eufrosino: each one is extraordinary for both its structure and panoramic views.

Religious ceremonies may also be held in the Castle grounds or rooms.  For registry-office weddings, the Town Hall of Gaiole in Chianti is only 2 kilometres from the Castle, while Radda and Castellina in Chianti are about 10 and 20 kilometers respectively. And don't forget . Siena Town Hall in the extraordinary setting of Piazza del Campo!

We shall take care of putting you in touch with an expert capable of resolving all your bureaucratic problems!
Planimetry of the Castle's Piano Nobile the Sala della Mappa, the Sala Campione, the Sala Fratina, the Sala dell'Affresco, the Sala del Caminetto, the Sala della Stufa, the Sala dello Stemma and the Sala Virginia: each one a splendid scenario for your celebrations and souvenir photos.

And after the celebrations, for a dreamlike night ..... the Baron's bedroom awaits you ..... for a well-deserved rest!

We can also organize: a guided tour of the Castle and its Old Cellar underground; a tasting of our products; a fine barbecue to welcome guests who are staying at the Castle; and a Mediaeval evening, with live music and singing, in the Castle drawing rooms and the little 18 th century theatre.

In a soft, evocative atmosphere lit only by torches, naked flames, oil lamps and candles.

Prices

Please contact ItalianVisits.com for planning services and pricing.

Booking: IV Travel (please make first contact by email)