The Original & Best Tours
Count Sebastiano Capponi
The Capponi family have a long and illustrious history. Circumstantial evidence dates this important Florentine noble family back to 1054, while documentation extends back to 1215. The Capponi family rose to prominence in the Renaissance during the time of the Medici.
Since the thirteenth century the Capponi family have distinguished themselves as entrepreneurs, a distinction they can still claim to this day. They were among the first to develop the silk trade in Florence and with the development of banking during the Renaissance the Capponi family had links with all of the major cities of Europe. In the eighteenth century they were among important innovators in agriculture, with estates throughout Tuscany. One of these estates, Villa Calcinaia, was purchased by Niccola di Andrea Capponi in 1524 and it is still the residence of his descendants.
Count Sebastiano Capponi is the 20th generation of the Capponi family to run the 200-hectare estate of Villa Calcinaia, a family-owned winery located in the town of Greve in Chianti in the heart of Tuscany. Covered in vineyards and olive groves Tuscany is world renowned for its wine and olive oil. In fact, modern Italy is the world's largest wine producer and produces 25% of the world’s olive oil. Count Sebastiano Capponi overseas the production of high quality Tuscan wine as well as extra virgin olive oil.
The winery of Villa Calcinaia produces over 8,000 cases a year including Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Riserva, Casarsa, Comitale (Grechetto and Vernaccia blend) and their dessert wine, Vin Santo. In 2004 Villa Calcinaia’s Casarsa, a proprietary Merlot blend, was awarded a silver medal by Le Challenge Internationale du Vin.
When not occupying himself with the running of the winery, Count Sebastiano Capponi lives in his family palace in Florence. The palace is called Palazzo Capponi delle Rovinate - meaning "of the ruins"- because it was surrounded by the ruins of other dwellings that had collapsed from erosion on this street that runs along the river Arno. The Capponi family pride themselves on preserving the palace and the decoration of the monumental rooms that house their artistic collection has not changed in over a century. Artworks of note in their collection include such renowned masterpieces as paintings by Andrea del Sarto and Jacopo Pontormo.
Book an evening yourself with Count Capponi by clicking here for our Artviva Festival.
What people say about us:
Michael Palin
Actor/Presenter (Monty Python and a list of fabulous films too long to list here)
Lou Reed
Rockstar
Richard Kind
Actor (Mad about You, Spin City)
Alex Rodriguez
Baseball Star (In December of 2000 Rodriguez became the best-paid ballplayer of all time when he signed a $252 million contract with the Texas Rangers)
Mike Munro
One of Australia's finest investigative journalists and well known media personalities.
Bill Kurtis
Acclaimed documentary host and producer, network news anchor and multimedia production company .
Nat Young
World Surfing Champion
As recommended by:
Customers Reviews
On
2013/03/23
Elaine Lam said:
I took the Florence tour of Florence Artisans. It was amazing. It was the best tour !!!! Our Guide, Helen was fantastic. She took us to places we'd NEVER have been able to find on our own. She was friendly and very informative. In fact, local people were greeting us with such a warm reception which I can only attribute to the fact that she is a well known and liked friend to the city.
On
2013/02/24
Ingrid Rebelson said:
On
2013/01/22
Helen Campbell said:
Excellent
Nice size for a tour group – not too big. Excellent coverage of the main issues in Renaissance history. Wonderful details – really enjoyed it. Thanks so much.
On
2013/01/22
Ann Gregory said:
On
2013/01/22
Paul Edward Cook said:
Great tour
I just wanted to write and thank you and your staff for our wonderful and informative walking tour of Florence. The tour helped us fall even more in love with your wonderful city. Thanks again and we hope to return in the near future for some more tours. Paul
On
2012/12/30
Joyce Won Ha said:
Helen, The Florence Walking Tour & David
Great Tour! Had Helen as our guide for the tour. Lots of great spots shown throughout florence, things/places only a insider would know. Family loved the info & perspective she gave; as well considerate of breaks, walking speed, time, etc. Would recommend Helen and the tour for any first timers. - the ha family
On
2012/12/30
Joyce Won Ha said:
Elisabetta, Uffizi Private Tour
Elisabetta was great! She is so knowledgeable, honest and quite hilarious. She tailored the tour to exactly the amount we needed as any gallery can get overwhelming. We walked with a better understanding of art/influences. In addition, we had some spare time, so she showed a few spots nearby, recommendations on places to eat, etc. Would definitely consider Art Viva and Elisabetta again. - the ha family
On
2012/10/03
Michelle Purchase said:
Original Florence Walk & Uffizi Tour
Joined the Original Florence Walk (29 Sept 2012) and the Uffizi Tour (30 Sept 2012) after seeing reviews on Trip Advisor. Didn't disappoint. Learnt so much from enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides (sorry, can't remember names but english lady and american guy). Worth every penny. Thank you guys.
On
2012/10/01
Jackie Callahan Parente said:
Florence and The David
We took two tours with Brenda and she was terrific! We would definitely use Artviva again. Brenda was personable, very knowledgeable, and made the tours as fun as they were informative.Jackie and Bob in Glastonbury, Connecticut
On
2012/07/23
Pavla Jurikova said:
Firenze
Yesterday we joined a 3 hours tour in Firenze with a guide named Klaas (I am sorry if I misspelled his name). He was fantastic, we really enjoyed and learned a lot new facts. Great, great, great! I highly recommend to everybody!Thank you : )Sergio and Pavla
Live Tweets
Artviva is guaranteed by:
