Castagneto Carducci on an October afternoon

The Castle at Castagneto Carducci, home to the Della Gherardesca family

It was so quiet early on a Wednesday afternoon in October in CastagnetoCarducci. I crept around the narrow cobbled alleys feeling conspicuous with my camera whose clicks seemed loud enough to disturb the local residents' afternoon tranquillity. But it is difficult not to snap away at the photogenic village churches and views, castle walls, lush balcony displays and inviting shop and restaurant fronts. It might sound like a cliché, but with its medieval castle and the ancient Della Gherardesca family still in residence, Castagneto feels as though it is still in the heart of feudal Tuscany.

I expect the locals are enjoying the post-summer lull in visitor numbers. Many are attracted by the area's connection with Nobel prize poet Giosué Carducci (from whom the village takes its name). But the village is highly popular with all nationalities of holiday makers who spend their days on the nearby beaches of Donoratico and Bibbona, and their evenings seeking out cooler air in Tuscan hilltop towns such as this one. 
The province of Livorno, stretching down the Tuscan coastline, has this double edge to it: plenty of seaside pleasures, from beaches to abundant seafood, and a healthy scattering of medieval villages perched on gentle hills, where culinary delights are more likely to consist of wild boar, hams and satisfying homemade desserts. Oh, and the wine! All around Castagneto and neighbouring Bolgheri are some of Tuscany's most prestigious wineries, including Antinori, Ornellaia, Michele Satta, and of course the Tenuta San Guido, producer of the celebrated Sassicaia. The tradition of winemaking around here commands respect! Castagneto's enoteche offer local wines by the glass to accompany your platter of appetizers or your more traditional three-course dinner, while you survey the land below and the sea in the distance and get a taste of what is must be like to be a lord looking out from his castle.
Castagneto Carducci is under an hour's drive south of Livorno. There is free parking in Via Pascoli, which is just a short walk from the village centre which offers a good choice of restaurants and cafés, and a small but captivating selection of shops, including the Peperita store with its amazing range of locally grown chilli products. Piazza del Popolo and the adjacent tree-lined Piazzale Curiel offer the ideal spot for an after dinner stroll, or, for daytime visitors, a moment of meditation in the late afternoon sunshine.

To see images of Castagneto Carducci and the surrounding area, click here