The best wineries near Pisa sit in the hills just inland, between twenty minutes and a little over an hour from the city by car. Almost all of them welcome visitors by appointment only. I have chosen five that open their doors to guests, and each one makes for a very different afternoon.
Most travellers give Pisa an hour for the Tower and then move on. I have guided here since 2012. I still think that is a pity, because the countryside behind the city is quiet, green and properly Tuscan, without the tour buses. It starts much sooner than people expect.
Terre di Pisa: The Wine Country Behind the City
The hills south and east of Pisa are called the Colline Pisane. The wines they produce carry the Terre di Pisa DOC, created in 2011. Reds lead, with Sangiovese at the centre. Soils of clay, limestone and shale, together with a sea that is never far away, keep the climate mild and dry.
Now the honest part. The wineries near Pisa are not a place for a spontaneous stop. These are working farms, so you book first, and you need a car. If you would rather taste wine without leaving the city, I have written a separate guide to wine tasting in Pisa, which covers the enoteche of the historic centre.
The Best Wineries Near Pisa, From Closest to Farthest
I have ordered the five by driving time from Pisa, so you can match each winery to the time you have. The times are approximate and they change with traffic, so add a margin if you have a booking at a fixed hour.
- Fattoria San Vito, Calci: about 20 minutes
- Fattoria di Fibbiano, Terricciola: about 45 minutes
- Pieve de’ Pitti, Terricciola: about 45 minutes
- Tenuta di Ghizzano, Peccioli: about 50 minutes
- Monterosola, Volterra: a little over an hour
Fattoria San Vito, Calci: Organic Wine Minutes From Pisa
Fattoria San Vito is a small family farm in Calci, in the Val Graziosa on the Monte Pisano It is close enough to Pisa to fit into a single morning. It makes organic wine and organic extra virgin olive oil, and the farm works without pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilisers. Its wines are Tuscan IGT rather than DOC.
A visit means a walk through the vineyard and a tasting of wine and oil at the table, in spring, summer and autumn. In winter the cellar opens only for sales. Booking is compulsory and places are limited, so message the farm first.
Then I would go and see the Certosa di Calci, a short walk away. It is a Carthusian monastery founded in 1366 on the slopes of the Monte Pisano, with a frescoed church, a cloister, the monks’ cells and the refectory. It also houses the University’s Natural History Museum. Allow about an hour and a half.
Fattoria di Fibbiano, Terricciola: A Working Farm in the Hills
Fattoria di Fibbiano sits among the hills of Terricciola, and it is still a working farm with an agriturismo rather than a showroom. The main building dates back to 1707, so this is a centuries-old estate rather than a modern winery.
A typical visit combines a walk through the vineyards, a look at the cellar and a tasting with local cold cuts and cheese, and it lasts about two hours. However, the estate changes its formats through the year, so check what is running and book through the website or by phone.
After the tasting, I would drive on to Lari and its Castello dei Vicari, one of the largest castles in the province of Pisa. In the entrance courtyard you can still read 92 coats of arms left by the Florentine vicars who governed from there. It is a good place to walk off a tasting.
Pieve de’ Pitti, Terricciola: A Long Afternoon Among the Vines
Pieve de’ Pitti is also in Terricciola, on a hillside the estate cultivates itself, with a wine shop, rooms, apartments and a country villa if you want to turn the visit into a stay. Its winetour is one of the longest, about three hours, and it ends with a tasting of six wines.
The walk through the vineyards is scenic but demanding, so wear proper shoes. You taste at a table in the lemon house or in the park, with bruschetta, cheeses, cold cuts and pasta alongside. Visits run in English and Italian, usually in the late afternoon and by appointment. There is no hotel pick-up, so bring your own driver.
Nearby, the spa town of Casciana Terme has been using its waters since 1311, and its spa building dates from 1870. After three hours among the vines, a slow stroll there, with nothing more ambitious on the list, is all I would plan.
Tenuta di Ghizzano, Peccioli: Organic and Biodynamic
Tenuta di Ghizzano, in Ghizzano di Peccioli, is one of the oldest farms in the area, and its own materials speak of more than 600 years of relationship with the land. Today the whole estate is organic and biodynamic. If you care about how wine is farmed, and not only how it tastes, this is the visit for you.
The estate also has a wine club, a shop and Villa Ginevra. It’s a farmhouse with a private pool where you can stay. Its website does not list fixed tasting times,. We suggest to write to the estate to arrange a visit, and ask which experiences are running when you travel.
Peccioli itself has plenty to look at. The Pieve di San Verano has a Romanesque-Pisan facade, and the bell tower, 42 metres high, gives you a wide view over the valley. The Endless Sunset footbridge is coloured to reflect the 45 minutes in which the sun sets.
Across the municipality there are more than 70 works of contemporary art in the open air, and Ghizzano itself has some of them, including house facades decorated by the artist David Tremlett. I would leave time to walk around before or after your tasting.
Monterosola, Volterra: The Farthest and the Easiest to Plan
Monterosola is the farthest of the five, in Pignano, in the municipality of Volterra, and it describes itself as lying between Chianti and Bolgheri. It is also the easiest to plan, because its website lists clear formats. From a one-hour tasting to a two-hour private tour, with or without a light meal.
Because of the distance, I would build a whole day around it. Volterra deserves half a day on its own, and I mean it. A couple of hours is enough to walk the whole town. You will get a real medieval jewel with the Tuscan countryside and rolling hills all around.
Sunset from Volterra is beautiful, so if you can, time the day to be there when the light goes. The estate also arranges custom events, such as dinners or cooking classes, on request, so ask if you are travelling as a group.
Which of the Wineries Near Pisa Should You Choose?
It depends on how much of your day you want to give it. With half a day, choose Fattoria San Vito, because it is the closest and sits next to the Certosa. If farming philosophy matters to you, choose Tenuta di Ghizzano. For a long, slow afternoon, or a bed for the night, choose Pieve de’ Pitti.
For a classic working farm with a vineyard walk and a cellar visit, choose Fattoria di Fibbiano. If you are happy to spend the whole day on the road, Monterosola and Volterra reward the distance. Whichever you pick, mention your group size and any food allergies when you book. Every tasting comes with food.
How to Plan a Winery Day From Pisa
Book first, always. These are working farms, not wine bars. Fattoria San Vito makes advance booking compulsory, Pieve de’ Pitti works by appointment, and Ghizzano asks you to write ahead, so turning up unannounced is the quickest way to find a closed gate.
Then think about the car. Public transport to these estates is not something I would rely on. You will want one person who does not drink. A taxi or a private driver can cover the distance, which is exactly what Pieve de’ Pitti suggests for its own guests.
Finally, do less than you think. A tasting runs from one to three hours, plus the drive, so one winery and one sight make a full day, and two wineries are the limit. Formats change from year to year. Before you plan any of these wineries near Pisa, check the estate’s own website.
One more honest note. We are asked about countryside winery trips often. But we are licensed guides in Pisa, so we do not run them. What we do offer is wine in the city. Our Pisa wine tasting tour with Cathedral and Leaning Tower tickets includes a tasting of three Tuscan wines, to find your style before you drive anywhere.
Conclusion: Tuscany Starts Where the City Stops
Most people give Pisa an hour and a photo of the Tower. Give the hills behind it a single afternoon instead, and you will see why Tuscany does not begin two hours away. It begins just past the last roundabout. Book ahead, bring a driver, and let the estate pour.
Written by Andrea D. Maraver, licensed Pisa guide.
Vineyard photo: Image by alohamalakhov from Pixabay.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wineries Near Pisa
Yes. The five estates in this guide are between 20 minutes and a little over an hour from Pisa, in Calci, Terricciola, Peccioli and Volterra.
Yes. Fattoria San Vito requires advance booking, Pieve de’ Pitti works by appointment, and Ghizzano asks you to write to the estate first.
It is difficult. These are working farms in the hills, so a car, a taxi or a private driver is the practical way to reach them.
Fattoria San Vito in Calci, about 20 minutes by car, close to the Certosa di Calci.
Fattoria San Vito is organic, and Tenuta di Ghizzano is organic and biodynamic. For the other three, ask the estate directly.
Reds lead, with Sangiovese at the centre, under the Terre di Pisa DOC created in 2011.
From about one hour at Monterosola to about three hours at Pieve de’ Pitti, plus the drive.
Yes. Our Pisa wine tasting tour includes a tasting of three Tuscan reds with local cheeses, and it comes with Cathedral and Leaning Tower tickets.
