Bassetto Guesthouse is located at the historical Fattoria Bassetto, in the town of Certaldo and close to San Gimignano.

Our family home was formerly a monastery of Benedictine Monks. Dating back to the end of the 14th century, Bassetto was always open to pilgrims passing through on the Via Francigena, headed to Rome. The monks produced wine here and legend has it that one of Bassetto’s wine cellars had a tunnel to a nearby forest so that in the event of an onslaught the inhabitants and people from the town could make a quick getaway.

After the unification of Italy in the 19th century, the monastery was bought by the aristocratic family Guicciardini and transformed into a prosperous farm. A large new wine cellar was built and production of the wine reached 3,000 hectolitres per year by the beginning of the 20th century. 

Fattoria Bassetto was also producing olive oil and had hundreds of hectares of grain and tobacco fields, alongside dozens of cows, pigs, and other domestic animals. The wine cellar itself was the second largest in all of Tuscany and only stopped producing wine approximately 30 years ago. 

In 1998 the family decided to convert the property into a traveller’s guesthouse and take the the place back to it’s original purpose; a stopping point for weary travellers on their pilgrimage through the wonderful cities of Italy. We wanted our guesthouse to be unique in terms of setting and location, a place you would want to return to in the evening after a tour, somewhere to relax as if you were at home.

During your stay at Bassetto Guesthouse you should not miss the opportunity to take a stroll around the old medieval town of Certaldo Alto, birth place of Giovanni Boccaccio, writer of the famous medieval novel Decameron. Certaldo Alto is one of the most scenic of Tuscany, renowned for its rolling hills, castles and towers. The Alto hosts a Medieval Dinner on 2nd weekend of June and Mercantia, one of the worlds largest street performance festivals, each July. Both events start in the evening on the streets of Certaldo, with medieval atmosphere, fun, food and wine guaranteed!

If you need a relaxing break from the busy cities then we are the place for you!  At Bassetto you will find a home away from home, where you will be able to re-gather your thoughts whilst relaxing next to our pool, or swing the afternoon away in a hammock with a glass of wine in hand. In the evening you can take a stroll to the vineyards and watch the sun set over Certaldo Alto and at night you can sit in the garden looking up at the stars and chatting with your hosts and fellow guests, surrounded by fireflies. 

We look forward to welcoming you to our home away from home, warmest regards from Francesco (Landlord) and Jo (Manager).