You’d be forgiven for never having heard of Capalbio. Until now, that is. 45 kilometres southeast of Grosseto and just 10 minutes from the Lazio border, earliest records of this picturesque Tuscan border town date to 805 CE when it was donated to the Tre Fontane Abbey, near Rome, by Charlemagne. History aside, the town comes alive in the summer given its vicinity to the sandiest of beaches and the endless, clear blue of the Mediterranean.
Flowers together © Monteverro
When your pale skin can take no more lobsterization, my advice is to seek a winery (isn’t it always?). Specifically, for Capalbio è Vino, a summer showcase of contemporary art and oh-so-natural wine organized by seven local wineries: Monteverro, Borgociro, Il Cerchio, Il Ponte, Tenuta Monteti, Vigna sul Mare and Villa Pinciana. Each cantina will host a contemporary site-specific artwork until September, greeting gourmands with sustenance for the soul while sipping the sun-kissed wines of Southern Tuscany.
At Monteverro, for instance, up-and-coming artist Elena Saracino has crafted a bouquet of flowers in bamboo and fabrics at the entrance to the winery famous for its luscious wines—the art has even filtered into the wine, as seen in the restyled Vermentino and Verruzzo labels with their closed flowers just about to bloom.
Pick up a map from one of the participating wineries, pop on your sunglasses and go exploring—glass in hand, of course.
