Snow beside the road to the house
Driving to Rignana
Below are driving directions from Rome, Milan, and Pisa, each of which has an international airport and car rental offices (you can also rent a car in Florence near the train station).
From Rome
- Whether you are coming directly from Leonardo Da Vinci Airport or from the center of Rome, begin by making your way to the Grande Raccordo Anulare (or GRA, the big highway ring around Rome) and take it going north toward FIRENZE.
- Exit the GRA at USCITA 10 (exit 10), and take the A1 tollway north, always following signs for FIRENZE. At the toll booth to enter the A1 autostrada, be sure to get a ticket from a booth that is not marked for Telepass.
- Continue north on the A1 for a couple hours, until you reach the outer limits of Florence. You will first pass the Firenze Sud exit. The next exit off the A1, FIRENZE CERTOSA, is the one to take. Continue to follow directions below from Firenze Certosa.
From Milan
- Make your way towards the A1autostrada south towards BOLOGNA/ROMA. At the toll booth to enter the AI, be sure to get a ticket from a booth that is not marked for Telepass. After an hour or so, you will pass Bologna, then climb over the Appennines along a winding route with lots of tunnels where traffic is prone to tire-screeching jams.
- Continue south on the A1 as it passes west of Florence. You will see several exits for the city. The one you want is FIRENZE CERTOSA (it is preceded by the exit for Firenze Signa). Continue to follow directions below from Firenze Certosa.
From Pisa
- Enter the FI-PI-LI highway (short for Firenze-Pisa-Livorno; this non-toll highway has no alphanumeric label) going towards FIRENZE. In about one hour you will reach the outskirts of Florence and see signs for ROMA via the A1 autostrada.
- Follow the signs for the A1 towards ROMA. At the toll booth to enter the A1, be sure to get a ticket from a booth that is not marked for Telepass.
- Go south on the A1 to the next exit (just some 5 minutes from where you entered) called FIRENZE CERTOSA.
- Once you've exited from the A1 at FIRENZE CERTOSA, you will come to a line of toll booths where you will pay for the autostrada. Again, avoid the Telepass lane.
- Immediately after the toll booths, you will come to a circular intersection. At the circle, take the first right towards SIENA. This will put you onto the Florence-Siena highway going south.
- Go 16 km on the Florence-Siena highway. Take the third exit off of the highway, TAVARNELLE. The exit ramp will curve around to an intersection where you will see signs for several towns, including Sambuca. Turn right (towards Sambuca) and cross over the highway. Keep going straight for some 200 meters (do not take the first turn with a sign for Sambuca, which would take you to a gas station), crossing over a small bridge.
- Take the second turn for SAMBUCA, a very sharp right turn.
- Follow this road toward Sambuca for about 2.5 km, then turn left at a road with a sign for the BADIA A PASSIGNANO.
- Drive up hill for about 3 km, until you come to the castle-like BADIA A PASSIGNANO, an 9th century abbey hidden behind 19th century walls. Drive to the end of the castle wall, were there is an intersection. At this intersection, take a right onto a recently-paved road with a sign for the CANTINETTA DI RIGNANA.
- This road curves down past the Badia then winds up another hill. The surface of the road alternates between asphalt and dirt. Continue for about 1.5 km until you reach a T-junction. Turn left on the road marked for POGGIO AL SOLE and CANTINETTA DI RIGNANA.
- Drive on this road (mostly dirt from here on) for another 1.5 km, passing by the Poggio al Sole vineyard, until you come to another T-junction, one with a roadside shrine to the Madonna. Turn right towards the CANTINETTA DI RIGNANA.
- The road follows a line of cypress to the Cantinetta (a great restaurant), where it squeezes between two buildings. Drive downhill, passing on your right a villa with a chapel, then on your left a dirt track for Rignana Vecchia, continuing to the first house on the left, which is ours. Park behind the defunct old white Volkswagon Golf with the license plate PYU 74Y (left to rot here by the house's owners), and come in through the gate.
Driving times
- From Rome: 3 to 3 1/2 hours
- From Milan: 4 to 5 hours
- From Pisa: 2 hours
- Aim to get to Rignana before dark, because the roads and signs are not lit up at night.
