Perched on a cypress-lined ridge in the heart of Chianti Classico, Badia a Passignano is a tiny stone hamlet wrapped around a medieval abbey—the Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo (Vallombrosan order, documented since the 10th–11th century). Expect cloistered walls, crenellated towers added in later restorations, and panoramic vineyard views. Wikipedia What you’ll see (outside & village): The scenic approach through cypress avenues and Sangiovese vineyards (Antinori’s historic Badia a Passignano estate lies below the hamlet). The Romanesque church of San Michele Arcangelo by the abbey walls and the nearby parish church of San Biagio just outside the gate—both part of the area’s layered medieval fabric. Narrow lanes, stone archways, and postcard-ready viewpoints over Chianti’s rolling hills