Bolgheri is a tiny walled village about 10 kilometres south of Bibbona, famous first for the long cypress-lined avenue leading to it — immortalised in a poem by Giosuè Carducci, who grew up here — and second as the heart of the Bolgheri wine zone, home to Sassicaia, Ornellaia, and several other prestigious estates that revolutionised Italian wine in the 1970s and 80s.
The village itself takes about 20 minutes to walk through: a gate, a main street, a small piazza, the castle of the Della Gherardesca family. The real interest is outside: the cypress avenue (Viale dei Cipressi) is one of the most photographed roads in Tuscany, and wine tasting at the estates requires advance booking but is well worth the effort. The Enoteca Tognoni in the village carries a wide selection of local wines for those who prefer to taste without the formality of an estate visit.