The Montalbano ridge rises to the northeast of Cerreto Guidi, forming the wooded backdrop visible from the villa's terraced ramps. The hills are covered in oak and chestnut forest above the lower slopes of vineyards and olive groves, and a network of white gravel roads — the strade bianche that Tuscan cyclists love — thread through the countryside. This was the hunting ground that justified Cosimo I building his villa here in the first place; today walkers and cyclists come for the views across the Arno valley and the quiet of the woods. The area is part of the broader Chianti Montespertoli wine zone.