Ferruccio Lamborghini left tractors and cars for the vineyards of Panicale: the first vintage dates from 1975, the golf course from 1991. It is the most singular of the Italian estates where wine and greens share the same land.
A golf course inside a wine estate is a rarity. In Italy vineyards are everywhere, along the edge of many fairways, but a winery and a course that genuinely share ownership and history can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Here are the places where the winery, or a producer, stands behind the course, plus two cases where the link is simply the landscape. Prices for tastings and visits should be requested from the estates.
Tenuta Lamborghini, Panicale (Umbria)
This is the estate where everything comes together. According to the estate, the 100 hectares between the southern shore of Lake Trasimeno and the medieval village of Panicale are divided among a nine-hole golf course, a resort with a restaurant and a 36-hectare wine-growing area. Ferruccio Lamborghini bought the estate in the late 1960s and, having left the car business, returned to farming: he devoted 35 hectares to vines and planted varieties that were uncommon at the time, such as Sangiovese, Merlot and Ciliegiolo. The first official vintage dates from 1975; today the estate, owned since 2015 by the Tschang family, has vineyards of selected clones over more than 35 hectares and a programme that provides for replanting and a 5-hectare expansion. The winemaker is Riccardo Cotarella.
The Golf Club Lamborghini is a par-36 nine-hole course of 3,144 yards (2,875 metres), opened in 1991, with white-sand bunkers and a 9th hole guarded by four small lakes. The 2026 price list shows €60 for a day in low season and €70 in high season; a handicap certificate is required and the course is closed on Mondays. The estate organises cellar visits and tastings paired with local products, and has a twelve-unit resort inside the course.
Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino (Tuscany)
At Castiglion del Bosco wine is history: the estate was one of the 25 founding members of the Brunello di Montalcino Consortium in 1967, and the current cellar, on two levels and with a capacity of 3,000 hectolitres, dates from 2004. According to the club, there is a grape harvest experience every autumn, and members have access to the cellar that produces Brunello di Montalcino from 62 hectares planted only with Sangiovese.
The course is an 18-hole layout by Tom Weiskopf and Phil Smith plus the Brunello Hole, a par 3 that offers a magnum of Brunello as a prize. Note that it is a private club: play is on request or as a guest of the hotel. Those staying at the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco are among the few non-members admitted. In autumn, in the members' cellar, the hotel offers Dinner with Brunello evenings: the published dates are 26 October and 2, 9, 24 and 30 November.
Castello di Spessa, Capriva del Friuli (Collio)
Here the course lies at the foot of a thirteenth-century castle. The Golf & Country Club Castello di Spessa has 18 holes designed by Giacomo Cabrini in 2005, with gentle ups and downs among the estate's vineyards and olive groves, and a 20-bay driving range. According to the national tourism portal, the complex offers visits to the castle and cellar with tastings, a spa with wine-therapy treatments and trails for walking or cycling. Giacomo Casanova stayed here in 1773: since 2010 a trail has recalled phrases and anecdotes from that stay.
Rates, opening days and handicap limit should be requested from the club or resort (+39 0481 881009).
Franciacorta Golf Club, Corte Franca (Lombardy)
Here the relationship with wine is foundational: in 1984 the entrepreneur and producer Vittorio Moretti turned an abandoned clay quarry into the course, together with 18 other founding members. The three nine-hole loops are called Brut, Satèn and Rosé, after three types of Franciacorta. The club is in Corte Franca, and in Erbusco stands L'Albereta, the club's partner hotel. The Franciacorta Golf Club is open to guests.
Two courses among the vines, without a winery
Then there are two cases where the link is the landscape, not ownership. The Serravalle Golf Club, a par-36 nine-hole course of 2,910 metres (3,182 yards), stands in the Tenuta La Bollina, the former summer residence of the Figari marquises of Genoa, and is surrounded by rows of Gavi vines, which the club calls "the finest of Piedmont's white wines". The club does not publish an up-to-date price list (the one online dates from 2016): rates should be requested from the secretary's office. At the Golf Club I Girasoli in Carmagnola, by contrast, a vineyard runs alongside the course between the 13th and 14th holes.
How to choose
| Estate | Region | The wine side | Playing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenuta Lamborghini | Umbria | Winery and 36 hectares of vines on the same estate | Open to guests, 9 holes |
| Castiglion del Bosco | Tuscany | Brunello cellar, autumn dinners | Private club, on request or as hotel guests |
| Castello di Spessa | Friuli Venezia Giulia | Winery and tastings at the resort | Rates to be requested from the club |
| Franciacorta Golf Club | Lombardy | Founded by a producer, holes named after wines | Open to guests |
| Serravalle Golf Club | Piedmont | Only the surrounding vineyards | Closed on non-holiday Mondays |
Curiosities
- From corn to vines. According to the estate, Lamborghini devoted 35 hectares to vines after realising that corn had no future, and had an all-stainless-steel cellar built.
- A hole for Brunello. At Castiglion del Bosco the nineteenth hole rewards a player with a magnum of Brunello.
- Casanova as guest. In 1773 he stayed at Spessa.
Frequently asked questions
Are there golf courses inside a winery in Italy?+
Yes: Tenuta Lamborghini, in Panicale, has course, vineyards and winery on the same property; Castiglion del Bosco combines a private course and the Brunello cellar; Castello di Spessa has course and winery in the same resort.
Can I play at Castiglion del Bosco without staying at the hotel?+
It is a private club: play is on request or as a Rosewood guest. You should ask the club before travelling.
How much does it cost to play at Tenuta Lamborghini?+
In the 2026 price list the day rate is €60 in low season and €70 in high season (April to October). A handicap certificate is required.
Can you do wine tastings at the winery?+
At Tenuta Lamborghini and Castello di Spessa, yes: the estates offer cellar visits with tastings. Prices and days should be requested from the estate.
What do Brut, Satèn and Rosé mean at Franciacorta Golf Club?+
They are three types of Franciacorta and give their names to the club's three nine-hole loops.
What is the wine of the Serravalle course?+
The club is surrounded by Gavi vineyards, but does not name a winery of its own.
