Chianti

Chianti is an area located in parts of the provinces of Siena and Florence, placed in the center of Tuscany, Italy. The region is known for its landscapes full of vineyards (the typical Tuscan landscape) and it's famous around the world due to its wine, Chianti wine. But the area of Chianti is the most popular rural area of Tuscany, Italy and maybe Europe, having appeared in many films, books through history.

How do I arrive to Chianti?

  Chianti is located between Florence and Siena and therefore it's quite well communicated. The beast mean of transport to discover Chianti is, without any kind of doubt, the car because public transport is rather unfrequent.

• Bus: there are frequent buses that connect Greve in Chianti with Panzano in Chianti (aprox. 15 minutes) and Florence (aprox. 1 hour). Buses go to San Casciano in Val di Pesa 10 times per day from Florence (aprox. 20 minutes) and 3 times from Greve in Chianti (aprox. 30 minutes). Radda in Chianti can be arrived by bus from Castellina in Chianti (aprox. 10 minutes), Siena (aprox. 1 hour) and Florence (aprox. 1 hour 40 minutes). There are also buses from Gaiole in Chianti to Siena (aprox. 40 minutes) and from Castellina in Chianti to Siena (aprox. minutes).
  
• Car: if you rented a car, Greve in Chianti can be reached from Florence (aprox. 45 minutes), San Gimignano (aprox. 55 minutes), Siena (aprox. 55 minutes) or Arezzo (aprox. 1 hour 10 minutes). From there, the visitor can go to other towns and villages in Chianti such as Panzano in Chianti (aprox. 10 minutes), Badia a Passignano (aprox. 20 minutes), Castellina in Chianti (aprox. 25 minutes), Radda in Chianti (aprox. 25 minutes), San Casciano in Val di Pesa (aprox. 25 minutes) or Gaiole in Chianti (aprox. 35 minutes).
  

History

  The earliest documentation of a Chianti wine dates back to the 13th century when viticulture flourished around Florence. The merchants in Castellina, Gaiole and Radda formed the Lega del Chianti (League of Chianti) to produce and promote the local wine. In 1398, records note that the earliest incarnation of Chianti was as a white wine. In 1716 Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany issued an edict legislating that the three villages of the Lega del Chianti and Greve in Chianti were the only officially recognised producers of Chianti (delineation that remained unchanged until 1932, when the Italian government expanded it to include the outlying areas of Barberino Val d'Elsa, Chiocchio, Robbiano, San Casciano in Val di Pesa and Strada). By the 18th century, Chianti was widely recognised as a red wine and in the late 19th century Chianti saw a period of economic and political upheaval (first with oidium and then the phylloxera epidemic), taking Italian vineyard workers and winemakers abroad as immigrants. Following the WW2 the general trend in the world wine market for cheap, easy-drinking wine saw a brief boom for the region but with over-cropping and an emphasis on quantity over quality, the reputation of Chianti among consumers eventually plummeted. In 1967, the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) regulation set by the Italian government firmly established the "Ricasoli formula" of a Sangiovese-based blend with 10–30% Malvasia and Trebbiano. By the late 20th century, Chianti was often associated with basic Chianti sold in a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco. However, during the same period, a group of ambitious producers began working outside the boundaries of DOC regulations to make what they believed would be a higher quality wine. These wines eventually became known as the "Super Tuscans". The late 20th century saw a flurry of creativity and innovation in the Chianti zones as producers experimented with new grape varieties and introduced modern wine-making techniques such as the use of new oak barrels.

 
 

 

What can I visit in Chianti?

These are many things to do in the area, explained now according to the town where they are or the nearest one:     

Castle of Gabbiano


• San Casciano In Val di Pesa (17,129 inhabitants): town that is an important center of the local wine and olive oil industry. It doesn't have many touristic points because it was almost totally destroyed in 1944.
  
  • Castle of Bibbione: castle built before 1000 that belonged to the Buondelmonti family. In the 16th century it passed to the Machiavelli family who kept it as hunting manor till 1727. The castle has magnificent courtyards and halls and from outside it has an impressive shape Nowadays it's used as accomodation. 
  • Castle of Gabbiano: castle built int the 11th century and enlarged in the 13th century by the Bardi family of Florence. The rounded towers of  French influence were added in 1505. Today it houses a winery and an accomodation.
    

  

  St. Pancrazio Church
  

  • Giuliano Ghelli Museum (10-13 and 16-19 Thu-Sunfrom Mar to Oct; 10-13 and 15-18 Thu-Sun from Nov to Feb; ): small museum placed at the former church of the Suffragio that houses a collecction of sacred art from the Vicariate of San Casciano. It has paintings, furnishings, sculptures and a lot of sacred vestments from the churches of the area.
    
  • St. Pancrazio Church: Lombard Romanesque church that houses on its interior a Madonna with Child of Agnolo Gaddi's school and a Crucifixion by Santi di Tito.
    
  • St. Cecilia in Decimo Church: church that is probably the oldest in the area (was mentioned in a document by Charlemagne in 774 AD). It was heavily restored in 1728. At the main altar there is a 16th century Madonna and Child and at the first altar on the right, a detached fresco by Cenni di Francesco. 
    

  

  Antinori nel Chianti Classico

  • Going out of Greve 7 km it can be reached Bargino (291 people), village where finding an important winery, Antinori nel Chianti Classico (Via Cassia per Siena 133). This winery with a contemporary design offers guided tours on its intallations and wine tasting and its familly, Antinori, has been working with wine since 1180.
    
• Driving 15 km south it can be found Tavarnelle Val di Pesa (7,346 inhabitants). The main attraction of the territory of Tavarnelle is the Badia di Passignano (see below) although it has another interesting churches: St. Pietro in Bossolo Church, a Romanesque church first built in the year 990 houses works from Roman, Byzantine and Florentine schools, and St. Lucia al Borghetto Church, a Gothic church located next to a Franciscan convent built after the visit of San Francesco d'Assisi in 1220.
  

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  Piazza Giacomo Mateotti
  

  Greve in Chianti (13,829 inhabitants): largest town in the Florentine part of Chianti, center of the local winery industry. It isn't the most beautiful place in the area because most of its architecture is modern but it can be interesting to visit it, visiting the main square in town (Piazza Giacomo Mateotti) and some interesting wineries.
  
  • Museum of Sacred Art of Greve in Chianti (16-19 Tue-Fri, 10-13 and 16-19 Sat-Sun from Apr to Oct; 10-13 and 15-18 Sun from Nov to Mar): museum located in the complex of the former convent of St. Francesco with sacre art works like a Della Robbia garland, a 15th century marble bas-relief, ancient fabrics and church furnishings, goldsmiths, chalices, pyxes, monstrances.
  • Basilica of St. Croce: basilica first built in the 11th century, destroyed by Castruccio Castracani (Duke of Lucca) in 1325 with Neoclassical façade and paintings of the school of Fra Angelico.

    

    Wine Museum
    

    
    
  • Wine Museum (included in tours visiting Enoteca Falorni): small museum with a collection of objects and images that tells the story of Greve's viticulture.
    
  • Greve has a variety of wineries and enotecas that are worth to be visited. Some of the most popular ones are Vignamaggio (Via Petriolo 5), winery that offeres cooking classes, wine tasting located on a 14th century villa that belonged to the family of Mona Lisa's husband and where Much Ado About Nothing was filmed; Enoteca Falorni (Piazza delle Cantine 6), winery with more than 1000 different wines to taste; and Castello di Verrazzano (Via Castello di Verrazzano 1), winery placed in a castle that belonged to Giovanni da Verrazzano (sailor who explored part of the coast of North Amercia in the 16th century) where having different tours that include wine tasting and visiting the winery (it's recommend to book them on advance).

    

    Views of Montefioralle
    

    
    
  • Going out of Greve 2 km it can be reached Montefioralle (79 people), very picturesque village that is considered the oldest in Chianti and birth place of Amerigo Vespucci, explorer whose name was used to name the continent of America. Here it can be visite St. Stefano a Montefioralle Church, church that was built in Gothic structure and remodeled with the addition of Baroque altars and other renovations in the 19th century. It has valuable works like a canvas by Orazio Fidani or the main altar attributed to the Master of the Epiphany of Fiesole.
    
• Panzano in Chianti (1,161 inhabitants): small town (frazione of Greve in Chianti) that keeps its original medieval outlook.

  

  Church of St. Leolino a Panzano
  

  
  
  • Church of St. Leolino a Panzano (7:30-12): Romanesque church in the outskirts of Panzano with important works like the 15th century polyptych Madonna in trono col Bambino e due angeli by Mariotto di Nardo, two terracotta tabernacles by Giovanni della Robbia or a 13th century tryptych Madonna col Bambino tra i Santi Caterina, Pietro e Paolo by the master of Panzano. It's considered one of the most beautiful churches in Chianti.
  • The town has other interesting churches like St. Maria Church (church that was done in Renaissance style but reformed in the late 19th century, having since then Neo-Romanesque style) or Sant'Eufròsino Chapel (Gothic-Renaissance style chapel that appears in the Un cappello pieno di ciliegie book by Oriana Fallaci).
    
  • The town is manly known by the butcher's owned by Dario Cecchini (a Tuscan celebrity), L'Antica Macelleria Cecchini (Via XX Luglio 11).



Badia a Passignano


• Not far from Greve in Chianti and Panzano in Chianti there's the village of Badia a Passignano, tiny village built around an historic Benedictine abbey located atop a scenic hilltop surrounded by cypresses and vineyards owned by Antinori family. It can be visited St. Michele Arcangelo Church (10-12 and 15-17:30 Fri-Sat and Mon-Wed, 15-17:30 Sun from Apr to Oct),church first founded in the 11th century and destroyed in the 13th century, having been rebuilt and modified with time. Next to the main alter there's a 12th century statue representing St. Michael the Archangel and it has nice frescoes on its abse done by Il Passignano. Passignano Abbey (10-12 and 15-17:30 Fri-Sat and Mon-Wed, 15-17:30 Sun from Apr to Oct; donation) can also be visited. Four monks still live here and give guided tours of the abbey, whose highlights are the 15th century refectory with the painting L'Ultima Cena by Domenico Ghirlandaio and its gardens. It's recommended to book the tour on advance. The small village has also a winery, La Bottega di Badia a Possignano (Via di Passignano 33), where getting Antinori wines, doing a wine tasting or guided tours in the winery and the vineyards.
  
• Castellina in Chianti (2,859 inhabitants): town with a long history (founded by Etruscans), important wine center and a nice stop in the way between Siena and Florence. It may be considered the most important town of Chianti in the province of Siena.

  

  Archaeological Museum
  of the Sienese Chianti
  

  • Archaeological Museum of the Sienese Chianti (11-19 from Jun to Aug; 10-18 from Apr to May and from Sep to Oct; 5€/ 3€  adults/ reduced): small museum with intereting Etruscan pieces, tombs and remains found in the area of Chianti located in the province of Siena. Most of the archaeological pieces come from Montecalvario Tombs, group of Etruscan tombs from the 8th century BC on the outskirts of the town. It's located in part of the Castle of Castellina in Chianti (11-19), a 14th century rocca from where getting great views of Chianti.
  • Bianciardi Palace: palazzo from the 15th century that belonged to Bianciardi family and that hosted Pope Leo X, on his journeys to Rome (out of gratitude he provided the Medici coat of arms in the palace). Some members of the Bianciardi family continue to live here.
  • St. Salvador Church: early 15th century church . It has a nice fresco of Madonna with Child and a polychrome wooden statue of Christ, both from the 15th century.
    
  • Outside the town there's a nice walk by Via delle Volte, enjoying the medieval heritage in the town.



Palazzo del Podestà


• Radda in Chianti (1,587 inhabitants): small and beautiful town with old buildings and a nice main square, Piazza F. Ferrucci. It's also the site of Consorzio di Chianti Classico.
  
  • Palazzo del Podestà: 15th century palace destroyed in 1478 and rebuilt in the 16th century, used as seat of the Captain of the Chianti League for four centuries. The Florentine portico belongs to the primitive building and its façade has 51 coats of arms. Under the loggia there is a fresco of the Florentine school dating back to the 16th century.
    
  • Chianti Classico House (11:30-13 and 15-18 Mon-Sat from Apr to Oct; free): museum, placed in a 18th century monastery and controlled by Consorzio di Chianti Classico, that teaches about this wine and its history of the DOC. It can be visited the wine museum (booking on advance), wine tasting and wine tasting classes. It's also home of an enoteca and a restaurant.

  

  Castello di Volpaia

  • St. Niccolò Church: Neo-Romanesque church that was first built in the 13th century, having undergone various transformations over the centuries. The characteristic façade is a typical example of the application of the taste of late historicist eclecticism in the smaller towns of Tuscany.
    
  • Only 7 km north from Radda it's located Volpaia (44 people). Here there are many nice Tuscan restaurants and the winery Castello di Volpaia (Volpaia), with the possibility of doing a wine tasting or visiting the winery. There's a nice church here, Sant'Eufrosino Church, a Renaissance building that is home of the nice Madonna col Bambino tra i Santi Eufrosino e Giovanni battista by Cosimo Rosselli.
• Gaiole in Chianti (2,756 inhabitants): nice small town surrounded by interesting rural churches and castles. It was named number 1 by Forbes on in its list of "Europe's Most Idyllic Places To Live".
  

  • St. Sigismondo Church: Neogothic church, considered the main church in Gaiole.
    
  • San Polo in Rosso Castle: 14th century defensive structure placed in a 18th century villa where Barons of Ricasoli resided until they sold the entire complex in 1974. In the complex can also be found St. Polo in Rosso Church, a Romanesque-Gothich church dating from the 12th century with a nice interior.
    

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    Castello di Brolio
    

    Gaiole has a lot of castle around it that has now been turnt into wineries and are worth to be visited. Some of the most popular ones are: Castello di Ama, 12th century estate with vineyard and a winery that also offers a rural hotel or some impressing sculptures by artists like Louise Bourgeois, Anish Kapoor or Kendell Geers; Castello di Brolio, 11th century estate that belongs to Ricasoli family and has the oldest winery in Italy. There's a guided tour (10:30-12:30 and 14:30-17 Tue-Sun; 8€) that allows visit a museum to know more about Bettino Ricasoli (2nd Primer Minister of Italy, vital figure in the Risorgimento and inventor of the formula for Chianti Classico), the 14th century chapel where most of Ricasoli family is buried; it can also be visited the vineyard, its winery and tasting its wine. 

    

    Sculpture at Chianti Sculpture Park
    

    
    
  • Outside the village (11 km) there's the village of Pievasciata (134 inhabitants), that has a lot of outdoors sculptures. Very close to here it can be visited Chianti Sculpture Park (10-sunset; 10€/ 5€  adults/ kids), park with Contemporary works of art created by 24 international artists. The most popular one is, specially for kids, the crystal labyrinth by Jeff Saward.
    

 

Where can I drink and eat in Chianti?

Chianti Classico Gallo Nero

The main touristic attraction in Chianti is its wine. The traditional Chianti area is the one that has been discussed in this post, known as Chianti Classico, whose wine is known as Chianti Classico Gallo Nero. Chianti DOG has been expanded with years, reaching the provinces of Arezzo, Prato, Pistoia or Pisa. 

A wine that wants to be called Chianti has to contain at least an 80% of wine from Sangiovese grape (in can be mixted with wine from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Syrah grapes; 100% Sangiovese wines weren't allowed until 1995). The traditional receipe of Chianti was created by Baron Bettino Ricasoli (later PM of the Kingdom of Italy) in the middle of the 19th century, consisting of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and 15% Malvasia bianca.

There are different kinds of Chianti wine, according to different criteria: the wine that fulfill less requirements is named Chianti, the ones that follow tougher requirements (lower yield, higher alcohol content and dry extract) are named Chianti Superiore (although wines from Chianti Classico can't be Chianti Superiore) and the wine that is aged more time (38 months instead of 7 months) is called Chianti Riserva.

San Casciano In Val di Pesa has some nice traditional restaurants such as Villa I Barronci (Via Sorripa 10), Rinuccio 1180 (Via Cassia per Siena 133 in Bargino) or L'Osteria di Casa Chianti (Via Lucardese 82 in Certaldo), although another choice can be going back to Florence to eat.

Greve in Chianti has some interesting places to eat such as Bistro Falorni (Piazza Giacomo Matteotti 71). Here there's also a shop where buying traditional food and cold meat from Chianti, Antica Macelleria Falorni (Piazza Giacomo Matteotti 71). In case of going to Monterioralle it's a good idea to eat at La Castellana (Via di Montefioralle 2). If you decide to visit Panzano in Chianti the best idea is trying one of the three restaurants that belong to Dario Cecchini, whose food is based on meat: Officina della Bistecca (Via XX Luglio 11), Solociccia (Via XX Luglio 11) or Diario DOC (Via XX Luglio 11).

In case of visiting Badia di Passignano there's a important culinary offer (specially compared with the size of the site) with Tuscan traditional restaurants like L'Antica Scuderia (Via di Passignano 17) and La Cantinetta di Regnana (Via Rignana 13 in Greve in Chianti), or the modern restaurant Osteria di Passignano (Via di Passignano 33).

Castellina in Chianti has some nice Tuscan traditional restaurants like Taverna Squarcialupi (Via Ferruccio 26) or Ristorante Albergaccio (Via Fiorentina 63). In case of wanting to buy wine, the most popular shop for that is Antica Fattoria la Castellina (Viale della Rimembranza 28).

If you are in Radda in Chianti and your budget is high, it can be tried the nice La Botte di Bacco (Viale XX Settembre 23). But it can also be a good idea to go to Volpaia to eat at Bar Ucci (Piazza Della Torre 9), osteria Volpaia (Vicolo della Torre 2) or the Tuscan restaurant La Bottega (Piazza della Torre 1).

In Gaiole in Chianti it's a good idea eating at Castello di Brolio, either at Osteria del Castello or tasting and buying wines at Cantina Barone Ricasoli, or at Castello di Ama.

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