Free Guide of Tuscany - Chianti Area

The Chianti district of central Italy, located west of the Val d'Elsa and east of the mountains of the same name, is actually part of Tuscany.  The district stretches between Florence and Siena, and the two historical cities have always claimed it as their own, as have the numerous medieval towns in between. Its unifying element is the world-famous Chianti wine, the area’s most typical product, made mainly from the Sangiovese grape.
The area has long been considered the ‘heart of Tuscany’, and features splendid landscapes packed with vineyards, chestnuts, oaks and holm-oaks, pretty medieval towns, romantic castles and fascinating farmhouses. It is a hilly area, and the highest mountain is San Michele, which stands 893 metres high.
The dispute about the actual boundaries of the area goes back a long way. Cosimo III, Grand-Duke of Tuscany, attempted to better define the Chianti in the eighteenth century. In the end, it was the area's wine producers who succeeded, when in 1924 they established the first association of Chianti wine producers in Radda in Chianti, a town in the province of Siena.
The history of the Chianti's origins and the area’s wine-making tradition have made the Clante area (the name of a river in Etruscan times) world famous. Its gently rolling hills boast extraordinary panoramas, dramatic gorges and picturesque roads. For those coming from Florence, the natural gateway to the land of wines is Impruneta. The town features important monuments like the crenellated bell-tower (13th century) and the basilica of Santa Maria (Romanesque in origin with subsequent remodelling) with its Treasury Museum, which contains precious jewellery, illuminated manuscripts and a fine marble bas-relief by Luca della Robbia. It is also the venue for two international events: the grape festival, held on the last Sunday of September, which features a parade of allegorical floats, and the Festival of San Luca in the month of October. Behind Florence on the road to Siena is the old medieval town of Greve in Chianti, which should not be missed. It has an ancient triangular piazza, which has always been the market place, and is now a focal point of the city’s day and night life. It is surrounded by palazzos, porticoes and loggias, all converging on the parish Church of Santa Croce. In September the piazza hosts the most important wine show in Chianti. The city is dominated by the castle of Montefioralle, an ancient fortified town located on a hill, from which there is a fabulous view. Not far away is Volpaia, a quaint medieval town built at the feet of a castle, and a historic wine production site. A little further down the road is Radda in Chianti, another medieval town that sprung up around the 14th–century church of San Nicolò and the majestic town hall (circa 1415). In addition to its fine city centre, Radda also offers guests two other little surprises. To the north and south of the city is the parish church of San Giusto in Salcio, located in a luxuriant valley among the vineyards, and the parish church of Santa Maria Novella, which has a characteristic Romanesque façade and unusually decorated capitals featuring eagles andlions.
Continuing towards the Chianti mountain pass in the direction of Siena you come first to Gaiole, one of the most famous landscapes in Italy, and then to numerous farms and castles such as San Leonino and Fonterutoli.

What to do
The Chianti district is the ideal place for a journey through spectacular medieval towns, vineyards and an enchantingly sloping landscape. Every small town hides wine cellars, castles, farms and the famous black Cockerel brand, the symbol of Chianti par excellence. Visitors should not miss the chance to try the fine wine in one of the many wine bars located against nestled into the surrounding hills. The district's rolling landscape makes it ideal for mountain bike lovers, who can savour every last detail of the countryside. In the part of the Chianti near Siena, just outside Radda, it is worth visiting the Chianti Classico association (consorzio), which houses the Chianti Historic Studies Centre, where visitors can learn about the history of the famous wine and farming in the region. The Centre has a well-stocked library, and often organises conferences and interesting seminars. If you choose to visit Chianti in the autumn, you might enjoy stopping off at Poggibonsi. Here, in October there is an event that aims to re-enact the ancient grape-pressing technique used in the hills. The competition pits seven districts against one another. The neighborhoods of Centro, Falco, Borgaccio, Cimamori, Romituzzo, Girata de' Preti and Orti compete for il Pigio, a demi-john decorated by a local artist, which goes to the team that produces the most must, and for the Zipolo, the upper part of the demi-john, which goes to the district that has produced the best show at the event.


Local gastronomy
After steak, ribollita is the most famous dish in Tuscan cooking. It is a traditional dish to use up leftovers. Its name derives from the fact that the main ingredients are cooked vegetables left over from the previous day, which are boiled together with the addition of stale bread seasoned with extra virgin olive oil. Other traditional dishes in the area are hors d’oeuvres such as toast with chicken livers, bruschetta with tomato, and capocollo salami from Siena, more commonly known as finocchiata. This salami's creation dates back to the time when spices were a very precious commodity, and pepper was rare and expensive. The farmers needed to preserve the salami without using too much of the precious pepper, and they soon learned to use fennel seeds, which have antiseptic properties. Obviously no table is complete without the fine wine which bears the Chianti name.

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