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Chianti  guide

Chianti class trademark

Chianti map, Tuscany, Italy



 

Visit our wine cellar in the center of Siena
Chianti can be compared to a unique vineyard. Hundreds of rows of vines represent the most characteristic feature of Chianti, the land where excellent wines are produced. The high quality of Chianti wine is the result of millenary knowledge and   a great tradition of wine-making.  Chianti wine has been of great importance since Etruscan times.

Chianti wine  is mostly produced  utilising grapes of Sangiovese 75%, Canaiolo 10%, Trebbiano and Malvasia, as well as, Cabernet and Merlot. The feature peculiar to a Chianti wine is a very small yield per plant and a 12 degree minimum of alcoholic content. To ensure the best quality of Chianti wine, producers cannot sell the wine until a year after the harvest. Wine-making, preservation, aging and bottling have to take place inside the production zone. A "Gallo Nero" (black cock) is the trademark which guarantees a bottle of real Chianti wine. To have the "Gallo Nero" label, producers have to put the wine through a  a rigid taste testing.

Two kinds of wine are available on the market: "Normal" and "Reserve".

"Normal" is Chianti Classico labelled with a "Gallo Nero" surrounded by the red border.

"Reserve" is labelled with the ancient trademark surrounded by the golden border and it is produced with the best grapes which, after a minimum of 27 months aging, give the wine a special full bodied flavour.

The colour of Chianti is ruby red, tending towards pomegranate red when aged. The flavour is harmonic, dry, sapid, slightly tannic, with an intensely vinous aroma and occasionally a violet scent. The wine of Chianti is perfect to accompany all foods, but especially the traditional food of Tuscany, such as game dishes, roast meats and cheeses.

The name of Chianti is linked to the wine, but also its Olive oil is of the highest quality. A Farmers Union guarantees its quality and establishes its characteristics. It is produced respecting ancient tradition and conserved in terracotta pots. Observing these rules the best olive oil comes up with a unique taste, the leading actor in Italian cooking.
 

Greve in Chianti

Greve in Chianti. 236 mt above sea level, 12,000 pop., 30 km from Florence, 35 km from Siena.

Right in the center of Tuscany, on a hill top entirely covered by trees and vineyards, amid   beautiful scenery, lies the village of Greve in Chianti.
In the heart of Chianti, halfway between Siena and Florence, Greve in Chianti, the "city of wine", with its vineyards, olive groves, castles, churches and medieval hamlets is the unavoidable choice for visitors who are looking for a real taste of Tuscany.

  • Sightseeings: The beautiful triangular piazza in the center of the village.


    Greve in Chianti events and festivals :
     
  • A weekly market in the main piazza (Piazza Matteotti) of Greve in Chianti takes place every Saturday morning
     
  • Antiques and collectors' fair twice a year - on Easter Monday and the second Sunday of October.
     
  • "Plants and flowers market exhibition" - 1st Sunday in May
     
  • Chianti Wine Festival - 2nd weekend of September and preceding Friday.
     
  • Grape harvest - the date varies from year to year, but the vintage usually takes place in late September or early October.
     
  • Panzano in Chianti: "Celebration of the Good Season" ("Festa della Stagion Bona") 25 April
     
  • San Polo in Chianti: "Iris Festival" - 2nd week in May
     
  • Strada in Chianti: "Festival of Peasant Civilisation "- 4th week in April
  • Chiocchio - "Boar Festival" - 4th week in April
     
  • Lucolena: "Chestnut Festival" - last Sunday in October
     
  • Amenities
  • Sports Facilities:
  • Municipal Stadium of Greve in Chianti
  • Indoor and open air swimming pools in Greve in Chianti
     
  • A very important Chianti Classico wine tasting center has been established in  Greve in Chianti. The wine cellar dates back to the second half of the 1800s and covers 600 square meters. The tasting center is strategically placed on the so-called "wine road", State road 222, which goes from Florence to Siena across the Chianti region. In this enoteca (wine shop) visitors have easy access to a selection of over a hundred wines, in addition to, a wide range of other local products, including Tuscan olive oil, Vin Santo (sweet wine of Tuscany) and Chianti grappa.
     

 Castellina in Chianti

Museums and sightseeings :

  • Town hall Etruscan exhibition:
    It hosts Etruscan finds from excavations in the surrounding district.
  • Etruscan necropolis of Poggino.
  • Etruscan burial mound of Montecalvario.
    The 7C b.c. tomb was discovered in 1507 and is a four-roomed tomb with rooms disposed towards the four cardinal points. Built for an Etruscan aristocratic family, the tomb is especially interesting for the town-planning structure of the plan. In the tomb, steel and bronze decorations from a war chariot and a lion's head made of pietra serena were found.
  • Town hall of Castellina in Chianti.
  • Fonterutoli.
  • The Curch of St. Martino a Crispiano
  • The Church of St. Leonino in Conio.
  • The Church of St. Agnese.
  • The Church of SS. Salvatore.

Amenities:

  • Sport centers (tennis courts and football ground).
  • Bus service.
  • Closest train station: Castellina Scalo village.
  • Disco.
  • Tourist information:  Town hall.
  • Market day:  Saturday morning.

Castelnuovo Berardenga

Museums and sightseeings :

  • Villa Chigi garden in Castelnuovo Berardenga:
    Built between 1820 and 1840. The park hosts a wide variety of trees. Classic "Italian garden" - Nice fountain by Tito Sarrocchi (1866) - Large collection of statues dedicated to great musicians, a sort of gallery of music - open on Sunday and public holidays - Free entrance

  • Museo del Paesaggio (Landscape museum) in Castelnuovo B.ga - closed on Mondays
  • The Parish church of Pacina
  • San Gusmè
  • Pievasciata
  • Vagliagli
    Very beautiful borgo in excellent panoramic position.
  • Badia d'Ombrone
  • San Felice
  • Certosa di Pontignano
    Very harmonious complex of medieval and renaissance buildings. 
  • Villa a Sesta
  • Borgo Monastero

Amenities:

  • Sport centers with tennis courts, football grounds, bowling greens, public pool, basketball and volleyball.  
  • Skating rink
  • Market day :  Thursday morning
  • Riding school
  • Closest train station: Castenuovo B.ga Scalo
  • Tourist information: Municipal Tourist office in Via del Chianti 1, open 10:00-13:00 / 15:30-19:30

Gaiole in Chianti

Museums and sightseeings :

  • Castello di Brolio. Open 9:00 - 18:00
    Dating back  to the 9th century, it is a very impressive castle. It preserves the ancient keep, the fortifications and the chapel.  The wine cellar of the castle is famous all over the world for the celebrated wines of Brolio. The castle is on the road from Gaiole in Chianti to Montevarchi.
  • Parish Church of Santa Maria a Spaltenna
  • Parish Church of San Giusto in Salcio
  • Parish Church of San Polo in Rosso
  • Castello di Meleto
    Perfectly preserved, it is a rare example of a fortified medieval farm, with impressive circular towers, overlooking the surrounding vineyards of Chianti Classico.
  • Castello di Cacchiano
  • Badia a Coltibuono
    Romanesque abbey and cloister,  nowadays transformed into wine cellars.   Built in the 10th-11th century  and inhabited by the Vallombrosan Benedictine monks up to the beginning of the 19th century.
  • Torre di Montegrossi

Amenities:

  • Sport center: tennis courts and football ground, bowling green and gym.
  • Market day: 2nd Monday of the month 
  • Car hire.
  • Tourist information: Tourist board in Via Ricasoli 50, Gaiole in Chianti

Radda in Chianti  

Museums and sightseeings :

  • Palazzo del Podestà
  • Convento dei Francescani
  • Castello di Volpaia

Amenities:

  • Sport center with tennis courts and football ground.
  • Cinema
  • Market day: 4th Monday of the month 
  • Car hire
  • Tourist information: "Pro Loco" office in P.zza Ferrucci 1, open 10:00-13:00 / 15:30-19:30

Chianti driving directions: The best way to visit Chianti is to come by car from Florence or Siena along Route 222, the very attractive "Chiantigiana" highway passing through the Chianti wine area. Visitors  arriving from Rome can leave the motorway at Figline in the Val d'Arno. From the west, there is a road connecting with the highway at Tavarnelle or S. Donato.


By Train : The closest railway stations are Siena and Florence: Train schedules

By Air : International flights to Rome, Milan or  Pisa.
The closest airports are Siena Ampugnano Airport and Florence.