Chianti is an area of the Tuscany made famous by the homonymous red wine. It has a lot to offer to a visitor interested in wine, food and natural beauty. Many wineries are open for tour and tasting, and some also offer accommodation services.
To know
Chianti is above all a wine area. It is not an administrative region and includes parts of the Tuscan provinces of Florence, Siena but also in a broader sense Arezzo is Pisa. The Chianti DOCG wine denomination is divided into seven sub-regions (Classico, Colli Aretini, Colli Fiorentini, Colline Pisane, Colli Senesi, Montalbano and Rufina), of which Classico is the most famous.
The Chianti Classico region in turn is defined by the cities between Florence and Siena: Greve in Chianti, Panzano In Chianti , Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti is Radda in Chianti. Almost all of the famous Chianti estates are located near one of these towns, though Rufina is located east of Florence.
In addition to red wine, many producers produce the Vin Santo del Chianti dessert wine and "Super Tuscan" wines that do not adhere to DOC regulations. Some also produce olive oil.
Territories and tourist destinations
Urban centers
Other destinations
How to get
By plane
From abroad, usually the best way to reach Chianti is to fly to an airport in Tuscany, such as the airport of Pisa or Florence, or some other major airport in Italy.
On the train
Alternatively, from Central Europe you may want to take a train toItaly. Once in Italy and preferably in Tuscany, you have to make sure you reach Florence; this will be easy as the city has good rail links with the rest of the country. From Florence there are several alternatives to get to Chianti: car rental, bus, taxi, etc.
More precise instructions are difficult to give as they depend a lot on where you are leaving from and exactly where you will be staying (Florence, Siena, Greve in Chianti or some other place in the region).
How to get around
By car
Chianti is easier to explore with a car. The most likely place to start the journey is Florence, where rental services are plentiful. The most important road to know is the Chiantigiana from Florence to Siena, as it penetrates the heart of the region, the Chianti Classico.
By bus
Without a car, the region is accessible by SITA buses from Florence.
By bike
The Chianti hills are a magnificent place for cycling tours. By bike you can enjoy the beautiful landscape of this region to the fullest. You will rarely ride on flat roads, as well as on steep passages, but you will have to pay attention to the hot hours of the day during the summer. You can start from Greve in Chianti, for example, where you can rent a bicycle.
What see
For someone interested in museums, churches and the like it is not necessary to leave Florence or Siena. However, the Chianti area can be an excellent base from which to explore Tuscany as a whole without having to stay in these crowded cities. The countryside is stunning and the absolute gems to visit are the hamlets of Montefioralle is Volpaia and the beautiful cities of Greve in Chianti, Panzano in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti.
What to do
The region is a priceless treasure for those interested in exploring the food and wine culture of Tuscany.
With strong competition only from some neighboring regions of Tuscany and the Piedmont, Chianti is one of the main wine areas in Italy. The best way to visit the cellars and taste their products is on the last Sunday of May, when many producers all over Italy open their doors for the festival of Open Cellars. Tastings are free and reservations are not necessary, so if you like wine and happen to be in Tuscany at that time, this is a fantastic opportunity not to be missed. It should however be kept in mind that not all wine produced in Chianti is exceptional and that some of the best producers don't even participate in Open Cellars, so it makes sense to plan ahead and be demanding.
The olive groves are also the pride of the territory and, although it is not normally possible to visit an oil mill, olive oil can be purchased directly from the producers. The olives are pressed in November and December and thenew oil, which is very tasty for the first few months, is especially popular for bruschetta and the ribollita .
At the table
Food in the region is often paired well with a glass of Chianti. You might want to choose more robust Chianti with foods like wild boar or Florentine steak than with pasta, but it's quite common to have a quartino or share a bottle of the house of Chianti with an entire meal in trattorias in the region. Of course, if you are an avid drinker or with a large group, it is preferable to choose one bottle with first courses (pasta or soup) and another with second courses (usually chicken or red meat in this region).
If you have access to your own cooking equipment, you might want to follow the cook's adage that food tastes better when you use good wine in your sauces, and so drinking some of the same wine during your meal highlights. the flavors of both: food and wine.
Drinks
Those who want to go to Chianti, it is natural to assume that they will want to drink wine. Chianti is a pure Sangiovese, although other wines can be produced in which smaller quantities of other grape varieties are added. There are different philosophies on the production of wines: some prefer traditional blends with Sangiovese and other local grapes (including white ones), some use international varieties such as merlot, and finally there are those who only use the Sangiovese for their Chianti.
The taste of wine depends a lot on the decisions of the producer, but also on the exact place where the vines are grown. Sangiovese is known as a rather difficult grape to grow and the differences in the land affect the taste of the resulting wine. Traditionally Chianti is a light wine with high acidity with a slightly bitter but fruity taste and aromas of berries. As international markets demand wines rich in fruit and spirits, Chianti is also changing and more modern versions have a fuller, though less recognizable, taste.
Tourist infrastructure
There are many lovely hilltop towns in Chianti with many good hotels and B & Bs. However, if you want to get away from traffic and noise, then this is the opportunity to stay in one of the dozens of "farmhouses" in the area, working farms that also rent apartments or rooms to travelers who would like to live in the countryside up close. of Chianti. It makes sense to choose a central location and use it as a base for your travels to Florence is Siena, as well as their own trips to the beautiful towns and villages, such as Castellina in Chianti, Saint Gimignano, Panzano in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and so on above.
