There are landscapes more suitable for winter, and others that give their best in summer. If Provence is moving in spring, when lavender blooms, it is said that London should be visited at Christmas when it acquires a particular magic.
Chianti is beautiful in all seasons, there is no doubt about it, but the time when it unfolds all its wonders is probably autumn.
The colours of its soft hills descend in a thousand shades of red, ochre, yellow and brown, creating a symphony of nuances in which it is easy to lose sight.
Sometimes a trickle of mist makes the landscape even more magical, offering a little more poetry to the small medieval villages and to the farmhouses lost in the countryside.
Not only that: autumn is harvest time, of festivals dedicated to wine in its best habitat. The typical flavours of the area are revealed, while the aromas, squares and houses spread exquisite aromas.
Among olive groves and vineyards, medieval castles and landscapes that seem (and have been a thousand times) painted, Chianti is proposed as the autumn destination par excellence, a place of relaxation, beauty and taste with few equals in the world.
Let's see together our favourite destinations in this land that nature and man, in harmony, have made a work of art in the open.
It is no coincidence that it is called "La porta del Chianti": from here you enter the region.
But Greve is not just a gateway to the beauty of the surrounding hills.
The birthplace of the famous traveller Giovanni da Verrazzano has a lot to offer: the beautiful, very particular Piazza Matteotti, the ancient arcades, the works of Andrea della Robbia in the Church of Santa Croce, the Wine Museum and the medieval castle of Montefioralle are all stages unmissable.
In the homonymous village, among other things, there is the family home of another great traveller, who gave his name none other than to America: Amerigo Vespucci. Strange to say, but Chianti was really a land of navigators!
For all meat lovers, eventually, the Falorni Butcher Shop is an authentic temple of taste.
Continuing along the road between Greve and Radda, do not miss the beauty of the ancient Romanesque church of San Leolino, dating back to the seventh century, and the twisted alleys of the small village of Panzano.
It is compulsory to visit the Ancient butcher Cecchini, the "den" of the one who is now known everywhere as the "butcher poet", that Dario Cecchini who has made the Florentine steak even more legendary in the world.
A small village surrounded by walls, walkable by visitors in search of breathtaking landscapes, offers fine wines, charming alleys and a thousand-year history. Nearby, two other tiny villages untouched for centuries, where it is possible to imagine ladies and knights as if time had not passed: Volpaia and Vertine.
Still starting from Greve, but heading towards Lamole, you can discover a magical place: Villa Vignamaggio.
Its vineyards are history, its gardens are pure Italian magic.
Difficult to establish the historical truth, but just between these ancient walls would be born Monna Lisa del Giocondo.
Yes, just that young lady with the strange smile that appears in the most famous of Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings, the "Gioconda".
Having to choose among all the villages of Chianti the one immersed in the most "heart-throbbing" landscape, many would name Gaiole. The surrounding hills are teeming with farms, ruins, castles and ancient churches.
Among all, the imposing Castle of Brolio, where the ghost of Baron Ricasoli is still known.
The silence of the forest envelops the ancient stones of this abbey with almost a thousand years of life.
It is said that the Vallombrosan monks who founded it were among the first in Europe to cultivate the vine, and the taste of the wines produced in the vineyards of this mystical place are still worthy of its ancient fame.
These are our favourite destinations, but Chianti is so much more. Let’s mention at least Castellina with its fortified walls and covered walkways of Via delle Volte, Barberino Val d'Elsa with its tower-houses, the beautiful Pieve di San Piero in Bossolo near Tavarnelle and the famous wine bar Albergaccio in Sant'Andrea in Percussina, which hosted another famous Tuscan: Niccolò Machiavelli.
Chianti is a very suitable land for walking, trekking, bike lovers.
Every type of traveller can find his ideal way here: the running enthusiast will surely enjoy the ups and downs and the dirt roads that unfold throughout the area, the cyclist can enjoy soft bends and paths immersed in nature, the gourmet will not be spoiled for choice.
Book your autumn holiday in Chianti now: contact the Albero del Chianti for info and reservations!
info@albergodelchianti.it; +39 055 853763
Do you want to have a different culinary experience? Diversus is the first restaurant in the Chianti region specialized in fish. Try the special recipes of our chef, Roberto Galli (here our interview), in a magical location, right in the heart of the most beautiful square in Greve.
Info and reservations:
info@diversusrestaurant.it;+39 055 853763
But also cocktail bar, because in addition to wine, however good it may be, there is more
