Chianti

World-famous wine region in Tuscany

Chianti. Wine lovers will already know it. Lush vines crack through black, fertile soil and snake over trellises. They stack ever upwards in rows over hillsides. The fingers of the sun’s rays coax out clusters of Sangiovese grapes, hanging heavily in rich, juicy bunches.

Grapes are gathered and turned into the deep red wine which takes the region’s name as its own. It’s a tipple that goes hand in hand with the local cuisine. The “Fiorentina” steak is chianti’s soulmate. And they’ve been together for centuries. 

Wineries dot the landscape in this part of Tuscany. The noble Ricasoli family goes back to the 7th century CE. Chianti’s first modern recipe was developed by Baron Bettino Ricasoli in the 1800s and to this day his descendants run the largest Chianti Classico producer. You’ll find it deep in the Chiantigiana hills.

Chianti is the kind of place you could drive around for days and still not see all of its beauty. It makes you feel like you’re floating through a fuzzy dream world – even without a sip of wine. The medieval villages, stacked just-so on dainty hillsides, pose as if for a portrait artist.

Montefioralle is a highlight. Sitting beneath a wide-open blue sky flecked with puffs of cloud, it rises out of thick greenery. The many small stones used to construct its old walls and houses look like the infinite small dots used in Neo-impressionist painting. It smiles, buzzing and alive, before your eyes.

Explore the villages to your heart’s content. Gaiole. Castellina. Panzano. Take your pick – you can’t go wrong.