Il Chianti

A magical name: just uttering it conjures up a sigh of admiration. Chianti is the name of a wonderful parcel of Tuscan land halfway between Florence and Siena; one of the Italian names best known outside Italy and this says it all about its popularity. Chianti, a harmonious land, the perfect creation by a superior hand, with its winding contours modelled into amazing shapes by mankind, a land that has always fascinated, aroused, amazed and excited; the ideal muse of the great masters of art, the background depicted by the brushes of the leading Renaissance artists. We could say much more to stir up emotions in an attempt to conjure up a truthful image of this fantastic land as much as possible in prose. But we don’t want to go over the top since excess begins to grate; instead we’ll lead you by the hand to discover the little towns where time has stood still, the churches with an air of silent mysticism, the many farmhouses now food for thought on the international real estate market, which dot the sinuous lines of a land where hospitality is still a sacred value and the lifestyle has flavours that we thought had been lost. It is a corner of Tuscany that has been kissed by the hand of fortune with its wealth of noble past and extraordinary beauty; for centuries a land with confines that, like a beautiful princess surrounded by suitors, has born witness to the sword fights and cannon balls of the knights who wanted to marry her. Its castles, walled towns, cobbled streets and history also starts here and especially now with that red nectar of the gods that is envied the world over.

This ruby magic that bursts forth under the modern name “Chianti Classico”, but which gladdens the most pleasure-loving feasts since the nineteenth century when one of the representatives of the noble families of the area, the baron Bettino Ricasoli, officially came up with the magic formula… These lands practically have an ancestral bond with the vine and wine, which is lost in the mists of time and was established in the recent finding in a Chiantishire archaeological site of some seeds from twenty-three centuries ago of Vitis vinifera (the common grape vine). Today, experiencing the Chianti area means experiencing one of the few places in the world that can proudly call itself a “land of wine” since its culture here is real, historical, documented and handed down through generations. Discovering Chianti means driving along winding roads, at times unpaved and dusty, with a unique charm, and unearthing the small towns of Chianti Senese, bend after bend. Radda, the town of vines set between the waters of the Arbia and Pesa in a dense weft of vineyards that are revealed amongst its alleyways, ancient castle and silence. Castellina, perched around its town walls, with its history as a borderland, its fifteenth-century stronghold mentioned by Vasari and the Chianti Archaeological Museum (www.museoarcheologicochianti.it ), which bears witness to how long this land was frequented by the Etruscans.

There are two floors and two different sections well worth a visit in the stronghold in Piazza del Comune (open: until 31 October from Monday to Sunday from 10 am to 6:30 pm - closed on Wednesday). Gaiole, the old merchant crossroads of thirteenth- and fourteenth-century trade and the economy that circulated around the numerous castles of the area. Castelnuovo Berardenga, the witness of the battle of Montaperti, later transformed into Castelnuovo, where you can do no other than discover the lofty architectural elegance and the sumptuous garden of Villa Chigi Saracini, where we can catch a distant glimpse of Siena. Then there are the magical crenellated castles all around, which have made centuries of would-be princesses fall in love and which still continue to be the ideal setting for major Hollywood productions and one of the most sought-after exclusive locations for unforgettable ceremonies. The centuries pass us by, but the magic of Chianti is never-ending.


Information: Apt Siena - Piazza del Campo, 56 - Siena
Phone: 0577 280551 Fax: 0577 281041
Website: www.terresiena.it
E-mail: infoaptsiena.it@terresiena.it

(Portions of this article first appeared in "Toscana & Chianti News")
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