The Malta Independent on Sunday
DISCOVER PANORAMIC CHIANTI
ONLY A FEW REGIONS CAN OFFER SUCH A BEAUTIFULLY RICH PANORAMA AS CHIA TI : GREEN HILLS, MILES AND MILES OF VINEYARDS AND OLIVE GROVES AND ANCIENT WALLED VILLAGES. CHIANTI CLASSICO SPREADS FROM FLORENCE TO SIENA AND INCLUDES THE MUNICIPALITIES OF GREVE, PANZANO, RADDA, GAIOLE AND CASTELLINA.
GREVE
Considered by many as the gate into Chianti, Greve is famous for its uniquely shaped triangular piazza that has been a market place for the surrounding castles and walled villages since the Middle Ages. Greve boasts of a variety of places where you can taste Chianti wine and enjoy local food. The porticos include many workshops, wine bars and restaurants including Antica Macelleria Falorni, a historical butcher specialising in local delicacies. Just a few steps away stands the Wine Musuem.
PANZANO
Panzano, the most populous town in Chianti, lies just a few km south of Greve. Since the 12th century Panzano has played an important defensive role for Florence and its county. Its Castello was a fundamental bulwark for defending the Florentine Republic during the battles between Florence and Siena.There are several wine bars and restaurants in Panzano that offer wine tasting. A popular place to visit is the Antica Macelleria Cecchini, a butcher shop famous for its Florentine steak where the owner recites passages from Dante's Divine Comedy while serving customers.
CASTELLINA
Moving towards Siena you'll reach Castellina in Chianti which dates back to the Etruscans. Its great position in the middle of the Chianti region made Castellina a strategical headquarter between Florence and Siena. The massive Rocca castle stands over the city and the impressive Via delle Volte, an underground tunnel around the city, offers breathtaking panoramic views. In Castellina you can taste wines in one of its many wine bars and the great, unforgettable taste of its many fresh and aged salami and cold cuts which have become an age-old art in Chianti and Tuscany.
RADDA
Leaving the Chiantigiana road and taking the SR429 you reach Radda in Chianti that still preserves its original medieval look. The ancient walls still defend the center, today filled with maze-like streets. The Palazzo del Podestà overlooks the main square together with the Romanesque Church of S. Niccolò. Wandering around Radda’s medieval streets, you can enjoy a glass of wine at one of its many wine bars overlooking the spectacular panorama of the vineyard covered hills surrounding the town. Near Radda stands the Castle of Volpaia, an ancient walled town where you can experience the ancient culture of wine.
GAIOLE
Not far from the Radda stands Gaiole in Chianti, another town dating back to the Middle Ages. Gaiole was an important market place for the castles in the surroundings because of its position between Chianti and the Valdarno (Valley of the Arno river). Gaiole is still an important point of interest in this area with many farmhouses, wine shops and wineries perfect for Chianti wine tasting.