Chianti Wine Tour and Tuscan Landscapes

Cypress lined roads, grapevine rows that seem not to end, green hills, enchanting estates and small fortified villages nestled in the landscape - That is what Chianti looks like ... Imagine what it feels like to surround yourself with such beauty and calmness, perhaps also sip a glass of aromatic red wine...

Chianti: when to visit the Chianti area?

Chianti is one of the most dreamy places on earth – a region in the heart of Tuscany, quite near Florence and Siena. The area gives it’s name to the most famous Italian wine... Winemaking is mentioned in early documents; the first official document referring to winemaking of Chianti Wine dates back to 1398.

From one generation to the other, Chianti has held the tittle of best wine-producing area in Italy - and that is most likey translated also as one of the best wine-producing areas in the world. You have most likely first heard of Chianti as “Chianti the wine” but it offers way more than that. In Chianti, food delicacies have always played a key role in the table. If you want to taste everything that the area has to offer, the best thing you can do is take Chianti tasting tour. The local specialties are always on the itineraries of tour operators - and you get them all, the view, the food, the wine and the calmness of Italian Countryside.

If you are not quite sure of when should you travel in Chianti, here you have a short guide on seasons in Chianti and what they feel like. 

• Spring comes with great temperatures - not too hot and you can takeadvantage and walk, take pictures in the fields filled with red poppies.
• Autumn is most likely to be your favourite season in Chianti. Nature looks stunning with it’s color combinations and you might be lucky enough to see the process of grape harvest.
• Winter is not the coldest or freezing and if you are that type, you can spend a quiet vacation in a Chianti village and enjoy the snow covered vineyards.
• Summer is when the sunflowers bloom and there is a truly magical atmosphere everytime the sun sets.

What to visit in Chianti

1. Monteriggioni is a small village in Chianti, known all over the world. This place is so striking that was used as set for famous video games Assassin's Creed 2 and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.
2. Greve in Chianti is the gate into Chianti and has a beautiful triangular market square.
3. Radda is another small walled village, 19 km from Greve. while there visit the Church of San Niccolò and Palazzo del Podestà; there is also an archaeological site just out of the village, on a small hillock named Poggio La Croce. This village dates back to the Copper Age.
4. The Brolio Castle is a great castle surrounded by boundless vineyards and it belongs to the Ricasoli Family. The story has it, that it is hounted by the ghost of Bettino Ricasoli, who restored it in 1835.
5. Panzano in Chianti stands at the top of a very green hill. You can admire the remains of the Romanesque walls in the old part of the village and the wonderful Church of Santa Maria Assunta.
6. The Chianti Sculpture Park – explore this permanent outdoor exhibition of contemporary sculpture and art installations, located in Pievasciata (about 10 km from Siena).

Before you leave Chianti, make sure you have eaten a lot of crostini toscani, cold cuts and cheese… paired with a glass of wine.

Where is Chianti Classico wine produced?

Chianti Classico is produced in 70 thousand hectares of territory that stretch between the cities of Siena and Florence, in an area that includes 8 municipalities:

1. San Casciano in Val di Pesa.
2. Greve in Chianti.
3. Gaiole in Chianti.
4. Barberino Val D'Elsa
5. Poggibonsi.
6. Radda in Chianti.
7. Castelnuovo Berardenga.
8. Castellina in Chianti.

If you need to know more about Chianti wineries, have a look at our article Chianti wineries: which ones to visit?