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CHIANTI

CHIANTI

The hills and valleys spreading out between Florence and Siena are known as Il Chianti. Home to some of the country's best marketed wines, they don't call it Chiantishire for nothing. In some of the small town tourist offices they just assume everyone who wanders in speaks English! Of the wines, Chianti Classico is the most well known. It is a blend of white and red grapes and sold under the Gallo Nero (Black Cockerel) symbol.
The Monti del Chianti, which rise into the Appennini, form Chianti's eastern boundary and comprise some of Toscana's loveliest countryside. Chianti is divided between the provinces of Florence and Siena, into the areas known as Chianti Fiorentino and Chianti Senese.
Now the Chianti is indeed very pleasant ‑ lots of rolling hills, olive groves and vineyards. Among them stand the many castles of Florentine and Sienese war lords and Romanesque churches known as pievi. But perhaps the hype has been just a trifle overdone. In Toscana alone there is plenty of more spectacular country to be seen (around Pitigliano or up in the Apuane Alps, for instance). Not that we want to put you off, but
the Tuscan countryside by no means begins and ends in Il Chianti.
You can get around by bus, but your own wheels make exploration a mighty bit easier. You might like to do it by bicycle or even on foot. You could take a few days to travel along the state road S222, known as the Strada Chiantigiana, which runs between Florence and Siena.
Budget accommodation is not the area's strong point and you'll need to book well ahead, since it is a popular area for tourists year-round.



It is advisable to check also the availability of the apartments in Florence and the apartments in Montepulciano.