Image via WikipediaVolpaia and Radda
Volpaia is a charming little town village with the old medieval castle fortified in the XII century and a maze of alleys, arches and ancient palaces. In Volpaia's main square, we indicate you La Bottega di Volpaia (Piazza della Torre 2). During the day it is a very well provided shop where purchase olive oil, fresh pasta, sausages and cheese (at lunch time cheese and cold cuts are also available for take-away); at evening you can have typical regional dishes of the Tuscan cuisine. That is the best place to taste "ribollita" (vegetables and bread soup), a simple and delicious dish of Tuscan peasant tradition.
Going to South from Volpaia, we find one of the most beautiful village of Chianti's region: Radda, the ancient main town of the Chianti's League in 1415 and the place where the most powerful Florentine families used to spent their summer holiday during the XVII century; the village still keeps the old wall where it is possible to walk along the old passageways and catch a great sight of the surrounding hills.
In IV Novembre square you can find Casa Porciatti where it is possible to purchase typical products of Chianti 's tradition, as filetto di maiale stagionato (seasoned pork fillet) and lardo (lard). You can also stop at the little wine bar run by the same family and located in the medieval passageways. In the village centre there is the finest restaurant of Radda: Chiasso dei Portici (tel. 00390577738774), placed in the street of the same name. This restaurant is perfect to have a very romantic dinner, enjoying a high level cuisine and a great wine list.
Panzano and Castellina
Going back to Radda towards Greve, you reach Panzano in Chianti where it is worth visiting one of most beautiful Romanesque church of Tuscany: the Pieve of San Leonino, built in the VII century. Here in Panzano, you can find also the Antica Macelleria Cecchini (Via XX luglio 11), the shop of the butcher poet Dario Ceccherini, a real must for Tuscan cuisine.
This casual and typical place definitely won't let you down, offering you cold cuts and wine tastings as well as the best bistecca alla fiorentina of these outskirts (a special beef t-bone steak very thick, grilled and coming cooked to medium rare). Many international VIP are some of the most devoted clients of this place. For example: Jack Nicholson. The owner suggests getting there having empty stomach, on time and it is funny to say, feel free to get there, bringing your own wine, if you want, without further expenses.
But, from Radda, if we move to West, we get to Castellina in Chianti. This town village was disputed between Florence and Siena in the past, nowadays play with Greve to achieve the title of Cuore del Chianti Classico. Castellina is immersed in a wonderful countryside among olive tree, cypresses and vineyards; it is very worth visiting the great passage of via delle Volte catching a sight of the medieval mansion but also because of the great number of places for gourmet.... particularly, we suggest you la Trattoria La Torre Piazza del Comune 15 in the centre of the fortified village. This restaurant is a very casual place really renewed in Castellina, offering great dishes of the Tuscan tradition. Don't miss vitello di Valdichiana (beef of Valdichiana area) and ossibuchi!
Here in Castellina, it is not so difficult to buy high quality wine in good places, among those Enoteca Le Volte (via Ferruccio 12) and the Azienda agricola San Donatino (Tel. 00390577740318), 1 km away from Castellina in direction of Poggibonsi, where the French son writer Leo Ferré lived until 1993. But our best place is still Fattoria La Castellina in via Ferruccio 26 maybe because of its fascinating atmosphere; this place was an old farmhouse in the XIV century. They sell wine, honey, spirits, Vin santo, olive oil, aromatic vinegar...
Our journey among Chianti's flavours ends in this farmhouse where we are impressed by those big old barrels still kept inside the cellars. By chance, this journey has brought us on the footsteps of important personalities apparently very distant from each other, as Leonardo da Vinci, Leo Ferré and Jack Nicholson. We have nearly made this journey closing our eyes, just following two sentences very important that so often are forgotten because of the frenzy of our day life: taste and smell.
We are situated in the main square of Greve in Chianti, a picturesque small town near the two main historical cities in Tuscany: Florence and Siena. For more information about the Chiantishire and our Hotel, please visit our website:
"Albergo del Chianti" Hotel
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