A Couple of Tuscan Hideaways For Your Italy Tour

Image via WikipediaBy Priscila Siano
Villa Vignamaggio
For those who have seen the Kenneth Branagh motion picture of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, then you have already seen Villa Vignamaggio, where the movie was shoot. Vignamaggio is likewise renowned as the hometown of Mona Lisa in 1479.
About a couple of miles from the town of Greve in Chianti, Vignamaggio is centrally stationed among the local wineries making Chianti Classico. In fact, Vignamaggio makes its own premier wine and olive oil and sponsors tours and tastings for visitors and guests alike. Include in your tour Italy a taste of Vignamaggio's wine which was essentially the first red wine in the area to be known as "Chianti," in 1404.
This agriturismo is a very sensible choice for people because it provides two swimming pools, a tennis square, mountain bicycles, fitness hub, a recreation area including a billiard table. All tour Italy guests can choose among 20 quarters, suites and flats housed in several old-ranch houses. The cottage itself, surrounded by a shocking Renaissance backyard, has suites only. The room we stayed in was full of antiques, but also had a tiny kitchen creatively constructed into an old wardrobe. Still the apartments hold daily maid assistance.


Vignamaggio hosts unique dinners two times a week, if not guests cook dinner for themselves inside their apartments or stop at one of many fine eateries in Greve. During your tour Italy hideaway, it is best to get a rented auto while visiting the region. Driving the winding path up to Vignamaggio in the dark may seem daunting to some. The hotel can also fix for taxi assistance.

Via Petriolo 5
Greve in Chianti
39 055 854661
Open: Middle of March upto the end of the year

Locanda dell' Amorosa

It's no oversight that the name of this Tuscan hideaway means, "Lover's Inn," because this place provides romance from the moment visitors enter the beautiful, cypress-lined driveway. An hour-and-a-half by car from Florence, Locanda dell'Amorosa resembles the little town it once was, a 14th-century old village. The property has only been sold once in 700 years. In 1873, the Piccolomini clan of Pienza (family of Pope Pius II) offered it to Fiorella Favard, whose descendants still own the estate.

The town's beautiful aged church, the venue of special weddings, sits among the main square. Next door, a classic farm structure have been transformed to a wine inn where breakfast is eaten as well. On the side, former quarters for the farmers has been changed into great visitor rooms with similar roomy and airy bathrooms, a shortage in Italy.

The previous stables have become habitat to Amorosa's very good cafe with indoor and outdoor chairs, where tourists can utilize the estate's tranquil setting while indulging in Tuscan specialties. Behind the primary plaza are the remainder of the transformed farm buildings and lodging. The hotel's infinity pool sits inside a quiet pasture overlooking the countryside.

The inn offers little touches like a computer with Internet access inside the lobby and free refreshments poolside. It considers it hard to go away to explore the encompassing towns, but at Amorosa it really is just fine to remain and revel in the sweetness the place has to offer.

Localita' l'Amorosa
Sinalunga
39 0577 677211
Open: Early March to early January

Priscila Siano is the Business Manager of http://www.TourItalyNow.com, a pioneer among the world's online providers of escorted, customized, small group tours to Italy. She also enjoys writing articles about Italy tour. Feel free to republish this article provided you do not edit it in any way and include the author bio as well.

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A Journey Among the Flavours of Chianti (Part 2)

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Volpaia 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.

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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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A Journey Among the Flavours of Chianti (Part 1): Greve, Panzano and Radda

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The land of Chianti offers precious views to its visitors: medieval abbeys and fortified villages as well as smooth hills of unique colours. But, not only is your sight continuously stimulated while getting around this land rich in culture and ancient, also your taste and smell will have their own chance to be pleased as going through Chianti's routes. Besides, everybody knows that the recollection of a journey comes from our eyes and also from the memory of a strong flavour or taste.



We cannot forget, of course, the most famous and celebrated product of this region: red wine. The main character of our itinerary will be food - olive oil, cheese, honey, encased cold cuts, meat and vegetables and so on... that goes so well with the most important product of this region that is wine.



We will visit some of the places where it is possible to taste typical regional meals of the peasant tradition. Their simply ingredients are combined with the ability of experienced chefs and the pleasure of the most modern catering services. Moreover, we will point you out where to purchase the tastiest food typical of the Tuscany cuisine, to keep a strong and tasty souvenir, once you're back. Well, Greve in Chianti is the first leg of our journey.




Greve's flavours



"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy", thus the first taste of the day could be the very gorgeous pastries and sweets that you can find in Pandemonio (via G. Garibaldi 12). If you're looking for a tasty but cheap lunch (15-20 €), go to the very central piazza Matteotti where you can find the nice restaurant, Il Portico, very famous for its traditional entries and grilled meat at fair prices. In piazza Matteotti, the heaven of food and drink, we can also find other restaurants it is worth mentioning: Mangiando Mangiando, furnished with wood tables and visible kitchen, Il Gallo Nero, specialized in bruschette and meat grilled on coals as tradition, the restaurant Giovanni da Verrazzano, where you could taste Tuscan traditional meals, spending about 35 euro, drinks not included. We definitely suggest you to taste meals with wild boar, lamb as well as rabbit.



Still in Piazza Matteotti, we indicate you another place where purchase typical products: the very famous Macelleria Falorni, a temple of high quality wild boar cold cuts and pecorino cheese. Here you can also taste or buy the renowned cold cuts "sbriciolona" and the real Chianina steak.



After lunch, it is worth visiting the medieval castle of Montefioralle, overlooking Greve. Once back to the village, you ought to stop and visit the very well-provided Cantine di Greve in Chianti (piazza delle Cantine) modern wine cellar where it is possible to purchase olive oil and wine as well as visiting the little but interesting museum of the history of wine.



In the surroundings of Greve



Now it is time to immerse ourselves in the surrounding hillsides and engage our taste in a more aristocratic setting among old gardens and towers: Both Castello di Verrazzano, 4 km North from Greve or Castello di Querceto, 8 km east on the way to Figline are good examples.



But, maybe the right place for us to taste wine and cheese is Villa Vignamaggio, on the way to the Lamole from Greve. Visiting the Italian style gardens and savouring the wine produced by those vineyards, the most ancient of Chianti's region, you can also be impressed by a fascinating ancient legend: Monna Lisa, the lady portrayed by Leonardo da Vinci in the most famous paint of the world the Gioconda, would be born in this old mansion.



If we move towards Figline from Greve, we will find the wonderful natural park of Monte San Michele: here it is possible to hike in an impressing place where you can still see hares and roes at liberty. After hiking immersed in such an environment, we are perfectly ready for dinner, thus we are only waiting to enter Ristorante Borgo Antico (via Case Sparse 115) in Dimezzano di Lucolena.



This place is furnished with modern and traditional components and offers a rich wine-list, delicious roast meat and generous helping. From risotto pere e gorgonzola to homemade tiramisu... this place is able to satisfy also the most demanding palate and offer a dramatic landscape on Chianti's hillsides.

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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:

http://www.albergodelchianti.it



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Living a Slow Chianti

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If you want to immerse yourselves in Nature, car is not the right mean. Visiting Chianti's hills and landscapes is an experience really worth living as close to Nature as possible. We have just talked about cycling.... but there are some other ways. You can easily go along Chianti on foot, horse-back or even by hot-air balloon!



Although we are getting less and less accustomed to walking, we can have the pleasure of hiking along many routes.




An easy itinerary from Greve in Chianti is going from the main square to Montefioralle, one of the most charming Italian medieval villages, where you can visit San Cresci's Romanesque church that dates back to beginning of XII century. This itinerary, among olive trees, vineyards and cypresses takes 2 hours and a half and it is pretty easy. Along the road it is possible to taste good Chianti wine having a snack at fattoria della Villa di Zano.



Riding a horse is a very relaxing way of getting in touch with Nature without any technological equipment, experiencing local sounds and feelings.



It is a different way to spend your holiday respecting Nature. Not far from Greve you can find Il Ranch a good point to start visiting these outskirts and visitors can experience a safe but exciting tour on horse-back, with the support of the riding school managers. There is one or more day trekking or just riding in those wonderful surroundings. If you love horses and good food, Il Ranch also offers you gourmet itineraries (for further information http://www.maneggioilranch.com)



The Tuscany Aerostatic Association offers the most unusual way to admire Chianti: getting on an air balloon. If coloured balloons, renewed by Jules Verne's novel Around the World in Eighty Days, are your best way to enter the landscape (well, if you don't suffer from dizziness), you can make a reservation to have your head in the clouds on the website http://www.balloonintuscany.com.



The variety of landscapes and views makes Chianti a land unique in the world. If you slowly immerse yourselves in this magical atmosphere of vineyards and olive trees, you can enjoy it completely, instead of having a rapid glance from the car windows. Chianti isn't just a beautiful postcard; it is also smells, fresh air to breathe and the sounds of Nature.



Thus, the best is leaving the car aside, at least for a short time...and let's start from the greenest transportation: That's bicycle.



In Greve in Chianti 800 m far from the town centre, there is a bike mender renting out bicycles for few hours (Ramuzzi, Via Stecchi 23, tel.+39.055.853.037). Here you can get all the info you need and also choose the more convenient itinerary. We also suggest the itineraries listed in the web site (http://www.ramuzzi.com). If you like best a route, shorter but very challenging, starting from Greve; we suggest you the 27 km itinerary, reported in the guide Toscana in bici, published by Istituto Geografico De Agostini. For other itinerary, we suggest the booklet Terradisiena in bici available in every tourist office of Siena's county.



Greve-Monte San Michele-Panzano-Montefioralle-Greve



From Greve main square, take road 222 towards the local cemetery. That road becomes rugged among olive trees and vineyard. Once you get to Pian della Canonica go ahead towards Montedomini. At the first cross- road, turn right to Monte San Michele, where you can find the old restaurant of San Michele. This place is perfect for rest because of the wonderful view and to revive you with good food. After going along a winding path inside the wood, you can proceed towards Panzano in Chianti on a rapid and rocky slope. At Panzano, get the main surfaced road towards Mercatale/San Casciano until the cross-road in località La Torre, where you can stop and admire the magnificent medieval tower. There is a cross-road at km 24 where you have to turn right towards Pian di Campaggi until get to a brook. Your last effort, really worth doing, is climbing up to the charming walled village of Montefioralle. Then back to Greve following a rapid downhill on a surfaced road.

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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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