Travels in Italy ... Chianti

Breathtaking is all I can say about the Chianti area within Tuscany. Surrounded by one picture book vista after another, the eyes find it difficult to absorb all the beautiful scenery at once.

Chianti, Just Beautiful

We spent an entire day exploring this area, perhaps the most enjoyable day of one of our many enjoyable trips to Italy.

Just about an hour's drive south of Florence, this is one of the most beautiful places to explore in Italy, especially if you are a lover of good wine and food.

Sangiovese Grapes

Our drive took us through landscapes dotted with one terraced vineyard after another. Elegant homes and small towns nestled in the hillsides were just a sample of the delights to come.

Our first stop was Fattoria Corzano e Paterno, a small, scenic winery that also produces bright olive oil and luxurious cheeses made from the milk of the farm’s Sardinian sheep. It was harvest time and we were given an interesting tour starting in the vineyards and taking us though the crushing, fermentation and bottling process. It ended with a tasting of their fabulous wines, cheeses and olive oil … what a great way to start the day!

Dario Cecchini, World's Most Famous Butcher

Next stop, Panzano and the shop of Dario Cecchini, dubbed the world's most famous butcher. When you enter this butcher shop, Antica Macelleria Cecchini, you are graciously handed a glass of wine and offered a tasting of the shop’s prized meats.

We were led upstairs to the restaurant part of the shop where we were first given the butcher’s special salt blend mixed with olive oil for dipping our antipasto of carrots and celery. Carafes of wine and baskets of warm, crispy bread magically appeared.

Then the meat came, and came, and came. In the end our plates were laden with steak tartare, meat loaf, and copious amounts of different preparations of pork. I have to say, although we certainly have nothing against it, we are not big meat eaters, but everything was excellent.

Villa Cafaggio Winery

Whisked away over hill and dale we landed at a larger winery called Villa Cafaggio. Happily situated with stunning views, this vineyard is located in Chianti Classico. Again we had a very informative tour of the winery focusing on the differences between the designations of Chianti and Chianti Classico. The tour was followed by a tasting of their Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico Reserva and Super Tuscan wines as well as their olive oil and wine-filled chocolates. Our favorite was the Chianti Classico Reserva, and we just had to buy a few bottles … it was the polite thing to do ...

Greve

Our last stop was the remote and picturesque town of Greve. They love their Chianti Classico here, proudly displaying the Classico symbol of the black rooster all around the town. I get tired of using the terms charming, quaint and historic as I write about our travels in Italy. But for someone from a young country like the US these towns, filled with such character and histories that date back to perhaps the 11th century, are just something that does not exist at home. I can’t help but to be mesmerized by it all and I can’t apologize for that …