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Small Group Tuscany Chianti Wine Tour
TUSCANY CHIANTI WINE TOURS - WORLD FAMOUS WINES & ENCHANTING HILL TOWNS ON OUR DAY TOUR OF THE CHIANTI!
Travelling along the Chianti wine road with your local expert driver/guide you'll quickly learn that this region of Tuscany has a lot more to offer than just its celebrated wine. Travel off-the-beaten-track to discover enchanting hill towns, celebrated wineries where you'll enjoy full wine tastings and learn about wine making in the Chianti and visit Impruneta the home of Terracotta.
CHIANTI WINE TOUR
Our Chianti Wine & Hill Towns Day Tour provides the perfect "Taste of Tuscany" for the first-time visitor. Our itinerary involves limited time driving so that you can thoroughly enjoy the places visited on this tour while indulging in all the pleasures that make Tuscany such a popular destination; Taste fine wines, delight in the local cuisine, stroll around enchanting hill towns and be intoxicated by the splendid vistas and views of the Tuscan countryside.
Visit the hill town of Impruneta to see the Terracotta furnaces and local pottery that has been made here since the 11th Century. We'll visit a world famous artisan who's clients include the Botanical gardens of New York. We'll tour the workshop that dates from the 17 th century and where you'll learn about the production of Terracotta over the centuries.
At the Medieval castle of Montefioralle, stroll around this enchanting castle and admire the breath-taking scenery with incredible vistas of the Chianti, and appreciate the slower pace of life that hasn't changed for centuries as you stroll around the streets of this enchanting hill town.
At Greve in Chianti, the principal town of the Chianti, you'll have some free time to explore this friendly market town (Market Day is Saturday) with the opportunity to do an optional wine tasting, olive oil tasting and balsamic tasting while in the town. Before lunch, we'll visit a local vineyard or medieval castle to learn more about the wine-making in the Chianti and to enjoy our first wine tasting of the day.
An optional lunch can be taken at a delightful Trattoria known only to the locals or in a typical Winery in Chianti. Located at the end of a long dirt road that terminates at a small hamlet lost in the Tuscan countryside, enjoy an undisturbed panoramic view of the hill country and delicious regional cuisine while you fall under the spell of the Tuscan countryside
In the afternoon, we'll continue our exploration of the Chianti visiting Medieval hilltowns and their fortresses (such Panzano in Chianti) that once formed the league of Chianti in the 13 th Century where you'll enjoy further incredible views of the countryside.
To celebrate your day tour of the Chianti wine regions we will visit another noted vineyard or medieval castle for your second wine tasting. And while sittiing back savouring the subtle textures and tones of the wine, contemplate the beautiful countryside that has been your constant companion during the day. Following scenic back-roads we'll make our way back to Florence (panoramic stop at Michelangelo square) to finish a very fulfilling and relaxing day in the beautiful Tuscany countryside.
INCLUDES
Two Full Wine Tastings at Vineyards in the Chianti
Local Expert Driver Guide
Optional Lunch at winery/castle with wine/oil/balsamic/truffle oil (not included) - Approximately 15 - 25 € per person
Chianti
The beautiful hilly region between Florence and Siena
is known as the Chianti district. And you thought it was only the name of the wine? Come on our tour through this stunning part of the country and you will discover that there is a whole lot more to Chianti, than just the wine.
The landscape of this area is characterized by numerous vineyards, orchards, olive groves and rolling hills. There are woods and fields as far as the eye can see, with many villas, churches, monasteries and castles throughout. So popular has this destination become with English-speaking tourists that have decided to buy property here, the area is widely known as Chiantishire!
The word Chianti probably comes from an Etruscan family name. It was them after all who introduced the vine here centuries ago. For example, we can visit a typical medieval castle such as Castello Vicchiomaggio, encircled by cypress trees on a hill with fabulous views. It is said that Leonardo da Vinci once stayed in the villa, and later on the powerful Medici family held spring banquets here.
Before reaching Greve, the centre of the wine industry, we can visit the charming little hamlet of Montefioralle, birthplace of the Vespuccifamily. Wine-tasting of course can be organised at various locations throughout Chianti, and after lunch at a typical trattoria the choice is yours: we can suggest more wine-tasting at local farms and wine producers, or a pleasurable visit to the small delightful village of Monteriggioni, built by the Sienese in 1203 as defence against the ever expanding Florentine republic.
Completely enclosed in its 13th century walls with 14 towers, Monteriggioni was described by Dante in his Divine Comedy. Wherever we go in this fantastic part of the world we are sure it will be an unforgettable experience (provided you go easy on the wine that is!).
Chianti, the area in which Chianti Classico wine has been produced for centuries, is that part of Tuscany that is bordered to the north by the suburbs of Florence, to the east by the Chianti Mountains, to the south by the city of Siena and to the west by the valleys of the Pesa and Elsa rivers. The area is traversed by the Superhighway of the Palio. It is a land of ancient traditions that was civilized in remote periods first by the Etruscans, who left many traces of their activity in the wine sector, and then by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, the cities of Florence and Siena battled for control over the zone.Villages and monasteries, castles and fortresses appeared during that period and many of them were later transformed into villas and country residences when times were more tranquil.It was then that spaces were cleared in the vast forests of chestnuts and oaks for the cultivation of vines and olive trees, an activity that progressively assumed major economic importance and established an international reputation.
San Donato in Poggio, Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, Panzano in Chianti, Impruneta.
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