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| Tuscany |
| Chianti |
| Radda in Chianti |
| Chianti Wine & Food |
| Siena & Palio |
| San Gimignano |
| Vernaccia & Saffron |
| Meteo |
| Trasports |
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| INTRO |
Chianti. Our territory
Chianti, that is, the territory which has for centuries produced the wine Chianti Classico, is a part of Tuscany bordered to the North by the outskirts of Florence, to the East by the Mountains of Chianti, to the South by the city of Siena and to the West by the valleys of the Pesa and of the Elsa. This is a land of ancient traditions, inhabited since remote times, even before the Etruscans – of which testimonials exist which are actually linked to the world of wine – and then inhabited by the Romans.
In Medieval times, Chianti was a land of continuous battles between the cities of Florence and Siena and, in that period, villages and abbeys, castles and strongholds were built, transformed partly into villas and residences when times became more peaceful. It was then that space was taken from the big woods of chestnuts and oaks for the cultivation of grapes and olives, which progressively acquired economic importance and international fame.
The first notary document in which the name Chianti appears, referring to the wine produced in this area, dates back to 1398. In 1600, exportation to England was already more than an occasional occurrence and, starting in 1700, with the agricultural rebirth of Tuscany, sharecropping became the main agricultural system of Chianti and the countryside was enriched by this new way of organizing the work.
FOR YOUR HOLIDAYS IN CHIANTI:
Chianti accommodation - Tuscany Experience
Most of the colonial houses and farms which still exist today date back to that period. From the end of the 1800s to the dawn of the third millennium, the wine Chianti Classico has become more and more renowned all over the world, giving prosperity and wellbeing to its territory of production.
The "capital cities" of Chianti are Florence and Siena and its lands are found between their provincial territories: it consists of 70,000 hectares which include the entire municipalities of Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and part of the municipalities of Barberino Val d'Elsa, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Poggibonsi, San Casciano in Val di Pesa and Tavarnelle Val di Pesa. The boundaries of the wine-growing area of Chianti were defined in 1932 by a ministerial decree and since then the boundaries have remained the same.
The decree defined the production area of the wine Chianti Classico as the "most ancient area of origin", conferring a certificate of primogeniture, thus recognising its particular territorial uniqueness. Even since then, the present territory of Chianti has therefore been recognised as the original area of production of the wine Chianti Classico which, to distinguish itself from the Chianti wines which came later, produced in different areas of the territory of Chianti, had to take the name "Classico". Classico therefore means "the first", "the original".
FOR YOUR HOLIDAYS IN CHIANTI:
Chianti accommodation - Tuscany Experience
