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Since we had picked up our rental car from Florence the day before, we were now free to go and explore Tuscany. Our Tuscan villa was located about 30km South of Florence near the town of Figline Valdarno, which is located very close to the famous Chianti wine growing region. So for our first day out driving in the Tuscan countryside, we decided to head to the nearest town in the region – Greve in Chianti.
Before I came to Tuscany I had pictured it in my mind. The scene that would always come up is beautiful green rolling hills covered in vineyards, olive groves and centuries old farmhouses. Little medieval hamlets dotted the region and the people would enjoy amazing food and wine, and life progressed at a slow and peaceful pace. This is exactly what we found, and even more so in Chianti.
From our villa we drove along narrow winding roads that wound their way through the hilly terrain passing farms, forests and little villages. We had packed a picnic lunch and had visions of eating it while looking out over a spectacular Tuscan landscape, so when we reached the town of Greve in Chianti we drove right through to look for our perfect picnic spot in the countryside.
It wasn’t long before we found a lovely spot near an old farmhouse that looked out over a vineyard, and we stopped to enjoy our lunch of fresh bread, meats and cheese in the warm Tuscan sun.
After lunch we headed the short distance back down the road to Greve in Chianti, where we parked our car and began exploring the town.
Like most Tuscan towns, Greve in Chianti dates back to the middle ages, with it’s main settlement happening in the 13th and 14th centuries. From our car we walked down narrow cobblestone streets, surrounded by beautiful old buildings. We had no idea exactly where we were going, but as is usually the case, all roads seemed to lead to the main piazza – the heart of town.
The little streets that we had walked down had been quiet and nearly empty, but when we reached the piazza it was a hive of activity. Full of locals and tourists a like, the triangular piazza was obviously where all of the action is. We wandered around looking at all of the little shops, some selling food and wine, others selling local arts and crafts. This is certainly the kind of town that you want to go to if you love wine and deli type food items.
The famous Chianti wine is the main focal point, and many were at fantastic prices, but one of the most interesting shops I found was Macelleria Falorni – one of the oldest butcher shops in Italy, and a great place to try some different salamis and meats, including wild boar. The salami containing wild boar was delicious.
There are several other interesting sights in the center of town including the churches and museum, but it was the just the feel and look of the town that I found to be most interesting.
After enjoying a cappuccino at one of the many cafes in the piazza, we made our way down another little cobblestone street to a view point, where you climb up a small hill to get great views out across the town and surrounding countryside.
At this point, after experiencing both the countryside and village life, I was in love with Chianti, and I felt like I could stay here for weeks. With the warm afternoon sun beating down upon us, it was time to head back to our villa. And driving back through the beautiful countryside of Chianti, I knew that we would be back to this amazing part of Italy.
Some Chianti and wild boar Salami sounds pretty good. Not much of a vineyard touring fan, but when your in an area so famous for its wine I think this is something that you have to do.
Kurt recently posted..One Year of Travel in Photos
Hey Kurt, I’m not really into vineyard touring either, but in Greve in Chianti you can do plenty of wine tasting in town 🙂 Cheers
Dean Wickham recently posted..Spending the day in Greve in Chianti, Italy
Italy is a place I really need to spend more time. I’ve only been to Milan…a poor effort on my part.
Rob recently posted..Travelling Back In Time Through Family Photos
Hi Rob, you definitely need to see more of Italy. I found Milan to be the least “Italian” city that I visited. Cheers
Dean Wickham recently posted..Spending the day in Greve in Chianti, Italy
Everything looks beautiful – especially the weather!
Brock – Backpack With Brock recently posted..Iguazu Falls, Brazil – Water, Wildlife and Wonderment
Yeah we were very lucky with the weather for the entire time that we were in Tuscany 🙂
Dean Wickham recently posted..Photo of the week: Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy
We loved our day in Greve last October. Looking forward to returning on our next trip!
It’s a lovely place isn’t it Jinny? I can’t wait to get back there myself. Enjoy your trip!
Dean Wickham recently posted..From Jet Boating to Steam Boating in Queenstown, New Zealand
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[…] Tuscan villa in search of a nice picnic spot in the countryside, and found just that outside of Greve in Chianti. After lunch we returned to the explore the village and found our way to the central piazza that […]
[…] looking out at the beautiful Tuscan countryside, followed by a visit to the interesting town of Greve in Chianti. Pulled over in the Tuscan countryside near Greve in […]
[…] travel photo is of a pathway in the Tuscan town of Greve in Chianti. Greve is one of the larger Chianti towns and is well worth taking a day to wonder around. Its main […]
Beautiful photos. I really want to visit this area someday.
Ryan recently posted..5 Unusual Chianti Food Pairings – This Italian Wine isn’t Just For Pizza
Thanks Ryan
A lovely account of your trip To Chianti! These smallish, beautiful, pristine in many ways and peaceful places make me leave everything and just move there permanently for good and become a part of all this. I wish I could go there and spend atleast couple of weeks there.