A journey in the province of Florence: the Chianti area.
The Chianti territory with its hilly countryside of incomparable beauty lies in
the heart of Tuscany.
Administered by both the Provinces of Florence and Siena, during the Middle Ages
it was harshly contested by these two rival cities until 1555 when the Medicis
imposed their hegemony on all of Tuscany.
It is difficult to trace its borders since only the mountains of Chianti in the
East separate it from Upper Valdarno in a natural and neat way; the remaining
territory fades into the hills of the Arbia, Elsa, Greve and Pesa rivers.
Mediaeval villages, castles, churches, abbeys, monasteries, cottages and villas
lie one after the other in a fantastic itinerary that exalts the activity and
inventiveness of man; centuries of work have modeled the hills of this region
and the alternation of the olive groves and the forests creates a harmony unique
to the world.
The proposed itineraries follow two principal guide‑lines that cross the Chianti
region also suggesting two different ways to "read" the countryside. Along Via
Cassia, or alternatively the faster Florence‑Siena Superstrada, one can follow
again the paths once taken by pilgrims and wayfarers who, during the Middle
Ages, reached Rome from Northern Europe with everything that it had to bear:
parish churches, small towns, hospices, abbeys. Via Chiantigiana, on the other
hand, is a more rural path that throughout its length crosses the classic wine
region.
In any case, the visitor will be offered an unforgettable countryside always
varying and harmonious and so diverse in colors and in atmosphere with the
changing seasons. There are many ways to get to one of the parish churches,
castles or isolated towns, silent witnesses to the historical and artistic
richness of the Chianti region.
It does not matter how one gets there: whether by car, motorcycle, bicycle or
bus, there are many possibilities for staying and enjoying a few days'
holiday in the relaxing atmosphere of Chianti, tasting the gastronomic
specialties of the region accompanied by wines that have made Chianti famous all
over the world.
Via Cassia
Today's Via Cassia does not correspond, in the Tuscan section, to the ancient
Roman road and not even to Via Francigena, the mediaeval trail that ran along
the Valdelsa valley. It was however an important main road that the pilgrims and
merchants took to get to Via Francigena at Poggibonsi. Since the XV century it
was called "strada regia romana" and represented the main road between Florence
and Rome until the construction of the Autosole highway.
Since Via Cassia passes through many urban centers and is at times rather
congested with traffic, the hurried tourist may choose to take the
Florence‑Siena Autostrada that can be abandoned whenever one wishes to visit one
of the proposed locations.
Before reaching Via Cassia, Galluzzo's Certosa is worth a
visit. It rises on the hills of Montaguto to the south of Florence. Founded by
Niccolò Acciaiuoli in the XIV century for the purpose of housing young
Florentines who wished to learn the liberal arts. It is surrounded by high walls,
that together with the majestic Palazzo degli Studi bestow upon it the aspect of
a fortress. Preserved inside Certosa, now inhabited by a group of Benedictine
Cistercian monks, are some important works of art, among which there are 5
lunettoni (crescent shaped paintings), frescoes of scenes of the Passion
by Pontormo painted between 1523 and 1525 during his permanence there
while escaping the plague that had hit Florence.
San Casciano Val di Pesa
Property of the Florentine bishops since its foundation,
San Casciano was annexed to the Florentine Republic in the
XIII century and was subsequently fortified, turning it
into a castle of defense against the dangers that
originated in the Sienese countryside. Many traces of the
boundary walls and the mediaeval towers remain even today.
The Museum of Sacred Art set up inside
the Church of S. Maria del Gesù holds precious works of
art from all over the region. The altar frontal attributed
to Coppo di Marcovaldo representing San Michele
Arcangelo and tales of his legend and the
Madonna and Child by A. Lorenzetti are certainly
the two most important works. Among the principal
monuments are the Collegiata and the
Church of Mercy (or S. Maria al Prato)
that preserves a rich patrimony of works of art, including
a Crucifix by Simone Martini.
The churches in the area are numerous and bear witness to
the importance of S. Casciano in the MiddIe Ages, many of
which are worth a visit, including the parish churches of
S. Cecilia a Decimo a little out of the inhabited centre,
S. Giovanni in Sugana in the Cerbaia
direction; and S. Stefano a Campoli
(dated 903) in the vicinity of Mercatale Val di Pesa.
We also remind you of the many villas around S. Casciano,
including Villa i Collazzi and Villa Tattoli
near Cerbaia and, in S. Andrea in Percussina,
Villa Bossi‑Pucci so‑called Albergaccio,
famous for Niccolò Machiavelli's stay.
Tavernelle Val
di Pesa
It owes its name to the "tabernulae", the stop‑over and
rest points along the "via regia" that linked Florence to
Siena and then to Rome. This area has numerous interesting
churches.
At one extreme of the inhabited area there is the
church of S. Lucia al Borghetto
(XIII century) an ex‑franciscan convent in Gothic style
where a precious Crucifix of
thirteenth‑century school and an Annunciation
by Neri di Bicci are kept. Just out of Tavamelle,
after leaving Via Cassia, one reaches Morrocco where it is
possible to visit the church of S. Maria del
Carmine, built in the 1400's and then largely
remodelled. Inside, a glazed terracotta of the
Annunciation in Andrea della Robbia's style is
preserved, and a series of fresco fragments
from the 1400's. Not far from Morrocco is the old
parish church of S. Pietro in Bossolo. In
the presbytery, there is the Museum of Sacred Art
where works from the churches of small abandoned
towns are preserved. Among some of the most important
works we must mention a series of panels executed in 1473
by Neri di Bicci for the church of S.
Maria al Morrocco and a pall with the Madonna and
Child between S. Martino and S. Sebastiano by the
so‑called Maestro di Tavamelle.
In the territory of Tavarnelle San Donato in
Poggio is definitely worth a visit. It is a small
medieval village that still preserves notable remains of
boundary walls, buildings of the 1200‑1300's, the
Renaissance Malaspina Palace, the church of S.
Maria della Neve (XV century) in Gothic style and
the Ronianesque parish church of San Donato
where a beautiful baptismal font in glazed
terracotta by G. della Robbia is kept.
From Sambuca along the road to Greve, one comes across the
majestic Passignano Abbey founded in 1049
by monks from the Vallombrosian order. Immersed in the
countryside, surrounded by an intense cultivation of
olives, the abbey is striking for its fortress‑like
appearance, with its walls and battlement towers. Among
the numerous works of art preserved in the abbey one must
remember Passignano's frescoes (1601) in
the main chapel and above all the fresco of the
Last Supper by Domenico and Davide Ghirlandaio
(1476‑77) in the refectory of the monastery.
Barberino Val D'Elsa
Founded by the Florentines in a strategic position to
resist the expansion of the Semifonte castle, Barberino
still preserves its medieval appearance with its fortified
walls, tower‑houses, the Pretorio Palace
(XIV century), the Pilgrim's Hospital
(XIV century) and the church of S. Bartolomeo.
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From Barberino, following the road to Certaldo, one
arrives at the remains of the Semifonte castle which was
destroyed by the Florentines in 1202 after a long siege.
Not long after the end of the 1500's the chapel of
S. Michele Arcangelo was erected, according to a
project by Santi di Tito, to commemorate Semifonte.
Continuing on in the direction of Certaldo the
romanesque parish church of S. Appiano can. be
found, one of the oldest to be found in the Florentine
countryside dated around the XI century. The interesting
cross‑shaped columns in front of the church bear witness
to the existence of an ancient baptistry.
After Barberino Val d'Elsa Via Cassia continues on but
leaves the Chianti region. Those who would like to follow
it may visit Poggibonsi, Colle Val d'Elsa and
Monteriggioni and then Siena. A deviation from Poggibonsi
for S. Gimignano is highly recommended.
Via Chiantigiana
It has always been and is still an important main road
that links Florence and Siena and maintains still today a
more markedly rural character than that of Via Cassia. The
first part of the itinerary suggested hereafter initially
follows the SS 484 from Castelnuovo Berardenga to Radda
and Castellina in Chianti. It is only here in Castellina
that one enters the SS 222 Chiantigiana to go to Florence.
In order to get to many of the suggested points, it wilI
be necessary to deviate onto secondary roads.
Impruneta
Impruneta was already inhabited in the Etruscan and Roman
era, and during the Middle Ages was tied to the political
and economic affairs of nearby Florence. The real
propulsory centre of the community of Impruneta was the
parish Church of S. Maria, founded in
1060, that became, in a short time, an important sanctuary
to the Virgin Mary. The church, originally in Romanesque
style, underwent numerous revisions over the centuries,
and at present only the original crypt has been preserved,
while the church presents a sober Renaissance‑style
appearance. Inside, works by important artists are kept,
including some by Michelozzo and Luca della Robbia and an
miraculous icon of the Madonna is venerated ‑ which
tradition says
was painted by Luke the Evangelist.
The veneration of the Madonna of Impruneta has encouraged the accumulation of
precious gifts and votive offerings over the centuries,
which are now kept in the Museum of Sacred Art
adjacent to the church together with miniature
manuscripts, gold and silver. Thanks to the great
tradition of the earthenware and terracotta kilns, the
cotto of Impruneta has become a characterizing and
distinctive element of the architecture and of the Tuscan
countryside, beyond being a famous product exported all
over the world.
The Buondelmonti piazza, the traditional market‑place, has
been made famous with a drawing by J. Callot in 1620 that
represents the Fair of S. Luca in October.
Greve in Chianti
Greve is situated at the intersection of the roads that
Iinked Florence and Siena and Upper Valdarno and the
Valdelsa. It began to develop as a "market place" for the
principal castles of the area in the XIII century. Greve's
main piazza, is characterized by an original formation of
irregular triangular shape, defined by beautiful long
porticos. Today it is still an important point of
exchange, particularly on the occasion of the Mostra
Mercato del Chianti Classico (Chianti Classico, Wine Fair)
that takes place there every year in September. The
Monterioralle castle dominates Greve,
which still maintains intact the original mediaeval town
structure with a narrow ring‑road that follows on to mect
the little church of S. Stefano, where
an. interesting twelfth‑century Madonna and Child
is preserved.
The castles of Uzzano, Verrazzano, Vicchiomaggio
and Lamole are also notable. A short distance
from Greve, in the Panzano direction, Vignamaggio
Villa can be found, where, according to
tradition, Mona Lisa ‑ made famous by Leonardo ‑ was born.
The Romanesque parish church of Panzano or S. Leolino,
dating back to the X century, preserves important works of
art, including a precious panel with the Madonna
on the throne Saints Peter and Paul and stories of the two
saints, attributed to Meliore di Jacopo (XIII
century).
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Castellina in Chianti
Long‑standing feudal domain of the Trebbio family,
Castellina passed over to Florence in the XV century that
surrounded it with walls making it one of the most
important battlement locations against Siena. The
medieval fort dominates the country, but that
which bears witness more than anything else to
Castellina's medieval past is surely the Via delle
Volte, a walkway set into the walls of the town
which offers, limited but exceptional panorama, seen
through the arrowslits.
Just outside the inhabited centre lies the
Etruscan ipogeo (underground cave) of
Montecalvario, a rather imposing grave for dimensions
dated to the VII‑VI century B.C. that, together with other
tombs identified in various other locations, bears witness
to the Etruscan presence in Chianti.
Radda in Chianti
Radda in Chianti is on the boundary of Florentine and
Sienese territories and was often involved in troubled
historic affairs. It was the headquarters for the Lega of
the Chianti region ‑ an autonomous jurisdiction created by
the Florentine Republic in 1250 which also included
Castellina, Gaiole and Greve.
Apart from the urbanistic structure in an elongated
elliptical plan, there remains in medieval style only a
few sections of the periphery walls and various towers.
The Pretorio Palace however, is of
interest, built in the 1400's and adorned with official
mayoral stems.
Only a short distance from Radda, in the direction of
Lucarelli and Panzano, indications for the Romanesque
parish church of S. Maria Novella are
found, unique in the Chianti territory for its capitals
decorated with animalistic symbols, monstrous figures and
floral drawings that bring to mind the Romanesque parish
churches of Valdarno and Casentino.
The Volpaia castle is a small mediaeval
agglomeration that is certainly worth a visit. Inside the
walls is a Iabyrinth of little paved lanes preserved
between arches, palazzos and the little
Renaissance church of S. Eufrosino (XV century).
Gaiole in Chianti
During the Middle Ages it was an important market place,
developed along the road for Valdarno. The numerous
castles and parish churches in the vicinity bear witness
to an intense and prosperous agricultural and commercial
activity. Among the castles, which were all established in
the Middle Ages, of particular interest is
Vertine, also Meleto with its two majestic
rounded angular towers, Barbischio, and
above all Brolio castle. A patrol walkway
runs on top of the walIs and bastions that surround the
town, from which one can enjoy a beautiful panorama of the
Chianti region and the Sienese countryside. The castle,
completely destroyed in 1478, was reconstructed in the
last century on Bettino Ricasoli's wish.
At less than 1 km from Gaiole, the beautiful
Romanesque parish church of Spaltenna is worth a
visit, while on the road to Valdarno, immersed in the
green of age‑old fir‑trees, is the Abbey at
Coltibuono. A large part of the majestic complex
of the abbey that was constructed by the Vallombrosan
monks is now private property, the Romanesque church and
the massive embattled bell tower.
Castelnuovo Berardenga
Castelnuovo Berardenga is a southern offshoot of Chianti.
The original town dates back to the IX century when it was
a feudal complex called "terra berardinga", but only a
thirteenth‑century tower and a piece of the periphery wall
remain of the old arrangement. However, of architectural
relevance, overhanging the town is Villa Chigi
Saracìni with its large park.
Courtesy of firenzeturismo.it Azienda per il Turismo di Firenze