Italy Travel And Hotel Guide

Ask a sample of northern Europeans to describe their intent of paradise, and the odds are it will sound much like Chianti , the territory of vineyards and hill-towns that stretches between Florence and Siena. The climate is drenched in luminescent sunlight during the long summer and rarely grim even in the pit of winter. And to cap it all, there’s the wine - the one Italian vintage everyone’s heard of ( www.chianticlassico.com ). Visitors from Britain and other similarly ill-favoured climes were long ago alerted to Chianti’s charms, and the rate of immigration has been so rapid since the 1960s that the region is now wryly dubbed ” Chiantishire “. Yet it would be an exaggeration to say that Chianti is losing its character in the way that many of Italy’s coastal towns have lost theirs. The tone of certain parts has been altered, but concessions to tourism have been more or less successfully absorbed into the rhythm of local life. If you’re relying on buses , the best targets are the two main towns, Greve in Chianti and Radda in Chianti . Three SITA buses a day run from Florence through Greve and Castellina to Radda. Five TRA-IN buses a day run from Radda through Castellina (but not Greve) to Siena. But the only realistic way to get to know the region is with your own transport , following the “Chiantigiana”, the SS222 that snakes its way between Florence and Siena through the most beautiful parts of Chianti. The Florence APT’s excellent Il Chianti cartoguida turistica 1:70,000 contour map pinpoints every lane and farmhouse. Florence by Bike , run full-day tours of Chianti by bike - an cushy 32km route or a harder 70km (L97,000/¬50.09 for either tour includes an English-speaking guide and all equipment).