Upcoming Chianti wine festivals

The Chianti Classico wine zone of Tuscany is the home to several really good wine festivals where you can taste a wide range of Chianti Classico wines and talk directly to the producers. On 23 and 24 May 2026, in the attractive village of Radda in Chianti there is a wine tasting event, Radda nel Bichiere, taking place that is well worth a visit if you are in the area. A bit later in the year, on the first weekend of June (6th and 7th) 2026, there is another wine festival taking place in Lamole in Chianti, I Profumi di Lamole. And the Chianti wine festival takes place in Montespertoli from 30 May to 7 June 2026. To take in some or all of these wine tasting occasions, you could find a place to stay on the Panzano in Chianti website.and for the Montespertoli Chianti wine festival on the Montespertoli website.

At Radda nel Bichiere

For September 2026, there are two upcoming Chianti wine festivals to note in your agenda.

Chronologically, the first is the Chianti Classico wine fair taking place in Greve in Chianti, 45-60 minutes south of Florence and reachable by bus from Florence. The official name is the Il Rassegna del Chianti Classico (54th Expo of Chianti Classico wines). In 2026, this wine festival takes place from the 10th to the 13th September 2026 in Piazza Matteotti, the main piazza of Greve in Chianti. Note that you might have to park some distance from the venue due to heavy traffic - this fair is very popular. If you also plan to drink some wine, that's just one more reason to take the bus.

The Terre di Melazzano booth at the Rassegna del Chianti Classico

 

The way it works is that you buy a wine glass from the Cassa and Informazioni booth and this allows you to try a certain number of the wines displayed. You can both buy and order wine and olive oil at the booths. In addition to the wine tasting, a variety of events is offered during the four days, but I wouldn't over-estimate their intrinsic interest. Click here for the 2026 programme. The Greve Chianti wine fair has a good number of Tuscan wineries represented, each offering all of the wines that they produce - mainly Chianti Classico, of course. My only objection to this fair is that when the weather is hot, few of the exhibitors take any steps to keep their wines cool. Some of them are left in direct sunlight and are distinctly warm when you taste them.

The second wine tasting event is Vino al Vino, taking place one week later in Panzano in Chianti, 10 minutes drive in the direction of Sienna from Greve and also accessible by bus from Florence. Vino al Vino takes place from 17 to the 20 of September 2026. To some extent, I prefer Vino al Vino over the Chianti Classico Expo if only because it is smaller, with about 21 wineries presenting their wines and olive oil, and has a more intimate atmosphere. I also find the food on sale better than in Greve. There's live Jazz on Saturday & Sunday from 6 until 8 pm.

Vino al Vino Panzano Chianti wine festival

For accommodation nearby the venues:

Greve in Chianti accommodation.

Panzano in Chianti accommodation.

Villa hotels.

Chianti wine festivals on Facebook.

Don't forget to visit my Tuscany Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany. Tuscany Travel Guide

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2013 - 2026. All rights reserved.

Chiesa di San Leolino at Panzano in Chianti

One of the many gems of the Chianti countryside is the Chiesa di San Leolino at Panzano in Chianti, a parish church and cloister dating from mediaeval times. The church is documented from the year 985 and has undergone two major restorations since that time.

During the late middle ages in Tuscany there was a burst of church construction that coincided with - indeed, was caused by - an increase in population and a rapid rural economic improvement. The latter was interrupted more than once by the Plague, but in essence both derived from and drove urban economic expansion - the rise of the rich city states such as Florence itself. The Pieve di San Leolino is not only beautiful in architectural and artistic terms, but enjoys magnificent views out over the Chianti countryside, with spectacular lighting at sunset.

The fine exterior consists of a Renaissance facade preceded by an imposing five-arched sandstone portico. The stone-framed portal leads to the extraordinary interior which is divided into three naves which house a number of splendid works of art, notably a beautiful triptych depicting the Madonna and Child flanked by saints, some wonderful glazed terracotta tabernacles near the altar and a beautiful plaster reliquary bust of Sant'Eufrosino in the left aisle. A portal in the right aisle leads to the small but charming cloister with a well, with a portico supported by brick columns and a wooden roof.

More about Romanesque parish churches of Chianti. 

More about Panzano in Chianti.

Don't forget to visit my Tuscany Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany. Tuscany Travel Guide

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2021. All rights reserved.

Tuscany vacation accommodations with handicapped access

Tuscany is high on the list of travel destinations that are friendly to the elderly and those with mobility limitations, especially since laws were introduced several years ago regarding provision of suitable facilities for the physically handicapped. I'm often asked for information about Tuscany vacation accommodations with handicapped access. One important piece of information everyone should take account of is that Tuscan farmhouses ("villas") and sometimes genuine villas are characterised by numerous steps and steep staircases. For this reason, if your mobility is impaired, read the descriptions of rural vacation accommodations in Tuscany with care and feel free to ask the owners detailed questions. This is one of the several reasons to rent owner-direct, by the way. Agencies rarely have the kind of information you need.

A fairly frequent sight in Tuscany - this you don't want if moving around isn't all that easy for you.

Step-free or almost step-free agriturismi and other rural holiday homes are definitely available. Today I want to describe one of them which has recently been renovated and which enjoys one of the most beautiful locations in Tuscany. This is Agriturismo Felciano, a cottage with two large double rooms and a large living-dining room, situated on a winery near Panzano, in the famous Conca d'Oro.

Agriturismo Felciani - an ideal Tuscan vacation location for anyone with mobility problems.

Agriturismo Felciano has a large terrace in front of the entry and flat ground round about, including the location of the gazebo. There is one very slight step at the large entrance and none at all inside the cottage. Of the two modern bathrooms, one is fully-equipped for handicapped accessibility. You can bring your car right up to the terrace.

In addition to being able to buy your Chianti Classico wine directly from the cask and extravergine olive oil by the bottle, you can buy Tuscan saffron grown on the Felciano farm.

Click here to visit the Agriturismo Felciano website.

More about Panzano in Chianti.

www.bella-toscana.com

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2013 - 2021. All rights reserved.

Italian lessons in Tuscany

If you're under lock-down due to Coronavirus, maybe this is the moment to take some Italian lessons using Skype. Lorella is ready and willing to provide Italian lessons at all levels via the internet.

Taking Italian lessons in Tuscany can and should be both practical and fun. There are multiple approaches, all of which have strong positive points. One approach to learning Italian is to use an online Italian language beginners' course or CD course and then to follow that up with intensive Italian lessons with a professional Italian language teacher, either in a group or one-to-one. Another approach to learning Italian is to start from the beginning with your professional Italian language teacher, taking your lessons at an easy pace, and backing them up with taped or CD lessons. Both of these approaches are enormously enhanced if you have the chance to take your Italian lessons in Italy so that you hear the language all day long and, of course, have the opportunity or the necessity to use your Italian language skills, rudimentary as they might be at the start.

Lorella Federico, certified Italian teacher

If you have the chance to study Italian in Italy, I can strongly recommend Lorella Federico who is a professional Italian language teacher who gained her qualification at the University of Siena and who is based in Panzano in Chianti. Lorella is a skilled teacher - no doubt about that - and Panzano and its environs are a great base for your vacation in Tuscany. And they say that Siennese is the purest and most beautiful dialect of Italian.

Italian lessons via Skype

If you're coming here on vacation, you can even take a single lesson with her so that you can pronounce places names correctly and apply a few useful phrases. Those are her beginner-level Italian lessons. She also offers a highly popular programme where you can continue your Italian lessons back home via Skype. And she also offers an intensive Italian course for those who, for one reason or another, must or wish to acquire good Italian conversational and reading skills in a short time.

More about Lorella's Italian lessons in Tuscany.

Don't forget to visit Elena Spolaor's Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany & Umbria. Chianti Travel Guide

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Tuscan winery vacation accommodations

I recently visited the Il Santo winery on the outskirts of Greve in Chianti. I'd forgotten just how good their wine is. Il Santo is also an excellent example of the kind of Tuscan winery vacation accommodations available in this area of Chianti - both comfortable and economical. Budget travellers without a car will find Il Santo additionally attractive because it is within reasonable walking distance of the Florence bus stop in Greve (1 km). The owner and manager is the kind and attentive Alessandro Turchi.

View out from Il Santo Tuscan winery vacation accommodations

Il Santo offers accommodation for up to 11 persons in four small apartments, two of which are air conditioned. Each has a private entrance and its own outdoor table and chairs on a terrace or in the garden. The views are panoramic, taking in the Il Santo vineyards and olive trees, and then the forested Chianti hills. The large swimming pool is available to guests and there is a good WiFi connection.

Dining room of one of the vacation apartments at Il Santo

The great thing about Il Santo as a Tuscan vacation location is that it is centrally located in Chianti, half way between Florence and Sienna, making it an ideal base for exploring almost every corner of Tuscany. Greve in Chianti is on the Via Chiantigiana, one of the most scenic motoring routes in Tuscany, if not in all Italy.

You can't go wrong choosing Il Santo as your holiday home in Tuscany.

More about Azienda Agricola Il Santo near Greve in Chianti, Tuscany.

Don't forget to visit my Tuscany Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany. Tuscany Travel Guide

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2014. All rights reserved.

Why is the Conca d'Oro of Panzano in Chianti called the Conca d'Oro?

The rich history of Tuscany not only manifests itself in ancient towns, abbeys and castles, but also in the place names of villages, hills and rivers and many other topographical features. One of the most beautiful names for a beautiful area is the Conca d'Oro below Panzano. Conca d'oro means "golden basin", so looking at the picture of the vineyards of the Conca d'Oro below, we have to ask ourselves why is the Conca d'Oro of Panzano in Chianti called the Conca d'Oro? Why isn't it called the Conca Verde - the green basin - for example?

View over the Conca d'Oro towards Panzano in Chianti

The answer to this riddle is quite simple (once you've been told). For centuries, Florence and Sienna fought for control of the historical Chianti area (now the Chianti Classico wine zone) that forms the territory between them. They did this in large part because of the critical value of its agricultural production. Wine? Olive oil? Only in small part. Until the middle of the 19 C, agriculture in Chianti was given over principally to grain production, meaning wheat. Most of the population of both Chianti and Florence subsisted on bread as their staple diet - and, indeed, bread is still an important part of every Tuscan meal. As a consequence, every piece of land that supported wheat was used to grow it. Even into the pre-war 20 C, wheat was grown in the spaces between the rows of grape vines. One of the most productive areas for wheat was in fact the Conca d'Oro of Panzano, and as harvest time approached it was exactly what its name says, a golden basin of ripening wheat. It was only in the post-war years that wheat was replaced by the increasingly lucrative crops yielding olive oil and wine. This change coincided with the reclamation of the Maremma and the modernisation of agriculture in the Val d'Orcia (described by Iris Origo in her wonderful book, War in the Val d'Orcia) and the consequent increase in the wheat harvest in those areas.

More about what to see in and near Panzano in Chianti.

My recommended vacation rentals in Tuscany.

Don't forget to visit my Tuscany Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany. Tuscany Travel Guide

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2013. All rights reserved.

Famous Tuscan butchers Falorni in Greve in Chianti and Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti

In ancient times, meaning before WWII, most of the contadini in Tuscany ate meat only once a week, mostly in the form of a selection of salumi. For the remainder of the week they ate ribollita in winter and panzanella in summer - both dishes being based on Tuscan bread and Tuscan olive oil with the addition of whatever fresh vegetables were available. In fact, that's how it's been for the past thousand years, at the very least. Nowadays, the meat-based dishes of Tuscan cuisine are much more prominent and famous, and as a consequence so are some wonderful Tuscan butchers shops (macellerie). In this post, I will say something about just two among many, the famous Tuscan butchers Falorni in Greve in Chianti and Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti.

Antica Macelleria Falorni in Greve in Chianti

Antica Macelleria Falorni, located on Piazza Matteotti of Greve in Chianti, claims to be the oldest butchers shop (macelleria) in Italy. The shop was founded by Gio Batta in 1729. Today Antica Macelleria Falorni is run by the eighth generation, brothers Lorenzo and Stefano Bencistà, related by marriage to the founding family. Along with fresh meat, Falorni sells a fine range of salami, prosciutto and other prepared meats and in fact the company has a large production that is sold throughout Italy and abroad. When you visit Greve in Chianti, be sure to drop in to look at the amazing display of Tuscan meat specialities on show at Macelleria Falorni, taste some samples if they're on offer and, of course, buy some great food!

Dario Cecchini in his butchers shop in Panzano in Chianti

Macellaria Cecchini, located ten minutes drive away in Panzano in Chianti, is entirely different in style from Macellaria Falorini. Macellaria Cecchini is, simply, Dario Cecchini, the mad butcher of Panzano. Cecchini specialises in prepared meats, one could almost say, anything other than salumi. And in contrast to the export-oriented business of Falorni, Cecchini has entered the restaurant trade in a very original way, particularly in his Panzano restaurant Solociccia. Dario Cecchini very often serves in his shop and welcomes visitors, even those just coming to look. While the display of meat products is amazing, you're basically coming to see Dario perform - and of course to buy some excellent eats.

Dario Cecchini is famous as a promoter of bistecca alla fiorentina and both of these butchers shops sell excellent cuts of beef suitable for grilling.

More about Piazza Matteotti in Greve in Chianti.

More about Macellaria Cecchini in Panzano in Chianti.

More about bistecca alla fiorentina.

More about Tuscan culinary specialities.

More about places to stay in Chianti.

Don't forget to visit Elena Spolaor's Travel Guide! Up-to-date news on what to see and where to stay in Chianti and all of Tuscany & Umbria. Chianti Travel Guide

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Web Site Promotion 2013 - 2022. All rights reserved.

Recommended family-friendly accommodations in Tuscany

Now that spring shows signs of coming (well, at least it isn't snowing here in Tuscany anymore - other than in the mountains), I'm receiving requests for recommended family-friendly accommodations in Tuscany. What parents usually have in mind by "family-friendly" is plenty of space for children to run around far away from traffic. My top recommendation goes to Piano di Montagliari, a Bed and Breakfast vacation accommodation located between Greve and Panzano on one of the rare flat areas of Chianti.

Piano di Montagliari Bed and Breakfast accommodations in Chianti, Tuscany

Chianti, as almost everyone knows, is a very hilly wine-growing area covering the territory between Florence and Sienna. One of the very few extensive flat areas lies where the river Greve emerges from the hills below Lamole before turning north to run through the town of the same name to join the Arno just west of Florence. This flat, former flood plain is known as the Piano di Montagliari after the big villa and formerly castle Montagliari nearby.

Part of the extensive lawns around Piano di Montagliari - Villa Vignamaggio
is visible on the ridge in the distance.

B&B Piano di Montagliari is part of an old mill and is surrounded by extensive lawns which are ideal for young people's games (soccer goal provided!) and there is almost no traffic on the adjoining road which accesses one or two houses further upstream. The location also means peace and tranquility for parents who can relax in the lovely gardens after a hard day of sightseeing. Rooms with private bathrooms as well as rooms with access to a common bathroom are available. Highly recommended!

More about B&B Piano di Montagliari.

Map of the main sights of Chianti.

Travellers Guide to Chianti.

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Web Site Promotion 2012 - 2013. All rights reserved.

Wine festivals in Tuscany

Two enjoyable wine festivals in Tuscany are coming up.

Vino al Vino in Panzano in Chianti

The annual Chianti Classico wine tasting expo takes place in Greve in Chianti from the 8th to the 11th of September, 2016 in Piazza Matteotti, the main piazza of Greve. The way it works is that you buy a glass from the organisers' booth (Segretaria) and this entitles you to taste wines at the winery booths set out around the piazza. You can also buy wine, of course. There are also other events taking place nearby in Greve, musical, culinary and artistic. The programme can be downloaded from this web page: 46nd Expo of Chianti Classico wines. Be aware that parking is extremely hard to find during the fair. You might find it makes more sense to come to Greve by SITA bus, not just to avoid parking issues but also if you intend to taste a lot of wine.

In Panzano in Chianti, one week after the Greve wine fair (15th to the 18th September, 2016), we have Vino al Vino. This is a smaller wine tasting event than the Greve fair with food stands selling local specialities, plus some informal music. The main action takes place in Piazza Bucciarelli which straddles the main road (via Chiantigiana). Here you will have the opportunity to sample and buy wines from some of the smaller producers in the area as well as the larger properties.

More information on upcoming Chianti wine festivals.

More about Greve in Chianti.

More about Panzano in Chianti.

Author: Anna Maria Baldini

All content copyright © ammonet Website Promotion 2012 - 2016. All rights reserved.

Tuscan village holiday - vacation in a wine village in Tuscany

Tuscan borgo of Tignano

Tuscany is dotted with tiny inhabited nuclei known as "borghi" (singular "borgo"). These are villages or, even better, hamlets, and are ideal for a Tuscan village holiday if one or two of the houses are available for rent. These Tuscan villages usually take the form of a large farmhouse or villa, the original manor, with a number of smaller farmhouses clustered around it or stretching along a short road. It is this short road that, strictly speaking, characterises a true "borgo", hence the use of the word "borgo" in the names of suburbs of quite large towns (e.g. Borgo San Lorenzo), reflecting their rural origins. Other hamlets originate from castles or fortified villas and typically lack a road but are clustered around a small piazza or a house built in the remains of the keep. These hamlets are often referred to as "castelli" (singular "castello") - castles. A classic example of a borgo is Castellinuzza, while a typical castello of this kind would be Tignano or Montefioralle. These borghi offer great opportunities for a vacation in a wine village in Tuscany since a great many of them are still active wineries or are the locations of wineries. They are usually very quiet with almost no traffic so that children can safely run free. They are also very frequently high up in the hills, providing spectacular views and cool breezes in summer.