Places to See in Chianti
Within Chianti, make sure to head to San Gimignano, Certaldo, Barberino, Greve in Chianti, San Casciano and Poggibonsi to name a few of the smaller towns.
A Season Away VillaHosts can arrange wine tastings of Chianti Classico wines in the heart of Chianti and well as some of the more famous wine growing areas in southern Tuscany such as Montalchino and Montepulciano for true wine lovers.
Florence
Florence, the capital city of Tuscany, IS the Renaissance. Everywhere you look you’ll marvel at its architecture, art, culture and history.
Of course, you won’t be the only ones discovering Florence, which is one of the reasons A Season Away suggests savoring this marvelous city in the off-season, if possible, when the crowds thin out and you can pick up on the “vibe” of this city.
Some “musts” are Michelangelo's David in the Accademia, the Duomo, Campanile and Bapistry, the museum of the works of the Duomo, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Bargello, San Marco with Fra Angelica's frescos, Santa Croce, and San Miniato, not to mention the Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens.
As far as shopping goes, Florence is known for its leather, lace, linens, Florentine paper and paper products, and, of course, its wine and food. There are no bargains anymore, but you can certainly marvel at the craftsmanship of the Italian ateliers and know it can’t be replicated.
Siena
A trip to Tuscany wouldn’t be complete without spending time in Siena, the hillside town about an hour south of Florence. A former trading post and stopover for pilgrims to Rome over the ages, Siena still retains a medieval flair, probably best exhibited in the centuries-old Palio horse race held twice each summer on the town square, Piazza del Campo.
The Palio is a traditional medieval horse race run around the Piazza each year on July 2 and August 16. This event is attended by large crowds, and is widely televised. Seventeen city neighborhoods vie for the trophy: a painted flag, or Palio bearing an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ten of the seventeen neighborhoods run in each Palio in an intense, ribald race for bragging honors.
Outside of the Palio times, the Piazza del Campo is regarded as one of the most beautiful civic spaces in Europe and is the heartbeat of the city. As with many medieval cities, over time many streets were constructed leading to it. Since Siena is built on a hill, plan to wear comfortable shoes and go up and down many steps to get anywhere.
Most of the mostly Gothic homes and buildings on the narrow streets are colored in the reddish brown color known as burnt siena.
Siena’s university, founded in 1240 and famed for its faculties of law and medicine, is still among the most important Italian universities and gives the city a certain youthful vitality, when all else is ancient.
Make sure to see the Duomo and adjacent Cripta.
Lucca
Lucca is a delightful, graceful city near the coast in northern Tuscany not far from Pisa. Rich in history, culture, beauty and music, Lucca is the birthplace of Puccini. It is about an hour train or car ride from Florence and about 1.5 hours from central Chianti.
Originally a Roman city (you can go into one if the city’s piazza’s and see its circular shape from when it was a colisseum), Lucca was later the capital of Tuscany.
Now Lucca is known for its medieval double walls, topped by a park and wide promenade where people stroll, bicycle and view the surrounding mountains.
Lucca has always been a prosperous place, with money made in trading, knitwear and what is purported to be among the finest olive oil in the world, the so-called “green gold.” Because of this prosperity, mild climate for being near the sea (30 minutes away,) Lucca has some of the most magnificent villas and gardens you can tour in all of Italy. This wealth also brought with it great culture, so there are many musical fests year-round, but none more important than the Puccini Opera Festival each summer.
Cortona
Cortona is a fortified hill town that hugs the Umbrian border on the eastern edge of Tuscany. In recent years it was made famous by American Frances Mayes who wrote about her adventures in rebuilding a villa there in the book, Under The Tuscan Sun. The book was later turned into a popular movie starring Diane Lane. A Season Away actually represents the owners of the house where the film was made, so for a large group, the villa can be yours!
Although it is about a 1.5 hour drive to Florence or Chianti from Cortona, it still has great strategic advantage for visiting many of the cities and towns in Umbria and eastern Tuscany like Arezzo and Chuisi. It is also only about 10 miles from beautiful Lake Trasimeno and some of its lovely lakeside villages. Lake Trasimeno’s historical significance was that it was the scene of Hannibal’s ambush of the Roman army in 217 BC.
This is an ancient Etruscan town, with history dating back through the ages, including the legend that the great Greek Ulysses died in the area after his many conquests. Today, it is a manageable medieval city with narrow lanes and cute shops. Parking is difficult in the summer as it is a magnet for tourists, but coming in the off season has many pleasures, including a great Saturday market and some very good restaurants.
