The landscape of Chianti, Italy is probably one of the most charming and recognisable in the world. This area of the Region of Tuscany, Italy, located between Florence and Siena, consists of a series of hills and ridges, deeply cut by seasonal torrents, streams and rivers making their way to the River Arno and so to the sea. The countryside is mostly forested with a mixture of chestnut and oak trees as well as a number of forests composed mainly of umbrella pines and cypresses. However, near the towns and villages, forest gives way to the characteristic vineyards and olive trees that contribute so much to the Chianti landscape and, of course, to its most famous products, Chianti Classico wine and Extravirgin Olive Oil. The main road through Chianti is the Via Chiantigiana road, which, with its numerous side roads, is one of the most popular motoring routes in all of Italy.
Chianti Italy Tourist Information
Useful tips for visitors to Chianti.
Background information about Chianti and its wine.
Chianti Travel Guide information source for visitors to Chianti.
Chianti, Italy, is, with good reason, an extremely popular holiday destination. There are rural and town hotels throughout the area but by far the most popular form of vacation accommodation is a village or country self-catering apartment or farm house. These are all rather loosely referred to as
Chianti agriturismi, although strictly speaking only those on working farms should be referred to as an agriturismo. The others are simply rural
vacation rentals in Chianti. These accommodations have almost all been fully restored during the past 10-15 years and have modern conveniences in addition to being furnished in Tuscan country style. They are mostly
owner direct vacation rentals which accounts in large part for their extremely good value.
Chianti is dotted with castles, fortified villages, tower houses and fortified abbeys, reflecting the centuries of contention between Florence and Siena. All of these are interesting to visit, are highly photogenic and in some cases contain frescoes and paintings of high historical and artistic interest. Among the abbeys are
Badia a Coltibuono and
Badia a Passignano, while the Chianti castles are so numerous around
Gaiole in Chianti that there are several
Chianti castles routes that may be followed by car to visit them.
