Visiting the Chianti region

Siena is a central Tuscan city with a fan shaped piazza - Piazza del Campo where all roads seem to lead. It's not as busy as the major cities but still has numerous tourists. The history of the city with its medieval brick buildings and the Palazzo Pubblico which dominates the piazza is well worth visiting.
It still has a medieval feel to the city and you can still get a sense of what it must have been like to live there in those times.
The symbol of Siena is the she-wolf that suckles the two infants, it is rumoured that the 2 sons of Remus stole that statue after their father was killed in Rome and ran to Siena. They were also said to have ridden a white & a black horse thus having Siena's flag with the white and black band.

Castello Di Verrazzano is a stunning winery in Greve, the heart of chianti country between Siena and Florence. The castle is over 1000 years old and still holds all its land. It has been recorded since 1150 as making wine. Held in the same family until 1958 when the last descendant passed away.

The wine tour is excellent, the information on the history of the castle and how the wine is made, following regional rules and historic traditions is wonderfully told by your tour guide. After the tour though the wine producing area and the cellars you are invited to learn the techniques of wine tasting.

This tour and winery is a definite must do and if you have time book the restaurant and enjoy the views and wine as well.

Antica Macelleria Falorni, Greve is a treat to your taste buds. If you want to taste some of the local cold meats and cheeses this well know butcher/deli is the place to go.  You can sit outside in the piazza or inside the store and enjoy a number of delicious options. We chose two different tasting boards to sample with of course a glass of Chianti classico, which proved to be as good as its reputation. Enjoying the beautiful afternoon will indulging in local produce proved to be a must on our list.

We were fortunate to be in Greve on the weekend of the wine-tasting & competition amongst the local Chianti region winemakers. The D.O.C.G (is the highest classification for Italian wines. It denotes controlled production methods and guaranteed wine quality) was judging the competition. 

A great way to sample the local wines amongst the many, many enthusiasts that attended.

This area was one of the highlights of this trip for me and I will return to explore the region more.