Chianti: walking and wine June 11-15, 2024
Chianti: walking and wine June 11-15, 2024
**Chianti (June 11-15):**
Cost:
- €1350 per person in double occupancy
- €1500 single occupancy
Minimum group: 14
We’ve all heard of the Chianti, but this fashionable redoubt of expats nestled between Siena and Florence remains surprisingly off the beaten path when compared with other areas of Tuscany discovered by the more recent swell of tourists. Chianti is synonymous with its local wine, no longer served up in a straw basket or emblazoned with the black cockerel, the gallo nero, symbol of the region since at least the fourteenth-century (alas no longer, following a court case brought by US winemakers Ernest and Julio Gallo). Our walk will take us through vineyards of flowering sangiovese, over forested hills dotted with abbeys, villas, and castles which today house world renowned wine estates like Dievole, Castello di Ama, and Badia Coltibuono.
Along the way, we will sharpen our palette and our knowledge by frequent tastings while trying not to lose the trail! Our first two nights will be spent at the luxurious Castle of Spaltenna, near Gaiole in Chianti. From there we will move to Il Barone, near Panzano in Chianti, a charming country villa that is home to the della Robbia family, whose ancestors Luca and Andrea left a trail of medieval glazed terracottas across Tuscany, Umbria, and beyond. We will pay a visit to the Dante-reciting butcher of Panzano, made famous by Jamie Oliver, and walk to the picturesque hill town of Montefioralle to savor the refined delights of seasoned Tuscan cuisine in a rustic trattoria. Come raise a glass with us!
