Justly appreciated for its well structured red wines and for the Vin Santo, Tuscany also produces interesting dry white wines, like the Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

Vineyards in Maremma, in southern Tuscany. In the province of Grosseto, an agricultural area is still intact and particularly beautiful (photo by Cesare Moroni)

A number of Wine Trails have been organized, to visit the most prized production zones. In the province of Massa Carrara, along the Colli di Candia e di Lunigiana Wine Trail, the wine tourist can admire soft hilly landscapes, vineyards, woods and the Alpi Apuane peaks in the background. The wines produced in this area are the Candia dei Colli Apuani Doc and the Colli di Luni Doc.

The wines from the provinces of Pistoia and Lucca are: the Bianco della Valdinievole Doc, from a zone located between Montecatini, the town of the famous spa, and Pescia, the town of flowers; the Colli dell’Etruria Centrale Doc, in the white, red and rosé versions, from a number of Tuscan provinces; the Colline Lucchesi Doc, produced in the area around Capannori. Capannori is a small town of great historical, artistic and archeological interest, where an imposing aqueduct, imitating ancient Roman architectural style, was built between 1823 and 1851, by a citizen of Capannori, Lorenzo Nottolini. Finally, the Montecarlo Doc wine, in the white, red and Vin Santo versions, is produced in the territory of the communes of Altopascio, Capannori and Montecarlo. Montecarlo has a well preserved historic center, dating from the early fourteenth century and surrounded by strong walls.

Landscapes of Chianti Classico, historical zone of production of red wines between the provinces of Florence and Siena (photo by Consorzio Chianti Classico, author B. Bruchi)

A wine production area near Florence is the one around Prato, a town known for its textile industry, which also offers some good wines and specialty foods. Here the star wine is the Carmignano Docg, a well structured red, produced on the eastern slope of Monte Albano, between Carmignano and Poggio a Caiano. More to the south, towards the coast, the wine tourist can find two interesting wine zones in the provinces of Pisa and Livorno. The most important wines from the province of Pisa are the Bianco di San Torpè Doc, the Montescudaio Doc and the Val di Cornia Doc (also produced in other provinces). In this territory there are some beautiful little towns, such as San Miniato, with the tower of Frederick II from the early thirteenth century, and Terricciola, an ancient village of Etruscan origins, where the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Monterosso and the Camaldolese Abbey of Morrona are located.

In the province of Livorno, some important destinations for the wine tourist are: the Island of Elba, with its Elba Doc wines; Castagneto Carducci, where the prized red Bolgheri Doc is produced, and the part of Tuscan coast, called Costa degli Etruschi. Along the Costa degli Etruschi, the wine tourist can visit Montescudaio, Guardistallo, Casale, an ancient fief of the Della Gherardesca family, and Montecatini Val di Cecina, with its ancient copper mines. Between Casale and Bolgheri, in the territory of Bibbona, there is a wildlife reserve with paths winding through woods and meadows. The pearl of the area is Castagneto Carducci; the great Italian poet Giosuè Carducci lived there for years and celebrated its famous Avenue of Cypresses in his poem “Davanti San Guido”. In the nearby Val di Cornia, the medieval villages of Suvereto and Campiglia Marittima are worth a visit, as well as the wildlife reserves of Montioni, Monte Calvi and Campiglia with archeological and mining sites. Piombino, famous for its steelworks, is the harbor, from which the island of Elba can be reached; in Elba, the prized Aleatico wine is produced.

The medieval village of Monteriggioni, enclosed by walls and towers (Siena)

The historic wine zone of the Chianti Classico, one of the most famous Italian wines, is located in the interior, in the provinces of Florence and Siena. Greve in Chianti, in the hills near Florence, is a beautiful village with a characteristic, ancient market square. In Castelnuovo Berardenga, in the province of Siena, the elegant Villa Chigi Serafini was built in the early nineteenth century. South of Siena, the splendid territory of “Le Crete” is a band of hills, covering the communes of Asciano, Buonconvento, San Giovanni d’Asso and Trequanda; characterized by the presence of calcareous and sandier clay soils, they are rich in truffles and great red wines. One of the most famous wines in the world is the Brunello di Montalcino Docg, produced in the vineyards and wineries around the medieval town of Montalcino, perched on a hill overlooking the beautiful Val d’Orcia.

The town of Montepulciano, high on a hill overlooking fields and vineyards. It’is in the land of Vino Nobile

Near the border with Umbria, the beautiful medieval town of Montepulciano is in the heart of the Vino Nobile Doc zone. The thermal spa of Chianciano Terme is also worth a visit. The Chianti Colli Aretini subzone is in the province of Arezzo, with typical Tuscan landscapes of vineyards, olive groves, chestnut woods and tobacco plantations. In Southern Tuscany, the Maremma territory stretches between Monte Amiata and the Argentario promontory. It is the production zone of great wines, such as the red Morellino di Scansano and the Montecucco Doc in the Sangiovese, red Vermentino and white Vermentino types. Maremma is rich in natural and artistic attractions. At Campagnatico, in the “Santuario Mariano”, a Madonna by artists of Duccio’s school can be admired. At Castel del Piano, the subterranean cellars of Palazzo Nerucci are worth a visit. When the Monastery of Siloe in Cinigiano is completed, it will be the first monastery built in the third millennium.

Not to be missed

The towers of San Gimignano (photo by ProLoco)

The little town of San Gimignano, perched on a hill, 334 mt above sea level, in the province of Siena, is totally surrounded by its ancient walls with several towers. Today there are thirteen towers, but in the fourteenth century they might have been seventy-two, one for each important family living in the town. In the seventeenth century San Gimignano was part of the Medici Grand Duchy. Today it is one of the world heritage Unesco sites.

Not only wine

A little Cinta Senese pig, with its distinctive pink belt

The event

A nice promotional cap in Florence for the first edition of Classic E’, an event dedicated to local wines

The Consortium of the Chianti Classico organizes between May and June “Classico È”, the wine festival in the Chianti territory of the provinces of Florence and Siena, offering wine tastings, concerts, gala dinners, guided tours of wineries. The wine tourist can visit places, usually closed to the public, and taste a glass of good wine in the square of a Chianti village or among the barrels of an ancient Chianti cellar. Info 055.8228525 www.classico-e.it