Luxury and boutique hotels in Chianti

Chianti, at the heart of Tuscany, encompasses immensely charming abbey-, winery- and castle-capped cities. See Siena’s striped churches; Florence’s museums, Medici tombs and Madonnas; Greve’s mediaeval relics; and enough vineyards to keep your glasses topped up and toast-ready. Wine takes precedence here, with a strict Chianti Classico production zone and eight subzones for variations on the titular tipple. Take note: the typical straw fiascos are mostly rustic set-dressing nowadays. Emigrés and celebrities have snapped up Chianti’s crumbling homesteads, earning it the nickname ‘Chiantishire’; but the stomping ground of Machiavelli, Leonardo and Galileo has an incorruptible charm, and remains one of the world’s most enchanting destinations.

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When to go

In summer Chianti throngs with tourists and fair-weather villa owners; it’s best to visit in September or October when temperatures are milder. Visit the Chianti Classico wine festival in early September, when regional producers bring a mind-boggling variety of top vintages to Greve.

Getting there

  • Planes

    Florence Airport (www.aeroporto.firenze.it) is just a short drive or taxi ride from the city centre – a good launch-off point for exploring the region – and services flights from major European destinations; or you can fly to Pisa International Airport (www.pisa-airport.com), just under an hour’s drive away from the heart of Chianti. If you happen to have a private jet at your disposal, Siena has a very small airport where you can land it.

  • Automobiles

    Designated drivers will have to forego the region’s reds, but once they’ve driven past swathes of multi-coloured vineyards and witnessed panoramic vistas of timeless stone-walled towns, they’ll be glad for a set of wheels. Chianti’s roads offer spectacular scenery (notably along the Chiantigiana road) and it’s the easiest way to see a good portion of the sprawling region.