Luxury holidays in Chianti

Chianti brings to mind velvety glugs of full-bodied red, but it’s Italy’s poster child too. Rolling vine-teeming hills, dotted with weatherworn mediaeval villas, give the region a charmed face, drawing a flow of romantic minibreakers as freely as the wine is poured in local tavernas.

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.