September is near and as always on the second weekend of September, and the preceding Thursday and Friday, Greve in Chianti is hosting its renowned Chianti Classico wine festival. This year it’s at its 44th edition and will be held from September 11th to 14th.
The famous triangular square in the centre of town, Piazza Matteotti, fills up with wooden stands, one for each Chianti winery (over 50 this year), and visitors are invited to buy a ticket with which one also receives a wine glass. The ticket is valid for a specific number of wine tastings at any of the stands (in 2013 up to 8). It is also possible to taste olive oil, served on freshly sliced Tuscan bread, which is salt-less, as well as local cheese. Both wine and olive oil can be bought or ordered at the stands.
In addition to the wine tasting, the town organizes a variety of events during the four days as well as a pageant which crosses the square, together with a flag waving show. In the nearby streets artists exhibit their works and craftsmen forge their masterpieces.
If you’re planning to participate this year we suggest staying in this lovely holiday home with swimming pool hidden amongst olive groves and vineyards of the hills above Greve in Chianti. The villa is a typical Tuscan 17th century manor house, totally renovated, which hosts 4 comfortable and elegantly furnished apartments, whereas other 2 apartments are in an outbuilding. These holiday apartments in Chianti are in an ideal location for all those seeking peace and quiet but also a perfect point of departure for visiting the beautiful attractions of the Chianti region as well as most Tuscan art centres such as Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Arezzo, Montepulciano and Montalcino.
