The area

The Riserva di Fizzano is situated in the heart of the Chianti Classico production zone, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, where the atmosphere is truly unique. It is the perfect base for enjoyable trips around central Tuscany. Here, in alphabetical order, are some of the most interesting places to visit (it is taken for granted that Florence and Siena need no introduction!).

Castellina in Chianti

Castellina is a peaceful hamlet of ancient buildings arranged on a hilltop (at an altitude of 578 meters), nestling amid extensive vineyards, olive groves and oak woods. In the 13th century, together with Radda and Gaiole, it was part of the “Lega del Chianti” (Chianti League), whose standard was adorned with the same black rooster that today serves as the world-famous Chianti Classico logo. The built-up area retains its typically 15th-century layout, and “must sees” include the castle (now the local council offices) and the highly unusual Via delle Volte, which is almost entirely enclosed. The surrounding area is enchantingly beautiful and plays host to a patchwork of parish churches, castles and farms.

Certaldo

In the province of Florence, immersed in the heart of the Chianti production zone, there is a small but fascinating hillside village called Certaldo Alto, which has retained its original medieval structure and features brick buildings and alleyways. Certaldo, which derives its name from the Latin cerrus (or from the Germanic cerrus aldo) meaning "high plan covered with Turkey oaks" (Quercus cerris, a member of the oak family), originated as an Etruscan-Roman settlement at the confluence of the Agliena stream and the Elsa river. In 1164, following a land concession by Frederick I Barbarossa, it became a fiefdom of the Conti Alberti family, and remained in their hands until the end of the 13th century. Having been subjugated by the Republic of Florence in 1293, in 1415 Certaldo was appointed as the seat of the Vicariate, and it continued to be the most important political and judicial centre of the Valdesa area even during the Medicean period. Certaldo is well-known for having been the "the land of Boccaccio", the author whose most celebrated work is the Decameron, written in 1351, though the area’s history also includes other famous names such as Pace della Rena, Geri di Lazzaro Becci and Niccolò Macchiavelli. Very much worth visiting is the Palazzo Pretorio, the ancient centre of local power and justice, with its dungeons, “torture chamber” and panoramic keep. The facades in the atrium and in the courtyards display the ensigns of the various vicars, including the beautiful glazed terracotta coats of arms made by the Della Robbia workshop. Boccaccio’s house has a library specializing in all of the various editions and translations of the Decameron and studies of it. The interior of the 13th-century Church of Saints Jacopo and Filippo includes a grave slab of Boccaccio and a 14th-century fresco.

Colle Val D’Elsa

Encompassing three staggered districts at different heights – the “Borgo” (hamlet), the “Castello” (castle) and the “Piano” (plain) – Colle di Val d'Elsa is famous today for the production of high-quality crystal, but it is also something of a tourist hotspot. The hamlet (or “borgo”) is accessed via the monumental gate of Porta Nova: long and narrow, the road meanders its way past impressive noble palazzos built in the 16th and 17th centuries, before reaching the magnificent (though incomplete) Palazzo Campana, which signals the beginning into the castle district, the oldest part of Colle. Here, the atmosphere suddenly changes: narrow paved alleys, intriguing house-cum-towers (including the birthplace of Arnolfo di Cambio), slopes and stairways.
Facing the Piazza del Duomo, there is the Palazzo Pretorio (site of the archaeological museum), the cathedral, the Palazzo Vescovile (which houses the museum of religious art) and the highly characteristic Via delle Volte. Passing by these small 13th-century churches and buildings, you come to the “Baluardo” (bulwark), which affords a delightful panoramic view down over the “Piano”, the most modern part of Colle. Even down here, however, there is still plenty to see, such as the Church of Sant'Agostino (first constructed in the 13th century but then rebuilt in the 1500s by Antonio da Sangallo) and the daring modern headquarters of the Monte dei Paschi di Siena bank, built in 1983 to a design by Giovanni Michelucci.

Gaiole in Chianti

During the medieval period, Gaiole in Chianti was an important market town that developed along the road leading to Valdarno. Myriad castles and churches in the surrounding area stand as testaments to years of intense and prosperous agricultural and commercial activity. Amongst the castles, which all have medieval floor plans, Vertine Castle, Meleto Castle (which has two imposing rounded corner towers), Barbischio Castle and (especially) Brolio Castle are of the greatest interest. Running round the walls and bastions, there is a chemin-de-ronde that offers a fantastic panorama of the Chianti production zone and the Sienese countryside. The castle, which was completely destroyed in 1478, was reconstructed in the 1500s at the behest of Bettino Ricasoli. Also worth a visit, and located less than a mile from Gaiole, is the picturesque Romanesque church of Spaltenna. Another sight of interest is the Badia (abbey) at Coltibuono, which nestles amid the lush greenery of centuries-old fir trees on the road leading to Valdarno. A large part of this impressive complex built by Vallombrosian monks in the 11th century is today private property, but the Romanesque church, with its massive crenellated bell tower, is open to visitors.

Greve in Chianti

Greve is the heart of the production zone for Chianti Classico, the delicious nectar that serves as the guest of honor at the Mostra Mercato (exhibition and market), which is staged every year in a very unusual, asymmetrical “square”, surrounded by porticos and terraces. In 1325, the fortress at Greve was razed to the ground by Castruccio. The Church of Santa Croce, which plays host to several marvelous frescos made in the workshops of Beato Angelico and Bicci di Lorenzo, was rebuilt at the end of this unmistakable piazza. Within a radius of less than a mile, there are a number of fascinating castles, including Uzzano Castle (renowned for its Chianti Classico) and Montefioralle Castle. The cuisine in Greve is very rich: meats, Marzolino cheese, chocolate-covered petit fours and a liqueur known as the Elixir del Paradiso.

Monteriggioni

Seized by the nobles of Staggia in the mid-12th century, Monteriggione consolidated its position as a Sienese stronghold by providing protection during the wars with Florence. In 1554, it was conquered by the Medicean army and became subject to the vicissitudes of Tuscany. This delightful and very well-conserved medieval hamlet is deeply evocative of the period, as evinced by its square, its fortifications and its parish church, which has retained its Romanesque-Gothic layout. The rock-solid defensive walls that surround the village are not to be missed.
The surrounding area is also of great interest. Abbadia Isola is the site of the Romanesque abbey of San Salvatore, which includes a Romanesque marble reliquary urn, a 15th-century baptismal font of a "Madonna and Child" by Sano di Pietro (1471), an "Assumption" by Vincenzo Tamagni, and a "Madonna and Child" attributed to the early period of Duccio di Buoninsegna or his workshop.
Wells and groups of tombs dating from the Etruscan and Imperial Roman periods have been uncovered on several farms in Casone.

Pienza

Pienza takes its name from the Pope who entrusted its restructuring to Rossellino: Pius II, Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini. Where the town now stands was once the site of Corsignano Castle. In 1459, work began on the central square, which came to embody the Utopian image of the ideal city so typical of the culture of Renaissance Humanism.
To this day, Pienza has retained (almost intact) all of the traces of its past, and Rossellino’s architecture still encapsulates that ideal of exceptional perfection for which it was first conceived. The architect was responsible for the Palazzo Piccolomini, which takes its cue from Florence’s Palazzo Rucellai and has ashlar facades, and the 14th-century Cathedral, which plays host not only to a sculpted wooden choir but also to paintings by Vecchietta, Matteo di Giovanni and Sano di Pietro. On all three floors, the mullioned windows are divided by pilaster strips, whereas the courtyard emphasizes its Florentine inspiration through an arched portico on Corinthian columns.
The piazza is also home to other palazzos: the Casa dei Canonici, site of the Cathedral Museum, which houses works by the Sodoma School, Flemish tapestries made in the 15th and 16th centuries, 14th-century wooden sculptures and the cope of Pius II. The Palazzo Vescovile and the Palazzo Comunale are also located around the edges of the square. Another fascinating feature is the roof garden atop the Palazzo Piccolomini, which looks out over the Val d'Orcia.
The Parish Church of Corsignano, located just outside the city walls, is a wonderful example of Romanesque architecture. Just a bit further out, Spedaletto Castle, located in the middle of the valley next to the Orcia river, and Sant’Anna in Camprena, an Olivetan monastery built on a primitive Lombard fort, are both worth a visit.

San Gimignano

Its turreted profile – which is silhouetted against the hills of the Alta Valdelsa facing Volterra, right in the middle of one of the most important tracts of the medieval Via Francigena – is famous around the world, as is its wine, Vernaccia, which has recently attained D.O.C.G. status, the highest appellation in Italian winemaking.
San Gimignano, which has retained almost intact its original 14th-century layout and architecture, is the result of the many historical events that have exerted their influence over the town, which from 1353 onwards was subject to the ever-changing fortunes of the Republic of Florence. Because of this, today you can still admire 14 of the 72 aristocratic towers that once existed, in a procession of noble palaces, narrow alleyways and piazzas.
One of these squares, the beautiful Piazza della Cisterna (built in 1327), serves as the town’s umbilical cord, providing the centre point for the surrounding buildings: the Piazza del Duomo (the cathedral itself has masterpieces by Benozzo Gozzoli, Jacopo della Quercia and Taddeo di Bartolo); the Palazzo del Podestà and the Palazzo Comunale, which houses the civic museum (and has paintings such as the "Maestà" by Lippo Memmi and works by Pinturicchio and Filippino Lippi); and the Romanesque-Gothic Church of Sant'Agostino, which has 17 frescos by Benozzo Gozzoli illustrating the life of Saint Augustine. The solitary extant tower of the 14th-century pentagonal fortress (mostly demolished by the Medici in 1555) affords spectacular views over the town and the surrounding countryside.

Volterra

Through the remains housed in the Guarnacci Etruscan Museum, visitors can relive the history of this town, which was already a force to be reckoned with 2,400 years ago! This area has seen Umbrians, Etruscans and Florentines come and go. Volterra, which lies at an altitude of 555 meters and was described by D’Annunzio as the "city of wind and rock", has a rather severe medieval appearance. Today it dominates not only the Era and Cecina valleys, but also the unusual landscape created by the crags referred to as "Le Baize". These immense Cretaceous expanses are streaked with impressive abysses that, over the centuries, have swallowed up necropolises, churches and gigantic walls.
The edge of the abyss preserves remnants of the Etruscan walls and plays host to the Church of the Badia. Volterra is a bona fide "city of monuments", overflowing with testaments to art and civilization. Piazza dei Priori – bordered by austere palazzos with acutely-arched porches, house-cum-towers and the massive Palazzo dei Priori, an art gallery that features the enameled coats of arms of the Florentine commissaries of the 15th and 16th centuries – is one of the most delightful medieval squares in all of Italy. The Duomo is a Romanesque building that was re-cast in Pisan style with an octagonal baptistery to the front (the baptismal font was created by Sansovino in 1502). The Buonparenti house-cum-tower with its 18th-century connecting arch is also worth a visit, as are the Fortezza, one of the most grandiose of medieval strongholds (now serving as a prison), and the Renaissance Palazzo Minucci-Solaini, attributed to Sangallo. The Porta d’Arco, a remnant of the Etruscan wall, is equally impressive.
There are numerous shops selling alabaster products. In gastronomic terms, the area produces excellent pecorino and ricotta cheeses, lamb, cured pork and prosciutto. Moreover, it is a hotspot for truffles.

For further informations:
www.terresiena.it
www.chianti.it