The Chianti Area Surrounding Florence
Florentine Chianti
The first town on the road from Florence to Siena is San Casciano Val di Pesa, standing up on a hill. Here traces of the ancient city walls and the Medieval donjon can still be admired. North of San Casciano there is Sant`Andrea in Percussina, where Niccolò Machiavelli lived for a short period of time.
Particularly interesting is the artistic heritage in Mercatale Val di Pesa, the most populous town in Florentine Chianti after San Casciano. The territory is scattered with castles, the most interesting being the Castle of Gabbiano and the Castle of Bibbione. In the neighbourhood of Mercatale has recently been discovered the Etruscan Tomb of the Bowman.
Tavarnelle in Val di Pesa has always been a resting place for those who went to Siena and then to Rome. Here, the church of Santa Lucia and the Romanesque parish church of San Pietro in Bossolo are worth a visit.
San Donato in Poggio is a Medieval hamlet featuring the Renaissance Palazzo Malaspina (Malaspina Palace) and the church of Santa Maria della Neve. The parish church of San Donato houses an earthenware font by Giovanni della Robbia.
Plunged into the Chianti countryside is Badia a Passignano, a fortified hamlet whose abbey houses numerous parchments and precious works of art.
Greve in Chianti was once a market town on one of the most important Italian routes. Not only does Greve in Chianti features an important artistic heritage, it is also surrounded by charming Medieval hamlets, such as Montefioralle and Panzano, and castles which, having lost their defensive purposes, have been transformed into gentleman`s villas and renowned farms.
Our trip in the Florentine Chianti end up in Barberino Val d`Elsa, a Medieval town still featuring interesting evidence of its past: some parts of the town walls, the ancient gates and various ancient buildings.
On the route to Certaldo, the remains of the castle of Semifonte and of the Romanesque church dedicated to Sant`Appiano (the first who evangelised the Val d`Elsa) are worth a visit.
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