As it is located between two cìties ofart that are unique in thè worìd, Florence and Siena, the territory of Greve in Chianti had the good fortune to receive their influence both in the lesser aspects (just think of the farmhouse architecture) and aiso in the wealth of chapeis and votive tabernacles that are to be found along even the most out-of-the-way country roof`s. The important buildings are churches and castles that conserve their medieval structure (e.g. Uzzano, Montefioralle, Convertoie). This fact enables us to easily reconstruct the economy of those times: a manorial economy within the walls that enclosed a self-sufficient agricultural unit in which everything essential to life in the castle was produced. An economy that survived until the end of the 15th century, until the transformation of the castle into a villa-estate. And it was the manorial economy that was the source of a great part of the local cuisine, the cuisine that had to feed both rich and poor, masters and servants, with what was produced inside the walls where miracles of taste occurred that we have a memory of still today in the preparation of varieties of offal and tripe; in the use of bread re-cycled in a thousand ways; in large roasts cooked over the spit, where barnyard animals and game dominated the castellan`s banquets and the leftovers were salvaged in the kitchen for tasty dishes with which to feed the servant`s families. Everything occurred inside the castle, where the word of the lord of the castle held sway. During the 15th century, for various historical reasons, the castles were opened up: for example, the castle of Uzzano still conserves a part of the ancient northern walk, while the southern part was adapted to the new exchange requirements by means of elegant lines of smooth pietra serena and the plastering of the loggias and columns. From the castles - situated on the high ground - expansion of the built-up area developed on the valley bottom, with the birth of new towns that gained strength with the large Communes and the new communications roads, which became always safer. And the new towns can be retraced in the Christian toponymy.The new Christian era was the bearer of new forms of life that were formerly linked to the veneration of several saints who evangelised the zone, but which is present even today in the culture of this land: it is sufficient to remember the link that still exists between the populace and Saints Leolino, Eufrosino and Cresi. But this was a new life, in which the word of the lord of the castle no longer held sway, a life that opened up to outside the walls of the castle. It dealt with large spaces, the plantations of vines and olive trees that still today characterise the magnificent landscape in which, however, artistic and architectural testimonies of great importance and interest are not lacking. And with the vines, the good wines that are always subject to significant improvements with the introduction of new grapes and the important celebrative festivals of the products of the soil, of this land that is so rich and hospitable. This is a land in which artistic, natural and landscape beauties merge, offering to the visitor exquisite hospitality in which the pleasures of the table are unquestionably to be commended and recommended. The food in this land is sublime: from the abundant meat, that is tasty and well-cooked, to the very top quality in processed pork meats, to the bread made according to ancient recipes, tasty soups.. .in short, the best thatTuscany has to offer. And a stay at table is obligatory, because after a stopover for pleasure, the artistic beauties in which this land abounds can be so much better appreciated. This is true above all as far as paintings on panels and frescoes are concerned, which constituted part of the cultural exchange between the Florentine countryside and the nearby cities and was made possible by the communications roads. Every church, every parish has its treasures to share with visitors to this land who desire to understand its spirit, artistic value, and current well-being, with those who wish to come in contact with a genuine corner of paradise abounding in great treasures from all epochs .... from `Greve in Chianti` ( Municipality of Greve in Chianti )