Visit wineries and castles in one of the most
beautiful areas in Tuscany - full of history and art. The
Chianti is a particularly beautiful, exceptionally fertile and
hilly area of Tuscany that is renowned for its wine appellation,
one of the oldest in Europe. For over 500 years large and small
estates have used the southern slopes for the production of this
excellent wine. The tour begins with a visit to the Brolio
Castle, an imposing example of Italian Renaissance fortress
architecture, which today is the center of one of the finest
Chianti wine productions. It will include a visit to the
exemplary wine cellars where it is said the formula for present
day production of Chianti Classico wine was developed.
From Brolio Castle proceed to another exclusive wine producer
and participate in a tasting. This will be followed by lunch (at
own expense) in a Tuscan trattoria where traditional dishes are
the fare of the day. The afternoon itinerary journeys through
more of the Chianti region's luxurious landscape to the medieval
town of Radda, perched high on a hill between the Pesa and Arbia
River Valleys. Two exceptional wine stores in Radda provide
excellent opportunities for the wine connoisseur as well as the
novice. On the way back stop in a ceramics studio where
centuries old throwing and coil construction methods are still
being used as well as glazes and pictorial motifs that date back
to the Renaissance.
