Travels in the Chianti Region

By Jo-Anne of Vancouver, B.C.

I had the recent pleasure of spending two weeks in the Chianti region. Ten of us stayed at the villa Le Celle in Lecchi-in Chianti. The beauty and hospitality of this part of the region was all that I had hoped for. The villa was authentically appointed and spacious with postcard views from every window.

With our map and the book Exploring Tuscany's Chianti Countryside by Nancy Shroyer Howard and Richard Mello in hand, we explored the local sites. The Abbey at Badia a Coltibuono was delightful. The abbey tour and wine tasting are well worth a visit (reservation required). Additionally, the restaurant on site has superb cuisine.

We ventured out of our local area into Siena and Florence. In Florence, the hop-on-off double-decker bus tour was a great way to get an overview of this beautiful city. I would recommend driving to Piazza Michelangelo where the parking is free and you can pick up the bus there. Parking at the train station was 24 Euros per day. We particularly enjoyed shopping for leather bargains at the San Lorenzo market and a visit to the Uffizi Gallery (make reservations at least a month before you visit to avoid long waits). Siena was also a lovely place and the combination ticket for the Duomo, Crypt, Baptistry and museum was a bargain.

Additional highlights were the mineral baths at Rapolano and the market and cantina in Greve where you can try some very expensive, good wines. I did enjoy the Brunello wines. Some of our group also visited San Gimignano and Volterra; both lovely, but very crowded during the summer days.

Our final stop in Tuscany was to take a look at the Leaning Tower in Pisa prior to our flight to France. The tower and Duomo are beautiful structures, but we were not prepared for the high density of commercial activity in the area. You can climb the tower, but you must book a time.

I would not hesitate to return to this beautiful region.