Many of Chianti’s lovely hill towns can easily be explored from L’Aiaccia including Gaiole, Radda, Greve, Panzano, and Castellina-in-Chianti. The cities of Florence, Siena, Montepulciano and Pienza are also within easy reach.
Castagnoli in Chianti
L’Aiaccia overlooks Castagnoli in Chianti, a tiny fortified hilltop village that is home to the Rocca di Castagnoli vineyard and wine shop, as well as two restaurants.
Gaiole
Six kilometers from the house, Gaiole is a classic Tuscan market town set in the Massellone River valley. Off the main tourist track, Gaiole has an authentic, understated charm. Within the town you will find all the necessary services for your stay including a small supermarket, a fresh produce market, restaurants, banks, several wine stores, a full-service pharmacy, and a classic Tuscan butcher, Chini Macelleria, which was featured in the NETFLIX hit series SALT FAT ACID HEAT in the FAT episode. Before or after errands, Il Bar Centrale in the center of town provides a nice spot to enjoy excellent coffee, a wide selection of international newspapers, and people watching at its outdoor tables.
Radda and Castellina
Along with Gaiole, these two towns formed the Chianti League, a political alliance that helped the Chianti region manage the centuries-long rivalry between Florence and Siena and was the original home of the Chianti Classico wine designation. Both are charming hilltop villages with wonderful views and many great restaurant and shopping choices. Across the valley from Radda is the tiny hilltop village of Volpaia, home to the Volpaia vineyard and wine shop and two restaurants.
Siena
The most wonderfully preserved medieval city in Italy, Siena is a personal favorite of ours and is just an hour from the house. It is home to Il Palio, the famous bareback horse race run around the Campo (the central piazza) twice each summer. Siena is comprised of 17 contrade (or neighborhoods), each with their own symbol, as well as their own museum, church and fountain. Ten of the contrade participate in each Il Palio and festivities in the days leading up to the race fill the city streets. Other wonderful sites of Siena include the Palazzo Publicco (the town hall and museum) and the spectacular black and white Duomo. Great restaurants and shopping abound, but one of the best experiences in Siena can be simply wandering up and down the medieval streets and passages.
Florence
We won’t try to summarize Florence here other than to say it deserves its reputation as one of the world’s great cities. It is an easy 80km drive from the house so it makes for a perfect day trip.
Montevarchi
Montevarchi is not a charming town, but a good one to have close by because it has large American-style grocery stores and houseware outlets that don’t exist otherwise in the Tuscan countryside. Because it is located at the exit from the A1 Autostrada that we take to drive to L’Aiaccia, many of our guests find it is a very convenient place to do bigger grocery runs on their way to the house. There is also a large Prada/Miu Miu outlet in Montevarchi. The town is 27km from the house.