Typical Tuscan salt-free bread, a drizzle of olive oil, love and imagination… Fascinating oil mills, long walks, rendezvous with farmers, oil and wine tastings. Chianti in winter is a journey of discovery amidst the peasant tradition of seasonal products and simple dishes. The spotlight will be on the excellence of Chianti produce: olives and premium oil, quality wine, the crafts and colours and scents of the winter season. The towns of Barberino Tavarnelle, Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Greve in Chianti, Radda in Chianti and San Casciano Val di Pesa offer a variety of itineraries aimed at discovering roots and identities in a season that is generally not conducive to mass tourism and thus benefits from the active involvement of local farms and restaurateurs.
Chianti in winter is fantastic, at the table and elsewhere. Aromas and fragrances emanate from the kitchens of the restaurants, where the essence of the Chianti region is interpreted in terms of wine and gastronomy; Chianti is still breathtakingly beautiful even when temperatures dive: the aromas are those of the past, skilfully blending quality and wholesomeness With its traditional rural traditions revisited on the basis of the ideas, secrets and flair of contemporary talents, the Chianti tourist area, which straddles the provinces of Florence and Siena, offers many itineraries aimed at showcasing the flavours of the past, the know-how acquired over the centuries that puts genuine, simple ingredients on the table, in line with the age-old traditions of the six Chianti towns. Indeed, this “poor cuisine” uses leftovers from the day before, aims to save money and draws on the imagination. A leading role is played by extra virgin olive oil, which accompanies the gourmet traveller on his or her journey through the Tuscan hills. The six towns work in synergy to valorise, raise awareness of and promote one of the main products of the Chianti farming tradition, this “green gold”. In addition to wine, the focus is on olive oil in the colder months, with visits to oil mills, walks in the olive groves and excursions, with the chance to taste the oil on farms, take part in informative meetings on the socio-economic value of the product, as well as on the opportunities and benefits that farmers and the entire economic sector of the area can glean from its cultivation.