L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, JUNE 28, 2018 L'Italo-Americano A mong the reas ons that make the Tuscan region o ne of the most beloved of the whole Bel Paese, the fine arts, its unique landscapes and its delicious food are defi- nitely on top of the list. What is more, the possibilities are almost endless when it comes to discov- ering thes e three as pects of Toscana's beauty, so that each tour there never quite looks the same. Together, we will explore the Tuscan countryside by fol- lowing a quite specific thread: the s cent and gus to of the region's renowned wines. Start- ing from the world-famous Chi- anti hills, our itinerary will then move on to less-known but still wonderful areas, in which food and local traditions intertwine in the centuries-old vines. In recent years, in order to respond to the growing populari- ty of food and wine tourism in the region, the Regione Toscana created the s o-called Feder - azione Strade del Vino, dell'Olio e dei Sapori di Toscana (Federa- tion of Wine, Olive Oil and Tus- can Flavors Roads). Among the twenty two itineraries proposed to accompany enthusiastic visi- tors to the discovery of Tuscan local products and way of life, the Wine and Oil Road called Strada del Vino e dell'Olio Chi- anti Classico is probably the first way to go as far as enoturismo (that is, "wine tourism") is con- cerned. One thing is for sure: along with all of the other Wine Roads, this particular trail not only captures local gastronomic traditions at their best, but it also gives us a perfect image of what great natural, historical, and cul- tural attractions this land has to offer. Even though the Chianti Clas- sico area between the provinces of Florence and Siena has only been called a "Strada del Vino" since the last few decades, the art and science of winemaking was first introduced to these hills thousands of years ago, as it dates back to Roman or even Etruscan times. However it may be, it was just in 1716 that the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosi- mo III de' Medici, defined for the first time the official bound- aries of the Chianti region: according to an edict by him, a wine labeled "Chianti" could only be produced in the areas around the villages of Castellina in Chianti, Radda in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, and Greve in Chianti. In other words, it is not by chance that these four towns nowadays constitute the heart- land for the production of Chi- anti Classico, the only variety which has the famous Gallo Nero (black rooster) – the for- mer symbol of the 14 th century Chianti Military League (Lega del Chianti) – as part of its seal. In addition, six more varieties of Chianti are produced in sur- rounding areas. Whereas the little old town of Greve is noted for its centuries- old market and its triangular main square (but also due to its links to the famous explorers Amerigo Vespucci and Giovanni da Verrazzano), Castellina in Chianti – located further south on the Via Chiantigiana that connects Florence to Siena – is particularly interesting because of its fortress and ancient walls. Then, as one gets closer and closer to Siena, it is impossible to miss Radda in Chianti, the SIMONE SANNIO Tuscany in red and white: following the Wine Trail' s treasures tiny hamlet which was once the capital of the Chianti League, and als o G aiole in Chianti, which is not far from the impor- tant Castello di Brolio, a proper- ty of the Ricasoli family. It was precisely here in this estate that, in 1874, Baron Bettino Ricasoli, a former Prime Minister of Italy, created the modern recipe of Chianti wine after long years of research and experiments to pro- duce an "ideal wine." For this reason, there is probably nothing better to do for wine enthusiasts than to visit the Brolio estate, still owned by Baron Ricasoli's heirs, and to taste some of the local Chianti Classico in this beautiful setting. At least two more towns in the Siena province come to mind when one thinks about the most celebrated local red wines: Mon- talcino, home of the famous Brunello, and Montepulciano, land of the Vino Nobile. Just like it was the case with the Chi- anti hills, though, the scenario in w hich thes e little tow ns are immersed is full of art and histo- ry as much as of delicacies: M ontalcino w ith its Rocca (fortress) and the near Abbazia di Sant'Antimo (Abbey of St. Anthimus), Montepulciano with its Piazza Grande main square, its Torre di Pulcinella (Pulcinel- la Tower), and the San Biagio Temple. If that setting were not enough to prove the close rela- tionship between winemaking, nature and art in the Senese area, just think that Montalcino and Montepulciano have both been selected as locations for the Toscana Wine Architecture pro- ject, which created a network of fourteen wineries designed by masters of contemporary archi- tecture so as to perfectly inte- grate these structures within the surrounding landscape. Of course, the treasures of the Tuscan wine trail are not at all limited to the hills betw een S iena and F lorence. A mong many other locations, one could for example explore the south- ernmost part of Tuscany and thus discover Scansano, a little village in the heart of the M aremma region and the Province of Grosseto, which is famous for the production of the Morellino di Scansano. At the same time, one could also go west to the province of Livorno (Leghorn) and the s o-called Costa degli Etruschi (Etruscan Coast) in order to find the very small hamlet of Bolgheri, which includes its own castle and a world-famous winery, the Tenu- ta San Guido, that makes the fine wine known as Sassicaia. In conclusion, even though Tuscany has always been known especially because of its red wines, we shall not forget about the grow ing interes t in the region's white wines. In this regard, our tour cannot but look at the fields that surround the famous tow ers of S an Gimignano, near Siena. As a matter of fact, this is where the famed V ernaccia di S an Gimignano has been made since the 13 th century, at least. Alter- natively, among so many other places, our passion for wine could lead us to the hills around Lucca, to drink some Montecar- lo white whine in the epony- mous hamlet overlooking this part of the endless Tuscan coun- tryside. Following the roads of wines, oil and flavors is a fascinating manner to discover the region of Tuscany LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE The picturesque village of Radda in Chianti, at the heart of the traditional Chianti region

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