The Charm of the Sienese Chianti!!!

Today Stefano and I decided to take a day off to spend a day different from the others!!! To go for a wander to discover and see an area close to us, where we had never been because we often think of visiting faraway places and end up not knowing the ones near us. After taking our daughters to school, we headed towards Impruneta, and then continued towards that beautiful area of the Sienese Chianti. While we were heading to Castelnuovo Berardenga, a sign for the Fattoria di Ama aroused our curiosity. Shortly after we parked the car and found ourselves in the middle of a small hamlet, that of Ama, which left us speechless. It feels like a jump back in time among alleys and stone houses, and from there you see a beautiful view among the vineyards. We continue to Castelnuovo Berardenga and after a short visit, we headed towards the real jewel of this day: San Gusmè, a village, a hamlet.

We remain astonished wandering the streets of this medieval hamlet. The current core dates back to the 14th century: almost circular in shape, bounded by a wall and with two entrance gates. San Gusmè became an important stronghold of the Republic of Siena. There we had lunch in a typical trattoria "da Sira e Remino", tasted the famous Pici cacio e pepe, and of course drank some excellent house Chianti. Our trip continued towards the nearby Borgo San Felice, home of the winery of the same name. An equally magical place that makes you jump back in time, and seeing it you immediately understand why it is so popular with foreign tourists and above all Americans. From there the view over the Sienese countryside is 360 degrees and the eye falls on the Castello di Brolio, another famous winery in the area. We decide to go and visit it and the choice turned out to be spot on.

The castle has been owned by the Ricasoli family since distant times. Its position was strategically fundamental for controlling the Chianti area on the edge of Florentine influence, hence on the border with Sienese territory, and placed the castle at the centre of the many border wars from the 1300s until the mid-16th century. Before concluding our trip, we stopped to visit the village of Radda in Chianti. It was truly a lovely day, we saw some very beautiful places and admired the beautiful Sienese countryside, although unfortunately, given the season, the colours of nature were still very much behind. Heading back home, we promised ourselves to do the same tour again in autumn, perhaps during the grape harvest.