Today I was off to explore the Chianti region of Tuscany, specifically a little town called Greve-in-Chianti. This was one of the days I was most looking forward to on this trip. Not Greve itself, but the little borgo of Montefioralle, about 2 kilometers away, up in the hills above Greve.
I started my day just down the street from my hotel, at the corner cafe, Bar Arcobaleno. I grabbed a croissant filled with custard and a small lemon soda before heading to Firenze HUB Montelungo, the weird suburban bus stop not far from my hotel. I’m glad I got there early because there was no ticket office, so I was on my own to navigate the ticket kiosk, which I guess I did successfully because they let me on the bus. The bus ride to Greve-in-Chianti is about an hour and drops off near the main piazza. Along the way, we left the big city behind and were surrounded by rolling hills and vineyards galore.
Once in Greve, I walked a little and then ended up at Piazza Matteotti. The piazza is lined with shops and restaurants and many local businesses were just getting their deliveries for the day. I decided I needed a second breakfast, this time in the form of a cream filled bun and hot chocolate (still rich, but drinkable this time) at Pasticceria Chianti. I sat on the patio and enjoyed watching the town come to life around the piazza.
While my initial impressions of Greve-in-Chianti were just “meh” (it’s a quaint village, it just didn’t wow me), that changed immediately when I set off on Via San Francesco en route to the little hilltop borgo (the Italian term for a tiny medieval village) of Montefioralle. As soon as the road began to climb out of Greve, the views in every direction were stunning. Cloud-dappled skies above rolling hills and vineyards… this is Tuscany.
The road twists and turns upwards through vineyards and olive trees to Montefioralle. The village has somewhere around 100 residents and to walk the ring road inside the walls takes maybe 5 minutes at a leisurely pace. I walked outside the walls to get a better view of the village on the hill and did a couple of laps around town looking for some photo spots before heading back down the hill to Greve.
Lunch was at Antica Marcelleria Falorni, a famous local butcher. I had prosciutto and pecorino on focaccia with a glass of rosé prosecco on the outdoor patio. After lunch, I felt like I had had my fill and headed back to the bus stop. I was back in Florence by 2:30PM and spent a few hours just doing nothing in my room.
Then it was time for aperitivo. I wasn’t overly hungry, so I set off to Oltrarno (my favorite area of the city, if you hadn’t already guessed) in search of a light dinner and perhaps some gelato. I ended up with a full plate of spaghetti alla ragu, panna cotta with chocolate, and a glass of prosecco at Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco. When in Florence… As it turns out, when I took a picture of the restaurant on my way out, I realized I took a picture of the outside not only a couple of days ago, but also two years ago on my last visit to Florence. Perhaps it was meant to be that I finally ate a meal there. I walked back to my hotel as the sun began to cast its golden glow on the streets of Florence.
Traveling with Laura 