With your car and driver today we will journey to the beautiful countryside of the Chianti region following the Chianti “Wine Road” that winds between olive groves and vineyards.

After a short ride we will reach the town of Greve in Chianti named after the river that runs through it. Greve in Chianti is the birthplace of the famous Tuscan explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano, the Tuscan who discovered the New York Harbor and in fact has a bridge there named after him.

There is a statue of Giovanni da Verrazzano here in the Piazza Matteotti, a gently sloping square which is the hub of life in Greve. Around this square under the graceful porticoes you will see many local shops and wine stores. The famous butcher shop Falorni is here and has been for 500 years! At Falorni’s you will be welcome to taste free samples of much of their local productions, including their delicious boar salami and prosciutto.

If you like after your visit to Greve, your driver will bring you to the imposing Castle of Verrazzano, which is located on a hilltop between Siena and Florence right in the heart of the Chianti Classico wine producing area. First and Etruscan village and later a Roman one, the castle became the property of the Verrazzano family in the 12th century.

This is where Giovanni da Verrazzano , the Tuscan explorer, was born in 1485. Verrazzano discovered the New York Bay area and a main portion of the east coast of America. If you like, at the Verrazzano Castle you can book a guided tour of its gardens and wine cellars. Wild boar roam freely in the surrounding woods, so besides their famous Chianti wines, all the other products of the Verrazzano estate can be tasted, including olive oil, salted meats, boar sausages, and other local delicacies.

After your stop at the Castle of Verrazzano your driver will continue with a scenic drive through a typical Tuscan landscape. He will take you to other small Chianti villages such as Panzano in Chianti and Castellina in Chianti.

Near Castellina you will make another stop for a wine tasting at the renown “Rocca delle Macie” winery. On the way back from “Rocca delle Macie” winery you will have a chance to view the medieval fortress of Monteriggioni. This interesting village high up on a hill is entirely surrounded still by its medieval walls and towers creating the illusion that time has stood still here.