There is a part of the Chianti yet to be discovered. A Chianti beautiful for nature and architecture. A Chianti where the vines have been replaced with fir and chestnut trees, where the olive groves appear less frequently. Where the animal life prevails over that of man. It is a mountainous part of the Chianti countryside that lies on the border with the Appennine mountains. In fact it is where Valdarno begins. I slipped into the wood on the lookout for the medieval village of Montefienali.
My curiosity had been roused on reading a volume that spoke of its restoration and its architectural value. I am a witness of its unique and beautiful history. At the beginning of 1990 Montefienali, that stands the western slope of the Apennine range of the Monti del Chianti, at 600 meters on the western slopes of Monte Luco, was a relict amongst the vegetation, a block of stone that was abandoned and lost over time. Then it was noticed and in those last, disconnected stones, someone managed to see what others had failed to notice.
Someone managed to image the ruins restored to their ancient origins, and the beauty and architectural value of the precarious building was envisaged. At the time it seemed a hazardous bet to place and perhaps it was, but today, that village, that reminds us of a noble Florentine estate, the Albizzi estate, is reliving its history, at least the aesthetical part, by showing off its original architectural credentials after restoration and reconstruction work that has entirely changed the cause of an attentive, meticulous and reconstructive philology that is the additional value of work which took three years to complete.
On the sides of the building there are the old houses of the village. A little lower down we can see a small Romanesque chapel, named after San Domenico, with a web bell-tower that is incredibly well-preserved. And whilst the building has become a relay of measured elegance, the old houses have been bought by private individuals that have chosen to live in this exclusive and different atmosphere. It is a radical choice that can be made only by those who fall in love with the place.
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See also:

Farmhouses in Chianti, Monna Lisa’s House, Castle of Meleto, Brolio Castle, or ‘dei Firidolfi Ricasoli’, The Church of San Polo

or go back to Houses of Chianti