We all have our own ideas about the countryside. Some dream of thick woodlands, with streams flowing through where animals stop to quench their thirst and, at the slightest rustle, rush to take shelter in the thick vegetation; others see it as being more airy and open, with large fields stretching as far as the hill sides that merge with the horizon; those who want to avoid the extremes of an undulating, peaceful and well ordered landscape might prefer to get closer to the Chianti near Siena where you can catch glimpses of severe, bare hills or fragments of a ‘minimalist’ countryside, devoid of almost all vegetation which then become slopes embellished by the charming elegance of an isolated farmhouse and irregular rows of cypresses. But there are some who also associate the idea of the countryside with an entirely human concept. In this case it is covered with vineyards olive groves vegetable gardens and enclosed with stone walls and pebbled country lanes which announce the existence of neighboring human life in farms and villages. The parish priests are there to open the ancient doors of the numerous Romanesque churches. With their slim and friendly figures they transmit the idea of a more human God. Hence, in the Chianti everyone can find a place for his own peace of mind as this area has the enormous gift of changing, thanks to a versatility and creativity intolerant of all forms of boredom. In the words of the great French historian Fernand Braudel, the Chianti is the “most inspiring countryside that exists”. Therefore, seduced by such uplifting poetry, we start off with the idea of traveling to a place which is excessively praised and which can, perhaps… move in some way.
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See also:

An Overview of Chianti, Two Ancient Cities and The Chianti, Chianti Painted by Vasari

or go back to A Land Between Two Ancient Cities