Greve in Chianti
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The first document to mention Greve dates to 1085, year in which Bernardo degli Uberti entered the Vallombrosian order, donating his properties in Greve to the Monastery of San Salvi. The town grew as a market place for the Castle of Montefioralle in the 13th century, when new sites for commercial exchange sprung up as a consequence of Chianti’s improved economy. Its growth was largely due to its position at the crossroads of three major pilgrim routes: the via Chiantigiana, the road for Valdarno and the road which reached the Val di Pesa passing Montefioralle and Badia a Passignano. By the 15th century Greve’s characteristic piazza had already taken shape: encircled by houses and shops belonging to artisans and tradesmen with a covered portico at ground level to protect the merchandise in case of bad weather. The Palazzo del Comune, or Town Hall, on the main square, was built in the early 20th century in Medieval style; in front of it stands the “Torso Alato“, or Winged Torso, a bronze sculpture by Igor Mitoraj, dated 2001. The monument to Giovanni da Verrazzano was erected in 1913 in honor of the great seafarer, whose family originated from the nearby Castle of Verrazzano.
Woven Baskets and Straw Chairs of Chianti
Oriana Cappelli owner of the Bottega dell’Artigianato, has been famous since the 60s for her shop which sells traditionally woven baskets and straw-bottomed chairs. Oriana also keeps alive the great Chianti tradition of hand-crafted olive wood utensils: mortars, cutting boards, bowls and bread-boards, made by the few artisans who still work olive wood, wood which has the unique characteristic of being water resistant. Old masters also weave the straw, locally called “vinco“, to line the traditional wine bottle, the fiasco, and to make a wide variety of baskets; they can even weave baskets of all shapes and sizes to order. The weavers use their ancient knowledge of the area to make their baskets, collecting marsh grasses and saplings at particular times of year. Handling these objects one immediately feels the superior quality of workmanship that a factory can never reproduce. The Bottega dell’Artigianato also sells a vast assortment of knives from she famous Coltelleria di Scarperia. You can find it in Piazza Mattootti, 56 Greve in Chianti Phone +39 055 8544551.
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