Craftsmanship in The Chianti
In the Chianti, it was necessary to be craftsmen from birth. This is no exaggeration but rather a condition imposed by listing in the country in times when the inhabitants of the contado lived on the verge of poverty, making the mother of virtue a necessity. A consultation of the accurate study by Elio Massei specifically examines the local craftsmanship. It informs us about its origins and growth. It is no surprise [more]

Baking Earth is An Art
My intention here is not to express disagreement. I shall limit myself to observing that the boundaries of the Chianti Classico were established purely for ‘political’ reasons. It has always been this way. Each contention needs a winner and the winner wants to gain the upper hand and to impose his own rules. This simple [more]

The Last Chianti Barrel Maker
“Silvano? Do you want to know where Silvano works? Take the road from Greve and follow the sign to Lamole. There, you will see a shed with a large number of barrels. That’s where his hiding place is”. It’s a large shed full of wood, at the end of which you will find Silvano Batisti, the last [more]

Maniera, a Craftsman Shop in Chianti
Maniera is a beautiful shop. Or rather, it is a large workshop with many masters who do not work but who meet here to show off their best products. It is as if they want to challenge each other, face-to-face or side-by-side, in a civilized but fierce match which does not necessarily require a winner and reminds us of the origins of a handicraft tradition of high standards. Naturally, this Tuscan tradition [more]

The Search for The Beautiful in Chianti: Julia
To her friends she is Julia and also to others. Julia’s surname is Scartozzoni but one has the sense that she is just Julia, because this is the idea she has of herself, that of being a friend to herself and to the world. One day Julia started to paint but then it wasn’t enough for her, so she became interested in the restructuring of interiors and began an activity which did not exist in traditional professions. It was [more]