Cantine Aperte 31st May 2009

The region of Tuscany is world renowned for its beautiful rolling countryside and exquisite wines and cuisine. Wine production is deeply rooted in Tuscan culture and has existed since the Etruscans imported the grapevine from the orient and began cultivation of the vines on a large scale, the Greeks named Tuscany "the Land of Wine".

The last Sunday in May offers wine lovers the chance to sample wines that are produced throughout Italy through an initiative called the Cantine Aperte or Open Cellars. The public are invited to try the wines offered by each winery and observe the cultivation and production processes involved in making them.


With a wealth of central Florence apartments on offer, this initiative provides the perfect excuse for a day trip into the countryside that surrounds the city, which is a recommendable activity to help truly appreciate this part of Italy and its cultures, which are rooted in traditions of fine wines and good quality cuisine.

On the 31st of May 2009, around 800 wine cellars throughout Italy will open their doors to an enormous visiting public of around 1 million people, Tuscany alone has 130 participating wineries. The massive scale of this event represents the importance that wine cultivation has on Italian culture from region to region.

The event is coordinated by the Movimento Turismo del Vino, a non-profit organization that was set up in 1993 with the aim of promoting wine tourism in the region and improving the “image and prestige” of the wine producing areas. The wineries chosen to participate are given the opportunity based on strict criteria which places emphasis on a high level of quality in the visitor tours that are offered.

The event also celebrates the cultural and culinary traditions of the region and is an ideal way to discover many local delicacies . Information on participating wineries can be found by visiting the official webpage of the Movimiento Turismo del Vino.

The History of Chianti in Florence

Created in the ripe Tuscan countryside since the 14th century and defined as a wine-producing area in 1716, Chianti and Chianti wine is one of Italy’s most favourite products. All apartments in Florence deem it necessary to have at least a couple of bottles of Chianti, their home-grown produce.

The Chianti area now incorporates about 65 square miles between Florence and Siena, which has grown and added new territories since its first days of wine-making.
The original Etruscan family of Clante settled in the area in the 7th and 8th centuries, and the wine-making activity is said to be attributed to them.
Always enamoured for its fertile valleys and natural beauty, the Chianti region mixes woods of oak and chesnut with olive groves, villages, vineyards and many little rivers.

In the 14th century, a dispute over land ownership was settled as two young nobles from the rivalry cities, Guelph Florence and Ghibelline Siena, had a race to cover land and claim it. According to the story, the race was to start at the first cock of the crow in each city. Florence had kept a black rooster without food, so that it would crow earlier in the morning and this led to Florence gaining more of the Chianti territory. The image of this black rooster is still used today as the seal on the Chianti wine bottle.

Striving to protect the Chianti wine production and its hugely popular culture in more modern times, there have been several societies established, to allow for the correct ecological management of the region around Florence, and the organisation of the tourist flow within the Chianti area. The seal of this community is marked by the ever-faithful Chianti rooster.

When in Florence, be sure to relax with a glass of Chianti and savour the city’s great past.