Take in Piazza Matteotti

Although Greve is an unremarkable market town, its main square commands attention. The porticoed Piazza Matteotti is a lovely place for taking in the bustling atmosphere. Browse the market, potter under the porticoes in search of Tuscan treats. Call into Bistrot Falorni for Tuscan fast food, a tasty taglieri, a Pecorino cheeseboard or a plate of hand-cured meats, along with a welcome glass of Chianti Classico. If you can tear yourself away from lunch, glance at the neo-Renaissance Town Hall, the Palazzo del Comune, and the parish church of Santa Croce, with its neo-classical facade. The church is a reminder that Greve flourished at the meeting place of several pilgrimage routes.

If time, call into the small Wine Museum. These ancient wine cellars hosted the predecessors to the slick the Chianti Classico consortium. Back in 1906 it was called the Chianti Wine Union and was restricted to local aristocratic landowners. After looking at the displays of old tools, farm machinery and corkscrews, tuck into a wine-tasting, which is included in the ticket price. The museum’s revamp is thanks to the Bencista Falorni family who own these cellars.

Before venturing forth on a wine trail, admire the monument to the great explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano (1885-1528), who explored the North American coast. If exploring is on your mind, consider the short drive to the explorer’s castle, Castello di Verrazzano, just north of Greve. Ponder a short hike to Montefioralle, one of the prettiest stone-built villages close to Greve. Or ponder discovering some of the Chianti’s finest vineyards, which lie just outside town. Badia di Passignano, a former monastic estate, makes a good start, especially as it is a shrine to Antinori wines.Greve can also be an amusing spot for people-watching. Set around 30 km south of Florence, the town has long been popular with the Chiantishire set, given its sought-after wine and oil estates and charming farmhouses. Unlike more remote parts of Tuscan countryside, the Chianti has not suffered from depopulation. The influx of the wealthy, olive-nibbling classes has helped maintain the positive trend, with tumbledown farmhouses snapped up by the Chiantishire crowd.

Address: Greve Wine Museum, Piazza Tirinnanzi 10, 50022 Greve:
Web: http://www.museovino.it/