GREVE IN CHIANTI
Greve in Chianti extends for 170 square kilometres and is home to 14.000 inhabitants. It is located in the midst of the Chianti Classico area, between the provinces of Siena and Florence. The most ancient building in town is the medieval castle of Montefioralle sul Colle. Later, an urban area started developing along the river Greve: that is why the town was called like this. This was also the place where two important streets crossed, the Chiantigiana (Florence–SienaThrough Chianti) and the provincial road that connects Greve to the Arno Valley. Greve was built as a market-place for Montefioralle. Open-air markets took place in the main square, where people would meet also for business For leisure. The porticoed structure we can still see served to protect the goods from rain. In the middle of the square we can admire a statue representing Giovanni da Verrazzano, a great Florentine navigator who discovered the East Coast of North America and, eventually, New York Harbor. It was erected in 1918. In the same square we can find an example of contemporary Art, the Torso Alato by Igor Mitoraj, and the Santa Croce church. Many enjoyable events take place here every year, in particular during the grape and olive harvesting. The castles of Verrazzano, Vicchiomaggio and Uzzano were built and used as strongholds during the battles between Siena and Florence. Today they dominate vineyards and olive groves. For those who want to combine tradition and modernity, the best place to visit is the famous Museo del Vino (wine museum), where visitors can discover old harvesting implements and, above all, they are given the opportunity to taste the best selection of Italian wines. If you want, you can have a look on the website: http://www.museovino.it/ .