Greve in Chianti: what to see, where to eat, what to do in this magnificent pearl of Chianti

Ristoranti, winery, chiese, musei, hotel... tutto quello che c'è da scoprire a Greve e dintorni

Located about 40 minutes from Florence, Greve is the Florentine gateway to Chianti, one of the most admired Tuscan territories in the world, both for its beauty and for its extraordinary products, above all the excellent wines (be prepared to see the famous Black Rooster, symbol of the Consortium of Chianti Classico wines, popping up everywhere).

Its strategic position, halfway between Florence and Siena - connected by the Chiantigiana road that touches other little pearls not to be missed such as Panzano, Radda and Gaiole - has made this place a real crossroads for those who find themselves exploring this part of Tuscany. It is the largest center of Chianti and still retains the liveliness that has characterized it since the Middle Ages, when it was the most important trading post of the nearby Castle of Montefioralle, a majestic castle that towers over the picturesque walled village just above Greve.

a relaxing day in greve in chianti

WHAT TO SEE IN GREVE IN CHIANTI:

• Piazza Matteotti

With its wide arcades that outline the contours of 3 on 4 sides, today as then the fulcrum of the town is the central Piazza Matteotti, where you can find stores, historic stores of all kinds, from crafts to restaurants. In the center, houses the statue of Giovanni da Verrazzano, discoverer of the Bay of New York. In the narrow part, there is the church of Santa Croce of medieval origin, but with neo-renaissance forms that houses some precious works of sacred art, including a triptych with Madonna and Saints by Bicci di Lorenzo.

the Monument to the Navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano, which dominates piazza matteotti

• Propositura di Santa Croce
  Piazza Santa Croce, 2

In the heart of the center, do not forget to visit the Propositura di Santa Croce, with its neo-classical facade, built in place of a medieval church, in which converge several works of art from neighboring churches: among them the fresco of the Virgin Mary with Child and a triptych by Lorenzo di Bicci. 

Propositura di Santa Croce - Greve in Chianti

• Museo del Vino
  Viale Vittorio Veneto, 55
  ph. +39 055 8546404

In the premises of the former Mirafiori Winery, an unmissable stop is the Wine Museum, where it is possible to immerse oneself in two centuries of artisan and viticultural tradition. The result of an uncommon documentary effort on the part of the Falorni family, the museum recounts through a splendid collection of objects the beating heart of the economic activity of the town, crossing the decades and passing from hand to hand to different owners, up to the current Falorni family, which has promoted the museum's activities. The ancient tools used to produce and bottle wine give way to the tasting of the products, in a real multisensorial experience in the past of this region; tasting and sampling excellent wine, accompanied by the splendid frame of Chianti, surrounded by the objects that made its history, in order to fully enter the dimension of Chianti and its riches. The Museum can be visited only during the wine tours which start from Enoteca Falorni, in Piazza Tirinnazzi in Greve in Chianti, every day at 11:30am and at 5pm.

Museo del Vino Greve in Chianti

• Museo di Arte Sacra San Francesco
  Via S. Francesco, 2
  ph. +39 055 8544685

Enjoy the panoramic view of Greve di Chianti from the ascent of the Museum of Sacred Art San Francesco, from which you can see the entire valley of the river Greve. The museum is interesting for lovers of religious art, with archaeological insights on the artifacts found in the area.

• Cinema Teatro Boito
  Viale Rosa Libri, 2
  ph. +39 055 853889

Reference point for the culture of the territory with a good theater and film programming.

WHAT TO SEE IN THE SURROUNDINGS OF GREVE IN CHIANTI:

• Castello di Verrazzano
  Via Castello di Verrazzano, 1
  ph. +39 055 854243

On a hill of 350 meters not to be missed is the Castle of Verrazzano. Born as a Longobard fortification, it was built between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century. It was later transformed into a so-called "gentleman's house" and in the 17th century it became a classic Tuscan villa and farm. In the castle, property of the Florentine family Da Verrazzano, the illustrious explorer and navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano was born in 1485. In a manuscript dated back to 1170 is mentioned the vineyards already in full production. To the castle is annexed a chapel in which there is a painting by Ghirlandaio, the Eternal Father. Today Castello di Verrazzano is a magnificent structure which houses wineries, vineyards, a farmhouse and a restaurant.

Castello di Verrazzano

• Montefioralle

Ancient castle belonging to the Buondelmonti family and burned down in 1325, you go up a road: the village revolves around the Church of Santo Stefano, to find the best view of this cute village, go down from Montecalvario or Montefili.

il magico borgo di montefioralle

• Pieve di San Cresci
  Via San Cresci
  ph. +39 055 853126

A visit is certainly worthwhile to the Pieve di San Cresci, a church of Romanesque architecture, a place of Catholic worship located in the area of Montefioralle.

• La Macina di San Cresci
  Località S. Cresci, 1
  ph. +39 055 8544793

Gianfranco Sanguinetti was an Italian writer, revolutionary and member of the Situationist International in the 70's together with Guy Debord lived in San Cresci where today the Macina di San Cresci is located (www.chianticom.com), a residence for artists just a stone's throw from Montefioralle and Greve in Chianti.

la macina di san cresci

• Panzano in Chianti

Another must for those who want to explore the beauty and flavors of Chianti. Click here to discover our special itinerary.

panzano in chianti

• Radda in Chianti

Known as the village of the Vineyards, Radda is a charming village in the province of Siena, on the border between the Val d'Arbia and Val di Pesa. To know what to see in Radda in Chianti, click here.

the historical center of radda in chianti

• Gaiole in Chianti

Known by all cycling enthusiasts as the "hometown" of L'Eroica, the historic race in vintage trim through the white roads of Chianti, including those that pass by the famous surrounding castles, so much so that the so-called Road of the Castles starts from here. Click here to learn more about Gaiole in Chianti.

gaiole in chianti

WHERE TO EAT IN GREVE AND SURROUNDINGS:

Before discovering the best restaurants in Greve, click here if you want to know our selection of restaurants around Florence and here for that of the most beautiful wineries where to eat in Tuscany.

• Antica Macelleria Falorni
  Piazza Giacomo Matteotti, 66
  ph. +39 055 853029

Don't call it "only" a butcher shop or simply a bistro: in the heart of Greve in Chianti, in Piazza Matteotti, the Antica Macelleria Falorni is a place of memory where you can rediscover a rural tradition made of flavors and knowledge. The food experience at Falorni's starts in the fields where the pigs are raised in the wild and continues with the butcher's shop, where you can find numerous cuts and pre-prepared dishes, ending less than ten steps away with the bistro both inside the shop (a medieval building, by the way) and outside, in front of the porticoes. It is here, in this sort of bistro-restaurant, that you can sit down and enjoy a menu based on traditional recipes of Tuscan rural cuisine: a menu that offers a wide choice including fettunte, sandwiches, platters of local cold cuts and cheeses, soups, veal tartare (130 gr.) with Dijon mustard, salads, desserts and a series of recipes of grandmother Beppa, both hot and cold. All accompanied by a selection of wines by the glass, also with take-away formula. Reachable in few minutes by foot from the square, Enoteca Falorni, with its 1000 labels, is the biggest in the whole Chianti area. Here, in the basement of the historical center - in what was the first big winery established by noble landowners - at least 100 different labels are being tasted.

Antica Macelleria Falorni

• Mangiando Mangiando
  Piazza Matteotti 80
  ph. +39 055 8546372
  

An excellent osteria with outdoor tables overlooking Greve's main square, Piazza Matteotti. Among the unmissable dishes of this place the Bistecca alla fiorentina, the peposo di Chianina and the stracotto di guancia. 

mangiando mangiando

• Ristorante Cabreo
  Via Montefioralle Case Sparse, 9 - Greve in Chianti (FI)
  ph. +39 055 3985032

The Cabreo Restaurant, in the beautiful Relais Pietra del Cabreo, offers highly typical recipes and gourmet dishes ranging from traditional to contemporary. The restaurant is open for lunch from 12.30 to 15.00 and for dinner from 19.00 to 21.00, every day except Sunday, with menus designed to combine taste and lightness. Until early afternoon, the menu offers genuine and fresh dishes, while for dinner you can appreciate a more refined and innovative proposal. All always accompanied by Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari Tenute labels.

Ristorante Cabreo, Relais Pietra del Cabreo

• Terreno
  Via di Citille 4
  ph. +39 335 1536335

If you want to eat outdoors in the countryside, among vineyards, try Terreno, 5 minutes from Greve, where Sofia Bebban Ruhne, had the vision to create this restaurant inside the family estate. It has several tables on the beautiful outdoor terrace overlooking the vineyards.

Terreno Ristorante

• Lamole di Lamole
  Via di Lamole
  ph. +39 342 091 2853

A visit with tasting in the winery of the famous Tenuta Lamole di Lamole is a must for a Chianti Classico experience: a unique experience, it is like retracing the history of Chianti Classico and unveiling its secrets. You will be welcomed in the Salotto di Lamole, from where you will move to the cellar to admire the Historic Vineyard (dated back to 1945) and the Experimental one: the wine cellar, technologically advanced, will contrast the Historic one, where are located the big casks destined to the aging of the talented Sangiovese and the barriques for the aging of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Here is kept the "historical memory" of Lamole: the many dusty bottles, memory of ancient harvests, witness the aging capacity of the wines born in this village of excellence. The visit ends with the Vinsantaia, where one of the symbolic products of Chianti Classico is slowly aged: Vinsanto, obtained with the traditional method. To follow, a tasting of 4 wines matched with small samples of typical products.

Lamole di Lamole ph credits: callmewine.com

• Vitique
  Via Citille 43 - Grevi
  ph. +39 055 933 2941

Restaurant and bistro born as ribs of the experience at Santa Margherita Tenimenti Toscani winery, Vitique knows how to offer research or a contemporary cuisine more linked to the territory, which can be appreciated all around the estate. The menu of the restaurant also offers three tasting courses, the bistro, instead, open only at lunch, invites to a more agile experience, with the midday proposals: cheeses and cold cuts of the Falorni butcher shop, paccheri with white rabbit ragout, lemon and thyme, risotto with saffron pistils and vinsanto, grilled beef fillet.

Vitique

WINERIES IN GREVE IN CHIANTI AND SURROUNDINGS:

• Tenuta Casenuove
  Località S. Martino in Cecione, 39
  ph. +39 055 852009
  

It is Philippe Austruy's estate where every year, in collaboration with Galleria Continua, an artist is invited to experience these places and create a work on site, which become permanent installations among which the first is that of the Cameroonian artist Pascale Marthine Tayou.

TENUTA CASENUOVE

• Tenuta degli Dei
  Località San Leolino, 56
  ph. +39 055 852593

It is the beautiful estate owned by the family Cavalli in San Leolino Here Tommaso Cavalli, carries on a genuine love for the land, involved at 360 degrees in wine production. The first vines were planted in 2001 and the first harvest was bottled in 2006. The tour includes the Tinaia and Barricaia, a walk in the vineyards, a tasting of three wines and the possibility of a visit to the stables.

TENUTA DEGLI DEI

• Tenuta Tignanello
  Via Santa Maria a Macerata - San Casciano in Val di pesa

One of the top wineries of the Antinori family, the one where two incredible Super Tuscans are born, Tignanello, the first of its history, and Solaia. Not usually open for visits.

• Antinori nel Chianti Classico
  Via Cassia per Siena, 133 - Bargino
  ph. +39 055 2359700

A little further away from Greve, but visitable with various tours and perfectly on the road if you arrive or come back from Florence by taking the Firenze-Siena exit Bargino, is the other famous Antinori winery, absolutely not to be missed not only for its wines, but also for its spectacular architecture, designed by the Florentine firm Archea, and for its excellent restaurant Rinuccio 1180.

Cantina Antinori in Bargino

WHERE TO SLEEP IN GREVE IN CHIANTI:

• Castello di Vicchiomaggio
  Località Vicchio, 4
  ph. +39 055 854079

Together with that of Verrazzano already mentioned, another magnificent castle, perfect for your stay in Chianti. Set in a historic 15th-century castle just outside Greve, Castello Vicchiomaggio produces and sells its own Chianti wine. Decorated in an elegant, classic style, the rooms are a window to the incredible nature of Chianti. A buffet breakfast is served each morning, while the restaurant serves traditional Tuscan cuisine in a Renaissance-style dining room with vaulted ceilings. In summer a beautiful panoramic swimming pool is open from which you can enjoy endless views of the vineyards and the Chianti valley.

Castello Vicchiomaggio

• Borgo del Cabreo
  Via Montefioralle Case sparse 6
  ph. +39 055 3985032 , +39 347 1174065

A small farmhouse completely renovated, a real Charming Relais that offers hospitality in rooms where the traditional Tuscan architecture perfectly blends with a modern design. Located on the top of a hill, surrounded by elegant vineyards, Borgo del Cabreo enjoys a unique panorama with a 360 degrees view. Set among vineyards, a heated outdoor swimming pool is waiting for you.

Borgo Del Cabreo

• Castello di Querceto
  Via Alessandro François, 2
  ph. +39 055 85921

Farmhouse, ancient castle and one of the historical estates of Chianti Classico, owned by François family since 1897, with visitable cellar and wine shop.

Castello di Querceto

• Vignamaggio
  Greve - Panzano in Chianti
  ph. +39 055 8546653

Between the territories of Greve and Panzano in Chianti, Vignamaggio is an organic farm, historic winery in business since 1404 with more than 400 hectares of vineyards, vegetable gardens, gardens and structure where you can spend relaxing stays choosing between 4 options: Il Casolese and L'Orto (in Greve) and Pensione and Il Prato (in Panzano).

il casolese of vignamaggio

• Fonte de' Medici
  Via Santa Maria a Macerata, 31 - Montefiridolfi
  ph. +39 055 8244700

An ancient village of the fifteenth century surrounded by vineyards from which are born the precious Tignanello and Solaia of the Antinori family, who transformed this enchanting place in a welcoming Country Resort & Restaurant. 

Fonte de' Medici

ANNUAL APPOINTMENTS:

The 1st of May starts with the Flower Fair, the 3rd of May is the feast of Santa Croce, the patron saint of the town and the second weekend of September is the Chianti Classico festival.

HOW TO GET TO GREVE IN CHIANTI FROM FLORENCE:

From south Florence: take the SR 222, the Chiantigiana, the panoramic road that crosses the Chianti area from Florence to Siena.

From north Florence: exit at Firenze Impruneta and from there take the SP3 passing through Tavarnuzze and Greti, or the Firenze-Siena, exit at Bargino (where there is the famous Antinori winery), direction Badia a Passignano.

HOW TO GET TO GREVE IN CHIANTI FROM SIENA:

Take the west ring road, the Firenze-Siena freeway link and exit at Badesse, taking the provincial road119, which between San Leonino and Fonterutoli becomes Chiantigiana.

Or you can continue on the Firenze-Siena highway, exit at Tavernelle, pass another famous Antinori winery, the one of Tignanello, go towards Greti and from there to Greve.

For parking, the closest ones to the center are in Via Luca Cini and in Viale Rosa Libri, a few steps from Piazza Matteotti.