Stories

Truffle hunting in Chianti (video!)

Truffle hunting in Chianti (video!)

Truffle hunting in Chianti with Becky and Adele — watch Daniele and his dogs dig truffles from the earth beneath the oak trees, then enjoy them at the farmhouse with great food, family, and friends.

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Diego Finocchi smelling red wine at Erta di Radda Winery in Chianti

People who inspire me: Diego Finocchi

How landscape shapes identity — meet Diego Finocchi, who at 24 took out a mortgage to buy a vineyard in Radda in Chianti and built one of Chianti's most celebrated wineries almost single-handedly.

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Cat sleeping on a windowsill

A short guide to Greve in Chianti

Giuditta's personal guide to Greve in Chianti — the triangular piazza, Macelleria Falorni's cheese cellar, the winding road from Antella, and why this small town designated as città slow is the perfect base.

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Plants and memories of the Chianti countryside

Plants and memories of the Chianti countryside

The mulberry tree and the caper bush — two plants that evoke Tuscany and home for Giuditta, filled with memories of her grandmother, childhood summers, and the Chianti countryside.

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People who inspire me: Valentina Gadotti

People who inspire me: Valentina Gadotti

Meet Valentina Gadotti — political science graduate turned goat cheese maker in the Chianti hills. Her journey from academia to Podere le Fornaci, and what she learned by listening to the milk.

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Basket containing truffles found at Poggio A Campoli in Chianti

My truffle journey

How Giuditta went from hating truffles as a teenager to understanding that they are one of the pillars of Tuscan conviviality — from a parking lot sagra to hunting with Daniele and his dogs in the oak woods.

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People & places

Panoramic view of Montefioralle village in the Chianti hills

Montefioralle

A medieval hilltop village above Greve in Chianti — fewer than 100 inhabitants, almost no cars, and the ancestral home of Amerigo Vespucci. Designated one of "Italy's most beautiful villages."

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Guests seated at a long outdoor table under a wooden shelter at Podere Somigli farm

Agriturismo Podere Somigli

At Podere Somigli, you sit at a shaded table, looking out over the hills. It's the perfect place just to be.

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Diego Finocchi standing by stone railing with Erta di Radda vineyard and hills in background

Erta di Radda Winery

Diego was twenty-four when he bought 5 hectares on the steep slopes above Radda. He's married to my sister's best friend, and his Chianti Classico has won Tre Bicchieri twice.

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Numenvia guest smelling a truffle during truffle hunting at Poggio a Campoli with another guest nearby

Poggio a Campoli — Truffle Hunting

As a teenager, I hated truffles. It took Daniele, his truffle dogs, and the lunch we cooked together to change my mind.

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Valentina Gadotti holding a goat inside a barn at Podere le Fornaci farm

Podere le Fornaci — Goat Cheese Farm

Valentina left academia to make goat cheese in Chianti. She learned everything the hard way. "Milk talks," she says. "I just had to learn to listen."

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Panoramic view of the medieval village of Volpaia in Chianti on a hilltop surrounded by greenery

Volpaia

You drive up through vineyards, and suddenly there's a medieval village on the hilltop where 44 people live. Volpaia has been making wine since 1172.

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Pietra del Cabreo Relais de Charme stone building

Pietra del Cabreo — Relais de Charme

This is where the week begins and ends. Eleven rooms inside the Folonari family vineyards, 1km from Greve in Chianti. Your home base for the Exploring Chianti tour.

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Agata Chrzanowska, art historian and guide in Florence with glasses and folded arms

Agata Chrzanowska — Art Historian & Guide

Dr. Agata Chrzanowska is a Polish-born art historian. She showed me my city—Florence—as if I were seeing it for the first time.

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