Greve in Chianti and Montefioralle

(This is part of our series of posts from our six-week Road Scholar Independent Living and Learning in Florence trip to Italy in Spring 2025. We have an index to all the posts from that trip here.)

As the summer heat suddenly arrived in Tuscany, we traveled by bus from Florence to the town of Greve in Chianti (that’s the full name of the town) for our final Road Scholar field trip. After visiting the market and having lunch in Greve’s famous triangular square, we rode up a steep hill to the 11th-century village of Montefioralle, which was the original nucleus of Greve.

In the old village of Montefioralle–built, like so many other Tuscan towns, on a hilltop–there was little room for shops, so a weekly market was held on the flatlands below. Greve in Chianti grew up around the market in Piazza Matteotti. Even today, vendors sell clothing, fabrics, and many other sundries at the market.

Cheryl tried on some hats from a vendor in the market.

Antica Macelleria Falorni, in Greve’s Piazza Matteotti, is a famous artisan butcher and charcuterie shop that has been in business since 1806. They have several curing rooms full of hams and other meats.

The cheese room at Antica Macelleria Falorni. If we hadn’t been leaving Italy in a week, I would have stocked up on meats and cheeses!

Dishes made with wild boar are very popular in Tuscany. Antica Macelleria Falorni had a wild boar “pre-processing” outside, but they wouldn’t let me take him home with me.

After shopping for a while, the group decided to return to Antica Macelleria Falorni for lunch. This was David’s enormous focaccia sandwich.

Bruschetta with beautiful, perfectly ripe tomatoes at Antica Macelleria Falorni. The fresh produce in Tuscany is marvelous.

The black rooster is a trademark of Chianti Classico products made only in the Chianti region.

After lunch, our bus took us up the steep hill to Montefioralle. (With the heat and humidity, we were grateful not to have to walk the path from Greve!) Founded in the 11th century, Montefioralle is the original nucleus of what is now the town of Greve in Chianti. The fortified village, surrounded by a double ring of defensive walls built in the 1300s–some of which are still preserved today–was the focal point of numerous battles between Florence and Siena. After peace was achieved between the two cities, residents began favoring the plains for their homes, settling around the “mercatale,” which today hosts Greve’s famous triangular piazza.

Everywhere we looked in Montefioralle, there were fascinating little side paths to explore. This staircase led to a restaurant perched on the side of the hill…

…revealing an outdoor dining area overlooking the rolling hills and vineyards of the Chianti countryside.

Us with our group leader, Brenda, exploring the streets of Montefioralle.

Montefioralle is recognized today as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, with quaint stone houses that often overlook inner courtyards and gardens. Within the village is a palace that once belonged to the Florentine family of Amerigo Vespucci, the famous navigator who gave his name to America.

A peek at the surrounding Chianti countryside through an archway in Montefioralle.

Around every corner in Montefioralle, there was a new beautiful scene.

With our Road Scholar friends Linda, Jim and Lori in Montefioralle.