The Ring of the Black Rooster
At long last: I found a designated hiking trail in the Chianti region that focused on an area of vineyards and wines outside Castellina in Chianti in the Chianti Classico wine district! Communal or regional trails for wine-lovers are seemingly rare in this corner of Tuscany. So when online research finally produced information about the Anello del Gallo Nero trail, I was eager to hike it, especially as it was named after the Chianti Classico trademark, the black rooster.
A lovely characteristic of the Chianti landscape is its variety. Agriculture here is intensive, not invasive, done on a small scale. Small olive groves are tucked between rows of vines. Fields of grain, small patches of amber in the distance, are scattered throughout. The forests play an integral role as well, providing a wide range of resources from firewood to wild boar, berries, and chestnuts. This manner of resource exploitation has left lots of remote, delightfully hidden corners to explore. Therefore, this hike offered varied landscapes to savor, experience and photograph.
What I Learned (Varietals)
The classic heart of Tuscany is Chianti, between Florence and Siena. And the classic heart of Chianti lies around the towns of Radda in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, and Gaiole in Chianti. These small towns formed the original Lega di Chianti (an economic and defensive alliance). These towns have always been found in wine district of Chianti (be it the original designation in 1716, or the latest one in 1996). Nowadays the Black Rooster of Florence serves as a symbol of their Chianti Classico wines.
Trail Name: Anello del Gallo Nero (AKA: Vino e Architettura)
Trail Type: Medium distance hiking circuit; almost exclusively gravel, or uneven surface, not maintained, and not marked.
Length: total: 13 kilometers/ 8 miles
Convenient to: Castellina in Chianti, Italy
Marking: None!
The name seemed familiar, one I thought I’d seen on a Chianti wine bottle label, which sports a colorfully dressed knight on horseback. So I followed the signs and found an impressive looking castle (now housing a hotel), a great wine shop, and a fabulous restaurant. Much to my delight, I also found another trail through an estate’s vineyards in Chianti territory! Trails are a rarity here. So, changing my shirt and shoes, along with my plans for the day, I seized the opportunity to follow another trail through a Chianti estate.
What I Learned (Production: Style and Methods)
Chianti wine comes from the wine region of Chianti, south of Florence, in Tuscany. Chianti wine has been well-known for centuries. Nonetheless, it wasn’t until 1996 that the wine district of Chianti Classico was created. The current district boundary most closely approximates the geographic limits of Chianti wines identified by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1716. All modern day wines bearing the words “Chianti Classico”, must come from this designated area. (Look for the Black Rooster!)
Trail Name: Castello di Gabbiano
Trail Type: Short distance circuit; variety of surfaces from paved to hard-packed, or loose, gravel, to grass; maintained, but not marked.
Length: Total: 3.2 kilometers / about 2 miles
Convenient to: Chianti, Florence, Italy
Marking: None
Beautiful Tuscany! The landscape, the people, the food, and of course the wine! And Chianti, the region and the wine, is what most people think of when they think of Tuscany. While opportunities abound to enjoy the food and the wine, there are precious few opportunities to experience the Chianti landscape, especially the terroirs of some of the better known wine areas, to walk them, to hike them, to see them from other than a car window, on your way to a winery, or a well-known town for a quick visit. Given the number of people I met on this trip that bemoaned the lack of well-established country walking opportunities, it appears there is a definite interest in trails (if for no other reason than to be able to walk off all those food and wine calories)!
That is why I was delighted to have identified trails on a recent trip to Chianti. The estate of Vignamaggio, specifically, has developed three short trails that showcase their vineyards, forests and olive groves. This is a private initiative that could go far in promoting their efforts in eno-tourism.
Continue reading Vignamaggio: Paths to Enotourism Excellence
What I Learned (The Region and Districts)
Chianti is the area south of Florence and north of Siena, in Tuscany. The area is a large one. Forests, olive groves and vine dot the slopes of its many hills. In between are small towns with names widely known by travelers to Tuscany as iconic Chianti villages and towns: Radda in Chianti, Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti.
