The triangular piazza at the heart of Chianti Classico — wine, butchers, and no agenda
Greve in Chianti is the informal capital of the Chianti Classico wine zone, the area between Florence and Siena that produces the DOCG Sangiovese. Its arcaded, triangular Piazza Matteotti is one of the most functional and beautiful market squares in Tuscany — ringed with wine shops, the Enoteca del Chianti Classico, and Falorni, the town's famous butcher trading since 1729. This is the place to drink Chianti before buying a case of it, to eat bistecca Fiorentina in a restaurant without a view tax, and to use as a base for driving Tuscany's SR222 (the Chiantigiana road) through Panzano, Radda,…
Greve's medieval history is the history of Chianti itself — a contested zone between Florence and Siena, fought over repeatedly from the 12th to 15th centuries until the Florentines decisively took control. The 'Chianti League' of the medieval period — a defensive alliance of Florentine-aligned communes — had its administrative centre in Greve. Wine production here predates documented history; the Chianti Classico DOCG was defined by law in 1984.