A Trip Through History in Chianti

You can take a stroll through an old road near Gaiole which has the advantage of offering a magnificent view, a healthy exercise and memories of the past. The promenade, which stretches over three miles from Gaiole Via Baccio Bandinelli, and then ends up the hill after the last houses at the end of the village.

The road is very steep initially and require a certain amount of work, but after the first 500 meters, you suddenly come upon one of the best views of the Chianti region, with wooded hills and vineyards sloping down to the valleys and isolated canyons below, interspersed here and there with beautiful old houses and the deep green of pine forests shadows. The path from here is still steep, but you will now find it much easier to reach the intersection with the road, which then leads

Back to the crossroads Gaiole in Badia Coltibuono (known as Osteria di Badia), along three miles of paved road. This old country road, which is very nice and easy victory, contains many interesting memories of the past. For example, was one of the main routes used to transport sheep Pratomagno of Maremma: the 1940 to at least two centuries, thousands of sheep have followed this path in the town of Gaiole, then , moved through the province of Siena to reach the green winter pastures of the Maremma (Grosseto), with the shepherds and their dogs, who had spent the summer in the mountains of the Apennines low, but with the arrival of the fall of frost and snow, were forced to travel many miles to reach warmer climates.

The road was used by many workers and loggers to go to the main chain of Gaiole in Chianti hills, where they worked, the entire region is dominated by the majestic Montegrosso and can often see her while driving . On a happier topic, was also used on holidays by young couples who, before the automobile era, used to mount the green pine forests Coltibuono Abbey picnic in the meadows of grass and joy among trunks of the trees that rose like columns of a cathedral.

Until now, however, are only mentioned in the most humble people, the route has been used by popes and emperors. One day in 1400, Clement VII, pope of the Medici family, said he had to go to Pisa to the wedding of his nephew, and also through Florence. What was the best way he could take his seat without going through the apostolic Sienese territory of Pisa? Valdichiana years, got through and then came Brolio Gaiole Coltibuono Abbey Road, which runs on Montegrossi and then go down the valley of the Arno Montevarchi. Gaiole city itself was founded and around the Old Market Square, but it was also an important step on the path from the south towards the upper valley of the Arno. Another important person to take a steep path through Gaiole Coltibuono, was none other than the Emperor Charles V, 1500. We do not know why he came this way, and it was his company, though!

Therefore, when you walk along this road, now hidden in the woods and hills, you can pretend to be a member of a long convoy, which consists of the Empire and the Pope cavacades vague and monitoring flocks of sheep, panting lumberjacks, or young couples holiday mood.

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