Experience Tuscany

The route is currently called 222 Chiantigiana that connects Florence to Siena. It includes brief detours to the two important historical towns of Impruneta and Radda in Chianti.
The road winds, passing through the town of Greve, Gaiole, Castellina and Castelnuovo Berardenga, through what perhaps is the most famous Tuscan countryside, in the world, the Chianti. For nearly two centuries this has been constitutes one of the most important wine regions of Italy. The cultivation of Chianti vines begun during the Lorraine age, at the turn of the Nineteenth century. Since the Twenties of the Twentieth century it has officially been the production area of the Consorzio Chianti Classico, Gallo Nero.
Thanks to the instances of Baron Bettino Ricasoli that took office during the first half of the Nineteenth century as the owner and farmer in his farm Brolio, the Chianti surpassed a phase of stall that undermined its agricultural development. The Baron, and the inventer of the modern Chianti wine, made possible the transformation of many roads from simple trails to full fledged roads where wheeled vehicles could travel. This gave much impulse to the farming in Chianti, that in two centuries transformed the landscape in what is nowadays. Previously it appeared much more abandoned and wild. It could be said that today’s aspect is the result of an accurate landscaping project.
Along route 222, do not forget to stop in Greve in Chianti, which takes its name from the river that runs through it. This is the capital of Chianti Classico wine area, home to the largest Chianti wine fair, held every September. It also is the commercial center for farmhouses and agritourisms of the Chianti area, which extends all around. The town developed during the late Middle Ages on the flat Greve valley and became a market for the fortified villages, castles and farms that were located on surrounding hills. In 1325 it was razed by Castruccio Castracani, duke of Lucca. Nevertheless, it expanded considerably during the Fourteenth and Fifteenth centuries, and after the unification of Italy in 1861, it became the most important center of the Chianti. On one side of the square Piazza Matteotti stands the statue of the explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano (also spelled “Verrazano”) who discovered the bay of New York. A family house of Amerigo Vespucci is located in the nearby Montefioralle.

Travelling along this route you will discover many lovely towns where to stop by, restaurants where to eat, and landscapes to admire. Since the building of the freeway from Florence to Siena this route has become much quieter and safer, making it perfect for biking trips.

Here below is the route marked for you. You can explore it on the map prior to doing it in person:

View SR 222 from Florence to Siena in a larger map

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