Panzano in Chianti is a peaceful holiday town located 498 meters above sea level and is a fraction of Greve in Chianti. The village is located about halfway between Castellina and Greve, where the strada dei Poggi intersects, following the profile of the hills on the right side of the river Pesa and the Via Chiantigiana.
Greve in Chianti (from 1972 renamed in this way after the entry into the Classic Chianti) is a town of about 12,000 inhabitants in the province of Florence located on the Chiantigiana road (which connects Florence to Siena). In Panzano you can admire one of the most important Romanesque churches of all Chianti: the Parish of St. Leolino.
The Castle and the Santa Maria Assunta Church
Panzano was born probably in Roman times and was subsequently developed during the barbaric era, as it is found in documents from the XI century. For centuries it was the most populous center of the League of the Val di Greve.
It was also one of the most fortified and today you can admire the remains of the castle that was built, probably by the Ricasoli Firidolfi family. The walls of semi rectangular shape, is almost totally preserved, even if it parts of it were totally demolished and then rebuilt (as at the parish church of Santa Maria).
The church of Santa Maria Assunta was built inside the castle in the Fourteenth century on the original site of an ancient church. Inside there is a small Madonna with Child from the Fourteenth century attributed to Botticino. In the oratory at the right of the nave is the Annunciazione that you can be attributed to Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio.
One of the two survived corner towers of the church serves as the bell tower. The quarterdeck square still stands by the oldest square of the town, which is accessible from the original door remained. Additional buildings preserve medieval structures, such as the tower house which stands in front of the quarterdeck, and others that face the only street present inside the walls.
The Pieve di San Leolino
Important Romanesque church of San Leolino of the VIII century that in the Twelfth century was adapted to the Romanesque style.
Inside there are a beautiful cloister of the XIV century, two terracotta tabernacles attributed to Giovanni della Robbia, a Madonna and Child with saints by Jacopo di Meliore (1270), a triptych of the Madonna and child by Mariotto di Nardo (1421).
To see the lateral Apse where there is a Madonna and Child with angels of the Sixteenth century, a triptych with the central mystical marriage of Saint Catherine and in the baptismal chapel the Baptism of Jesus dating back to the Sixteenth century.
Here is the map to Panzano in Chianti:
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