One Day in Tuscany

The town of Greve in Chianti was the charming hill town I was looking for, but that was only a part of my adventure that day. I arrived in Greve just in time for breakfast, and after a walk to look around, I set out for the Villa Vignamaggio from the tourist office attendant's directions, about four kilometers south of Greve.I had found the villa on the internet during the earlier days of my trip while searching for famous films that used Tuscany as their backdrop.

I knew that one of them was going to be Much Ado About Nothing (1993), and after a few minutes I found this location. The film itself is one of my favorite Shakespeare adaptations, as only Kenneth Branagh can do. He always infuses such life and splendor into all of his films, especially in a play like this that contains elements of light and dark, comedy and tragedy.

Branagh chose the villa as his setting because of the area's ability to bring a person away from whatever troubles they are having, and to transport them to a place where the only goal is to enjoy life. The beauty of this region is unparalleled in its simple yet elegant scenery, as it encourages the visitor to live as content as its inhabitants have lived here for centuries before.

The Villa Vignamaggio has had a storied past that has even been recorded in writing all the way back to the 17^th century. In 1659, Alessandro Strozzi described the villa for all who longed for a place that would satisfy their dreams. "Listen, I am a countryman and would like you to know what corner of the earth under this sky makes me feel so blessed.

The place is called, after the vines of Bacchus and the most flowering month of the year, Vignamaggio. It is surrounded on all sides by the most beautiful grapevines, and the pervading spirit of spring in this place merits this name. It is the villa of the Gherardis..." This letter describes perfectly the aura of the villa in a way that only someone who has been touched by it can capture.

In the "Historical Buildings of Italy", the Villa Vignamaggio is listed as having been the home of many renowned Florentine families. Its first owners were the Gherardini family in the 1300s, which brought the villa to its original claim to fame as the birthplace of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa; the daughter of Anton Maria Gherardini in 1479. She was then married to Francesco di Bartolomeo del Giocondo, and from him the appellative "La Gioconda".

As mentioned in the letter, the Gherardi family bought the villa in 1421 and basically guided the property to its maximum potential during the 1500s. After this period, the villa passed through various other owners until it was given as a dowry to Countess Elena Barco, who would eventually become the wife of the famous writer Bino Sanminiatelli. In 1988, Vignamaggio was again sold to an attorney named Gianni Nunziante. And in 1992/93, Kenneth Branagh chose the villa as the backdrop for his film.

The property of Vignamaggio uses its land to produce its famous Chianti wine and extra virgin olive oil. It includes 320 acres of land, 140 of which are vineyards and 22 as olive trees. The villa is located in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, and has often been listed as one of the top wines coming out of that region by some of the most respected wine reviews.

The hotel portion of the villa and in the farmhouse contains beautiful and peaceful stay areas as suites and apartments. All accommodations come with air conditioning/heating, a minibus, satellite television, a telephone, and some with a Jacuzzi bath tub/shower. While on the grounds, there are also two swimming pools, a tennis court, a fully equipped gym, a Jacuzzi pool, mountain bikes, and a wellness center. But none of these luxuries are reasons why you should visit Vignamaggio. The scenery around the villa, the central Tuscan location, the vineyards and groves, and the exquisite and extensive Italian gardens are what will satisfy anyone.

To get to the villa, you must first at least drive, although I strongly recommend walking, through the small hill town of Greve in Chianti. I went on a weekday to be able to see all of the normal duties and procedures required of daily life in a town like this. After you spend some time in Greve, it would be wise to wait to begin your hike at least before the appearance of the afternoon sun and heat. In order to drive to the villa, the exact same route is taken by foot. At the main plaza in Greve, piazza Matteotti, turn back onto the main road called Vittorio Veneto, and start heading toward the smaller piazza Trieste. Up all the way through the town of Greve there will be small sidewalks on the side of the road.

One thing to remember when going on this hike is to always be aware of cars because it is difficult to know exactly from what direction they are coming from on these winding roads. So make sure that if you hear what sounds like a car, just stop and find out where it is. Once outside of the town, you will have passed the soccer stadium on your left and the next portion is on a fairly busy road that should show signs pointing towards Panzano and Siena.

This is the easy portion of the four kilometer walk because it is neither up nor downhill. The road will eventually come to a curve uphill and then a junction split between to different paths. The correct one to Vignamaggio is the one to the left towards Lamole, and this is when the incredible scenery begins. After you continue the trek over a small attached gravel portion of the road, there will be a sign for Vignamaggio pointing right towards to base of the rolling hills.

This hike is a large part of the overall experience so make sure and take time to look out at everything. I hiked right at mid-day, which was when the hills and valleys were rich with sun. During the hike I was, and you should expect to be, almost completely alone except for the occasional vineyard worker and car. Now the type of cars that come up and down the winding roads told me a lot about the privileged who wish to stay here; there were Ferraris, Range Rovers, Mercedes, and BMWs. However, if anyone is worried about being with uptight rich people the entire time this, villa is not that kind of hotel; if you don't want to see anyone else staying here then you don't have to.

The only place that you might run into people is on the group tours of the grounds. So far, the hike does not seem so bad, but then I eventually hit the larger hills that really took a toll on me in the sun, but I just kept thinking about the haven on top of the hill. On these winding roads there will be an occasional sign for Vignamaggio to keep the traveler on the right track, and then I came up to a different sign that read Vignamaggio that was much lower to the ground. It was marking the beginning of the vineyards that are owned by the villa and it told me that I was getting close.

In this area there are smaller villas all around the road. They are put up for rent during the hot season. So the hill now came to one steep slope and that was the bottom of the hill that Vignamaggio stands on. Once you get about half way up, there is a red sign with Vignamaggio in large letters and a little further an arrow pointing towards the main office. I took a rest in the small courtyard in front of this office and that is when the view hit me. I went out to the edge of the cliff and I could see everywhere I just hiked. This view told me that I had arrived and how much of a rewarding experience that I was having.

I stepped into the office and there was no one sitting at the desk, but I could hear voices coming from the left room. In that room was an entire wall of wines, olive oils, and bread from their property. There were two women speaking a refreshing amount of English in an American accent who were being helped by another woman who I had just seen on the wall in the main office. There was a large poster from Much Ado About Nothing and next to it a small picture of her and Kenneth Branagh; I knew I was in the right place now and that she was the owner. I was surprised by her accent because it whispered of French as she was looking for what the other women wanted. Now because of those expensive cars on the road and in the parking lot, I had a bit of a preconception of what these two women were going to be like.

They looked about in their late 20s and were very attractive in their flowered dresses. The blond one was almost whining to the owner because she didn't have a certain type of poster that they were searching for. But as the two of them were looking, the other came over to me and we began to make small talk. They were from New York and away on vacation, and they sensed somehow I was from the east coast, I'm guessing from my subtle tourist Yankees cap.

I thought right away that they lived in upstate New York and were both either daughters or wives of rich business men. However, they lived in the city and worked to pay off their loans, which gave me some insight about the availability of Vignamaggio. Soon they had to go, and the owner came over as I asked about all of the questions I could think of, and she kindly responded with not one look of boredom.

The tours are Tuesday and Thursday at 11am and 3pm and include the grounds, vineyards, and the wine cellar and tasting for twenty euros. There is an option for the tour without the wine tasting for half of the full price. There is food included, and if you wish to stay longer there is a meal at the villa's restaurant.

The Italian gardens are beautiful with trees and fountains almost melting into the rustic buildings, and the locations were easily recognizable from the film. A note on the availability to stay in the villa; the prices are not cheap but very affordable for this type of locations. There are less expensive areas that can cost around 175 euros or more expensive luxuries for around 300 euros.

Eventually I had to leave in order to get back to Greve for the bus, so I said goodbye and began my walk down the hill, looking at the landscape the entire way. The walk back to town was immensely more enjoyable than the walk up because of the ability to know where I am going and because it is not nearly as long or tiring downhill. I retraced the directions back where I just had to stay on the same road the entire time.

By this time the sky was becoming gray and the temperature had cooled down, which provided much more comfort. As I read it, it took me about one hour and fifteen minutes to get to Vignamaggio and about forty five minutes to get back.

As I try to remember the scenery on this hike exactly as I saw it, the world seems a little less imaginative and creative while not on the villa. This brings me to my next goal the next time I plan to visit Tuscany, stay at the Villa Vignamaggio. It is true that there are other villas, but they do not project nearly the same amount of pure joy and relaxation as the gardens, vineyards, and landscape of Vignamaggio do. I recommend taking a trip up to the villa on foot to any traveler who is looking for what classic Tuscany is and means. It has changed the way that I think about other desired locations around the world because now I know that I have been to the most beautiful place I can imagine.