Volpaia

Last updated
Volpaia
Pano volpaia.jpg
View of Volpaia
Italy provincial location map 2016.svg
Red pog.svg
Volpaia
Location of Volpaia in Italy
Coordinates: 43°30′59″N11°22′52″E / 43.5165°N 11.381°E / 43.5165; 11.381
CountryFlag of Italy.svg  Italy
Region Tuscany
Province Siena
Comune Radda in Chianti
Elevation
617 m (2,024 ft)
Population
 (2001)
  Total44
Demonym Volpaiesi
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)

Volpaia is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Radda in Chianti, province of Siena. At the time of the 2001 census its population amounted to 44. [1]

Contents

The village of Volpaia is situated on a hilltop just north of the town of Radda in Chianti, 2,024 feet (617 m) above sea level, in the heart of the Chianti Classico region.

Volpaia is a terra murata, a walled village. Although only part of the original protective walls and two of its six towers are still standing, the medieval layout and buildings within the village are still intact, making Volpaia one of the best-preserved villages of its period.

History

Volpaia was built in the 11th century as a fortified village on the Florence-Siena border. Unlike Brolio, Meleto, and other Chianti-area castles.

The historical account of vine cultivation in Volpaia dates back to 1172, marking the early origins of viticulture in this region. In 1250, Volpaia played a significant role as one of the founding members of the Chianti League, a coalition formed by the Florentine Republic to manage its communities, divided into districts like Castellina, Radda, and Giaole, each with its designated territory. Volpaia was a part of the Terziere di Radda within the League. These territories held strategic importance as frontline garrison towns during the Florentine-Sienese wars. Notably, the emblem of the Chianti League, the Gallo Nero or Black Rooster, is now the trademark for the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, symbolizing this rich historical legacy.

Main sights

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chianti</span> Regional variety of Italian wine

Chianti is an Italian red wine produced in the Chianti region of central Tuscany, principally from the Sangiovese grape. It was historically associated with a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco. However, the fiasco is now only used by a few makers of the wine; most Chianti is bottled in more standard-shaped wine bottles. In the latter nineteenth century, Baron Bettino Ricasoli helped establish Sangiovese as the blend's dominant grape variety, creating the blueprint for today's Chianti wines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Province of Siena</span> Province of Italy

The province of Siena is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Siena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poggibonsi</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Poggibonsi is a town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located on the River Elsa and is the main centre of the Valdelsa Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greve in Chianti</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Greve in Chianti is a town and comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy. It is located about 31 kilometres (19 mi) south of Florence and 42 kilometres (26 mi) north of Siena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monteriggioni</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Monteriggioni is a comune in the province of Siena in the Italian region of Tuscany. It borders on the communes of Casole d'Elsa, Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Poggibonsi, Siena, and Sovicille. The town is architecturally and culturally significant; it hosts several piazzas, and is referenced in Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castellina in Chianti</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Castellina in Chianti is a comune (municipality) of c. 2,800 inhabitants in the province of Siena, in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Florence and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) northwest of Siena. It is part of the Chianti Hills, between the valleys of the Arbia, Pesa and Elsa rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castelnuovo Berardenga</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Castelnuovo Berardenga is a comune (municipality) in the province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Florence and about 14 kilometres (9 mi) east of Siena. Since 1932 it has been included in the Chianti wine-production area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaiole in Chianti</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Gaiole in Chianti is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast of Florence and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) northeast of Siena. Forbes named it number one in its list of "Europe's Most Idyllic Places To Live."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radda in Chianti</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Radda in Chianti is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 35 kilometres southeast of Florence and about 15 km north of Siena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sovicille</span> Comune in Tuscany, Italy

Sovicille is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of Florence and about 10 kilometres (6 mi) southwest of Siena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antinori</span>

Marchesi Antinori Srl is an Italian wine company, based in Florence, Tuscany, that can trace its history back to 1385. They are one of the biggest wine companies in Italy, and their innovations played a large part in the "Super-Tuscan" revolution of the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuscan wine</span> Notable wine region in Italy

Tuscan wine is Italian wine from the Tuscany region. Located in central Italy along the Tyrrhenian coast, Tuscany is home to some of the world's most notable wine regions. Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano are primarily made with Sangiovese grape whereas the Vernaccia grape is the basis of the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Tuscany is also known for the dessert wine Vin Santo, made from a variety of the region's grapes. Tuscany has forty-one Denominazioni di origine controllata (DOC) and eleven Denominazioni di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). In the 1970s a new class of wines known in the trade as "Super Tuscans" emerged. These wines were made outside DOC/DOCG regulations but were considered of high quality and commanded high prices. Many of these wines became cult wines. In the reformation of the Italian classification system many of the original Super Tuscans now qualify as DOC or DOCG wines but some producers still prefer the declassified rankings or to use the Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) classification of Toscana. Tuscany has six sub-categories of IGT wines today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castello di Volpaia</span> Winery in Europe

Castello di Volpaia is a winery located in the medieval village of Volpaia. The estate spans over 900 acres, divided between vineyards, olive groves, and woods. The winery is organically farmed, producing extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and wine, particularly Chianti Classico. The winery is owned by Carlo and Giovannella Mascheroni Stianti, who are assisted by their son Nicolo Mascheroni Stianti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Chianti</span>

The history of Chianti dates back to at least the 13th century with the earliest incarnations of Chianti as a white wine. Today this Tuscan wine is one of Italy's most well known and recognizable wines. In the Middle Ages, the villages of Gaiole, Castellina and Radda located near Florence formed as a Lega del Chianti creating an area that would become the spiritual and historical "heart" of the Chianti region and today is located within the Chianti Classico Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). As the wines of Chianti grew in popularity other villages in Tuscany wanted their lands to be called Chianti. The boundaries of the region have seen many expansions and sub-divisions over the centuries. The variable terroir of these different macroclimates contributed to diverging range of quality on the market and by the late 20th century consumer perception of Chianti was often associated with basic mass-market Chianti sold in a squat bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called fiasco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castello di Montalto</span> Castle in Tuscany, Italy

The castle of Montalto lies east of Siena, Italy, in an area known as ‘la Berardenga’, which is an extensive territory in the Chianti region of Tuscany. Its position right on the border between the territories of Siena and Florence gave it great strategic importance during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. Much of the castle is from medieval times and parts date back to 1000 or earlier; extensive restorations were performed in the 16th century and again in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chianti (region)</span> Wine-producing area of Tuscany, Italy

Chianti, in Italy also referred to as Monti del Chianti or Colline del Chianti, is a mountainous area of Tuscany in the provinces of Florence, Siena and Arezzo, composed mainly of hills and mountains. It is known for the wine produced in and named for the region, Chianti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badia a Montemuro</span> Frazione in Tuscany, Italy

Badia a Montemuro is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Radda in Chianti, province of Siena. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 26.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucarelli, Radda in Chianti</span> Frazione in Tuscany, Italy

Lucarelli is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Radda in Chianti, province of Siena. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 65.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colle Petroso</span> Frazione in Tuscany, Italy

Colle Petroso is a village in Tuscany, central Italy, administratively a frazione of the comune of Radda in Chianti, province of Siena. At the time of the 2001 census its population was 18.

References

Bibliography