Things to visit near Gaiole – Advice from Cantalici

Gaiole in Chianti is a small town located in the heart of Chianti Classico, not too far from the city of Siena.

For those who choose to take a tour in these areas, we obviously recommend booking a nice tasting in the Cantalici cellars, there is an intertwining of history and nature which, accompanied by a nice glass of Chianti Classico wine, makes the visit sublime, and unforgettable.

Traveling means immersing yourself in a place, discovering its ravines, and the habits and customs of those who live there. So, here are some tips for visiting Gaiole in Chianti and its surroundings.

Festivals, parties, and dances

The event for which Gaiole in Chianti is now famous worldwide is L'Eroica: a rather particular cycling race. It took place for the first time in 1977, the Eroica is an event open to all that you can ride on "Eroiche" or vintage-style bicycles. The race is held every year on the first weekend of October, and you can register through the website by paying the participation fee.

It seems hard to believe but even a small village in the Chianti hills like Gaiole can be quite festive on summer evenings. On Thursdays in particular there is a fixed event at the Agri bar Brolio where you can sip good cocktails, listen to beautiful music, and even go wild with some dancing... if you want.

Also in summer, the Chianti Wine Contest takes place in Gaiole, where you can do the so-called blind wine tasting and therefore test your skills in recognizing the wines, the grape varieties, and the production methods without any visual hint.

On the last weekend of May, not in Gaiole but in Radda in Chianti (10 minutes away by car), is held "Radda nel bicchiere", a special event where you can taste a few wines from various local wine producers. In case you're traveling to Chianti in that period, it is a good opportunity to get an idea of the ​​local obsession: wine production.

Things to see and eat

Gaiole is a classic Chianti village with Romanesque parish churches, castles, and fortified fortresses: a consequence of the countless conflicts that took place between Siena and Florence in medieval times and which dragged on for many years to follow.

Once you have taken a dive into the past by visiting the historic center of Gaiole itself and some nearby villages, such as Vertine or Badia a Coltibuono, you may want to immerse yourself in an experience of tasting typical local products.

For those who want to get closer to the very "Tuscan nature" of Gaiole in Chianti, the most important visit is among the taverns in the city center which have a more rustic and "down to earth" atmosphere and certainly more folkloristic: you are surrounded by local people and you can observe funny habits, like the old man who always goes at the same time to drink his grappa in his local bar, or the workers who go to the same restaurant, take the same menu accompanied by a nice glass of red wine poured from the famous flask.

There is certainly no shortage of excellent quality and fine dining restaurants around here. In these restaurants, tradition is discovered more in flavors than in gestures, where classic culinary art meets the contemporary both in taste and in the composition of the dishes.

But whatever trail you decide to follow what always remains is a poetic and calm landscape in which the sounds and scents of nature blend together to make the travel experience unforgettable for all five senses.

Photo: Agribar Eroica Caffé interiors - Source: Facebook