Landscape of the Chianti
All the charm of the natural beauties of the Chianti region has been maintained, making the area one of the most attractive in all of Tuscany. The zone lends itself to maintaining its characteristic green over time, thanks to its climate. There, the torrents rarely lack water, even during the most torrid months. No natural lakes exist in the area, but there are various hill storages built for agricultural purposes. There are frequent spring zones, the traces of which remain in the fountains and springs strewn here and there along the mads and lanes, some of which have a natural and rustic beauty. The most important torrents are the Greve and its tributary the Ema, which flow on the Florentine side. The dense hydrographic network also includes watercourses and numerous other minor tributaries. The most important reliefs are the Chianti mountains,
which have a north-west/south-east development and serve as watersheds between the Greve, Pesa, and Arbia valleys and the upper Valdarno. The characteristic nature of this hill region is provided by the small valleys formed by these torrents. They have a gentle, mellow form in which woods, vineyards, and sowable lands alternate. The quarries from which is obtained the famous Impruneta fired brick that represents one of the most important Florentine artistic artisan forms are another typical characteristic of Ferrone. The valleys of the Greve and the Ema are separated by a slightly varied ridge that is travelled entirely in the Florence-to-Greve direction by State Road No. 222, the "Chiantigiana". This is densely populated for its entire length, at least as far as Greve. The most important towns, in addition to Ferrone, are Strada, San Polo, Cintoia and Chiocchio, all situated along the main communications mads. In the mountains, there are the ruins of what was once one of the most important Vallombrosian abbeys in Chianti: Monte Scalari. Besides the usual alternating of vines and olive trees, cypresses, and scattered farm houses, there is also a domination of coppice chestnut groves and oak woods, mixed with wide stretches of broom and gigantic briars. Pinewoods, which in general surround the most important villas, are also very well developed. The valley, which is more densely civilised on the southward slope, is closed to the south by the higher peaks of the Chianti mountains, from where the Greve and, on the opposite slope, Pesa torrents originate. Above 700 metres there are no more settlements nor scattered houses: springs, chestnut and oak groves make this a paradise for mushroom enthusiasts.
But in recent years, the landscape - as has happened in all the other zones - has definitely changed: heterogeneous cultivation (vines, olive trees and sowable fields) has by now disappeared, to give way to specialised rational vineyards. Olive-growing is in clear-cut revival, following a phase of abandonment due to the irrepressible expansion of vineyards and to the bad freeze of 1985 which had compromised its existence. The sowing of cereals and forage has disappeared, due to both the scarcity of water for irrigation and the development of the soil, which is too varied to permit a profitable hectarial yield, as well as to privilege the two products that by now characterise and make precious the zone: wine and oil.
... from `Greve in Chianti` (Municipality of Greve in Chianti)
