VERRAZZANO CASTLE - CHIANTI AREA
tuscany-travel
The Castle of Verrazzano rises in the council of Greve in Chianti. The Castle of Verrazzano, situated on a hilltop 20 kilometres from Florence, dominates the magnificent panorama. The Castle was built on a site first settled by the Romans, possibly even the Etruscans and then by the Longobards. The central tower built in the late Romanic period was joined by an underground tunnel to another tower close by, providing an important point of surveillance over the Greve Valley and control of any movement between Florence and Siena.
Property of the florentine nobiliary family Verrazzano, Giovanni da Verrazzano, who discovered the Bay of New York and the main part of the east coast of America, was born here in 1485. The Castle, which had deteriorated over the centuries along with the disappearance of the Verrazzano family, has today regained its ancient splendour and the purity of form of the X century, thanks to the patient and delicated restoration work undertaken by the owner Cavalier Luigi Cappellini with the help of the Authorities for the Monuments of Florence. There is a great tradition of winemaking here: the magnificent vineyards and olive groves surrounding the Castle are mentioned as far back as the XII century in a written document found in the "Badia di Passignano" and dated March 12th 1150. The harvest is made by hand, in this way only the best fruit is chosen for the wine. The Castle is in the barycentre of the vineyards so that immediately after harvesting the grapes reach the cellar where it is tactfully pressed. The process that transforms grapes into wines is then scrupulously followed in its various phases. The must ferments in small quantities at a controlled temperature and after the fermentation we put the red wine to rest into oak barrels which from time to time are freed from tartar by specialised craftsmen. The barrels are placed in old cellars under the castle, protected from thermic excursion. Wines produced here are among the best in Tuscan tradition.
For other informations about the wines produced in these lands visit the web-site www.verrazzano.com.
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