Castello di Verrazzano

Because the man who sailed into New York harbour was born in this house, and it still carries his family's name.

Giovanni da Verrazzano was born here in 1485, in a castle that was the property of the noble Florentine family Da Verrazzano. It stands on a hill at 348 metres, about two kilometres from Greve. A crenellated tower of the 13th century survives from what may have been a guardingo, a watch-post; the chapel holds a panel by Ghirlandaio, the Eterno Padre.

The friction is that this is a working wine estate, not a monument. You do not walk in: the gardens and the historic cellars are seen on a booked visit.

The smart way is to book before you travel and treat it as the fixed point of a Chianti day — on +39 055 854243 or through the estate's own site.

This is a private estate that farms for a living. The castle, the garden and the cellars are not public space, and the access a visitor gets is sold rather than owed.

Book, and keep the booking. A small estate running scheduled visits plans staff around numbers. Turning up unannounced, or not turning up at all, is a cost to somebody.

The chapel holds a Ghirlandaio. If the Eterno Padre is shown to you, treat it as you would a panel in a museum — no flash, no touching, no lingering hands on the frame.

The vineyards are the crop, not the scenery. The estate sits in the Chianti Classico country and the slopes below the castle are worked ground.

Buy at the estate if you taste at the estate. It is the straightforward way a visit pays for the upkeep of a 13th-century tower.

Where. Via Castello di Verrazzano 1, Località Greti, 50022 Greve in Chianti (FI), on a hill at 348 metres, about 2 km from the centre of Greve.

This is a working wine estate, and visits are arranged. The estate offers bookable experiences taking in the gardens and the historic ageing cellars, with tastings. You cannot simply arrive and walk in.

Contact. Telephone +39 055 854243. Booking is handled through the estate's own site.

Prices and departure times are not quoted here. The estate's own guided-tours page does not publish them, and the figures circulating in search results do not match the address that page gives. Ask when you book.

A stale link to ignore. The reference works list the official site as verrazzano.org; that domain now redirects to an unrelated organisation. The estate is at verrazzano.com.

Combine it with Greve's square, where the statue of Giovanni da Verrazzano stands, and with Montefioralle on the other side of the town.

Whenever you can get a booking — that is the operative constraint, not the season. Visits are arranged in advance with the estate on +39 055 854243.

Autumn is harvest, which makes a wine estate at its most interesting and its most occupied at the same time. Book earlier for September and October than you would for March.

Spring and early summer show the Italian garden at its best, and the garden is part of what you are paying to see.

Winter is the quiet season across Chianti and the easiest time to arrange a visit, though the hill at 348 metres is cold and the comune's valleys can fall several degrees below zero.

Allow longer than you think. A visit here covers gardens, cellars and a tasting; it is not a quick stop on the way to somewhere else.