Discover Greve in Chianti

A concise introduction to Greve in Chianti, its geography, history and culture.

Introduction

Greve in Chianti is a comune of 13,321 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Florence, set on the via Chiantigiana — the road that joins Florence to Siena through the Chianti. It lies about 31 km south of Florence and 42 km north of Siena, in the Val di Greve, and takes its name from the small fast-flowing river that runs through it.

It is the principal town of the Chianti wine district, and it only became Greve in Chianti recently: the name was added on 10 September 1977, with the town's entry into the Chianti Classico subzone. (The English record gives the year as 1972; the Italian date is the more precise and is the one followed here.)

Everything here turns on one space. Since the Middle Ages Greve's history has been tied to its main square, which has always served as the mercatale — the market place. The village began as a simple dependency of the castle of Montefioralle, and became the chief market of the district because of where it sits: at the meeting of the routes between the Valdarno, the Val di Greve, and the road running from Florence through the Chianti hills into Sienese territory.

That square, Piazza Matteotti, has the characteristic shape of an elongated triangle, is largely ringed by porticoes, and carries at its centre the statue of Giovanni da Verrazzano by the sculptor Romeo Pazzini. One vertex is occupied by the parish church of Santa Croce.

Greve is a member of Cittaslow. Panzano in Chianti and Montefioralle are both frazioni of this comune.

Geography

A comune of 169.38 square kilometres stretched between the Monti del Chianti and the Florentine hills, running from 130 metres at Ferrone to 892 metres on Monte San Michele — with the town itself low down, at 236 metres, where the valleys meet.

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History

A village that was a dependency of the castle above it, grew into the district's chief market because three roads met in its valley, and only added "in Chianti" to its name in 1977.

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Culture

Two museums — one of sacred art in a former Franciscan convent, one of wine in the old cellars — and a coat of arms that probably carries the lamb of the Florentine wool guild.

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How it was built and evolved over time

A market square shaped by the three roads that made it, porticoed for trade, with a castle-borgo above that the town outgrew.

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Climate patterns

Cooler than Florence in summer, colder than Florence in winter, with snow that falls in the higher parts and never stays long.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Greve worth a night, or just a stop? A night. It is a town of 13,321 people with an evening of its own, which almost nothing else in Chianti has, and it is 31 km from Florence and 42 km from Siena.

Who is the statue in the square? Giovanni da Verrazzano, by the sculptor Romeo Pazzini. The Castello di Verrazzano is about 2 km away on a hill at 348 metres.

Why is the square that shape? Because it is a mercatale — a market place — formed where the routes from the Valdarno, the Val di Greve and the Florence–Siena road met. The elongated triangle and the porticoes are both working features.

Is it true Amerigo Vespucci's family house is here? At Montefioralle, the walled borgo above the town, there is a house said to have belonged to the explorer. The record reports the tradition rather than documenting the ownership, and so does this page.

When did it become "Greve in Chianti"? The Italian record gives 10 September 1977, on the town's entry into the Chianti Classico subzone. The English record gives 1972. The two disagree; the more precise date is followed here.

Is Panzano in Chianti a separate town? Not administratively — Panzano is a frazione of the comune of Greve in Chianti. It has its own page on this site because it is a distinct village to visit.

Do I need a car? For the town, no. For the comune — 169 square kilometres of castles, pievi and viewpoints spread between 130 and 892 metres — yes.

Does it snow? Yes. Snow is frequent in some localities of the comune, though it never stays on the ground for many days, and valley minimums can fall several degrees below zero.

Verified against Wikipedia, October 2026.

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Checked against Wikipedia — The square of Greve, of the characteristic shape of an elongated triangle, is for the greater part surrounded by porticoes, and at its centre is placed the statue by the sculptor Romeo Pazzini representing Giovanni da Verrazzano; one of the vertices of the square is occupied by the parish church dedicated to Santa Croce, of the 19th century., Greve in Chianti added the denomination "in Chianti" from 10 September 1977, with its entry into the Classico subzone of Chianti, and is an Italian comune of 13,321 inhabitants of the Metropolitan City of Florence in Tuscany, situated on the via Chiantigiana which joins Florence with Siena passing through the Chianti., The English-language record instead states that the old name was Greve and that in 1972 it was renamed Greve in Chianti after the inclusion of that area in the Chianti wine district, and gives the town as about 31 kilometres south of Florence and 42 kilometres north of Siena., Montefioralle, near Greve in Chianti, is a castle known in the past as Monteficalle, and the borgo is of almost circular form; the church dedicated to Santo Stefano holds a Madonna and Child of the Florentine school datable to the end of the 13th century and, at the high altar, a panel representing the Trinity and Saints, a 15th-century work attributed to the Maestro dell'Epifania di Fiesole; in the settlement there is also a house that is said to have been the property of the Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci, and it conserves its walls, though in part incorporated into more recent constructions, and its completely paved streets., Strada in Chianti is a large frazione of Greve in Chianti placed on the via Chiantigiana, about 10 kilometres from the capoluogo and situated at about 300 m of height, whose most interesting monument is the church of San Cristoforo; and the Castello di Verrazzano with its annexed borgo is found about 2 km from the centre of Greve on a hill at 348 metres., The territory of the comune of Greve in Chianti has an extension of 169.38 square kilometres and extends between the Monti del Chianti and the Florentine hills, presenting characters of the middle hill country and, in its most southerly part, those typical of a mountain environment; the altimetric range runs from a minimum of 130 m above sea level in the settlement of Ferrone to a maximum of 892 m at the summit of Monte San Michele, and the capoluogo is placed at 236 m, with a seismic classification of zone 3s, low seismicity., The climate at Greve in Chianti changes much from locality to locality as the altitude and morphology vary; the summers are everywhere cooler than those of the centre of Florence, the winters in the valleys are harsher with minimum temperatures that can fall several degrees below zero, and snow in certain localities of the comune is frequent even if it never remains on the ground for many days; the nearest weather station to the capoluogo is Poggibonsi-Strozzavolpe, the climatic classification is zone E with 2,126 degree days, and the atmospheric diffusivity is high., Since the Middle Ages the history of Greve has been tied to its principal square, which has always exercised the function of a mercatale; the village was a simple dependency of the castle of Montefioralle but, thanks to its position at the point where the connecting routes between the Valdarno, the Val di Greve and the road leading from Florence through the Chianti hills into the Sienese met, it could become the principal mercatale of the area., Greve in Chianti added the denomination "in Chianti" from 10 September 1977, with its entry into the Classico subzone of Chianti, and is an Italian comune of 13,321 inhabitants of the Metropolitan City of Florence in Tuscany, situated on the via Chiantigiana which joins Florence with Siena passing through the Chianti., The English-language record instead states that the old name was Greve and that in 1972 it was renamed Greve in Chianti after the inclusion of that area in the Chianti wine district, and gives the town as about 31 kilometres south of Florence and 42 kilometres north of Siena., Greve in Chianti sits in the Val di Greve, is named for the small fast-flowing river that runs through it, and is the principal town in the Chianti wine district that stretches south of Florence to just north of Siena; it is a member of Cittaslow., Since the Middle Ages the history of Greve has been tied to its principal square, which has always exercised the function of a mercatale; the village was a simple dependency of the castle of Montefioralle but, thanks to its position at the point where the connecting routes between the Valdarno, the Val di Greve and the road leading from Florence through the Chianti hills into the Sienese met, it could become the principal mercatale of the area., The square of Greve, of the characteristic shape of an elongated triangle, is for the greater part surrounded by porticoes, and at its centre is placed the statue by the sculptor Romeo Pazzini representing Giovanni da Verrazzano; one of the vertices of the square is occupied by the parish church dedicated to Santa Croce, of the 19th century. (October 2026).