Greve is a small town in Chianti, which lies in the valley of the river Greve. The early settlements in Greve go back to ancient times. Archaeological findings dating back to the Etruscan and Roman times have been discovered in this area.

During the thirteenth and fourteenth it grew as a town as a result of the growth of the castle communities of Montefioralle and Montegonzi.

It provided the shortest route to reach the Upper Arno Valley. It also lies almost equidistant between Florence and Siena since it lies in between the Arno and Elsa valleys.

The oldest part of the town lies around its market place. It was quite an important center of commerce in the fourteenth and fifteenth century. It declined in importance thereafter but regained its importance as an important center in the valley after the unification of Italy.

The parish church in the town is dedicated to San Croce. It was rebuilt in 1325. It contains a triptych designed by Bizzi di Lorenzo. It has some beautiful paintings from the Fra Angelico School.

The parish of Saint Cresci is also worth visiting.

The Museum of Sacred Art has been opened in the former convent of San Francesco. It has a valuable collection of paintings, vestments, sculptures and liturgical furnishings. There is famous terracotta called The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, which has recently been well restored. There are also other famous paintings like Madonna and the Child and the Assumption. There are many other gold and silver furnishings that are beautiful and other religious objects of immense value.

This is one of the most frequented squares in the town. It has many elegant wine shops and bars. At one side of the square there is a statue of Giovanni da Verrazzono, the famous explorer. He was born in Greve and was the first European to enter the New York Bay in 1524.

The market place at the center of the town is still busy and lively. Markets are still held in the unusually triangular shaped piazza. Porticoes and some twelfth and thirteenth century buildings surround it. There are a number of shops offering all that is intrinsic to the region.

This famous wine festival is held in September every year. It is the largest wine fair held in the Chianti region and showcases the wide range of wines manufactured in the region.

Every month in May there is a festival of plants and flowers in the main town square. Here a variety of flowers and plants with different colours and scents are exhibited generally on the seventh and eight of May.

This is situated very close to Greve. It is a beautiful natural park situated 892 metres above sea level.

The castles of Montefioralle and Montegonzi are also nearby.

This quaint little town in the Chianti Classico region will enthrall you with its quiet charm. It is typical of the Tuscany region with its rolling hills, vineyards and flowing streams and is a great place to visit.

Leonardo da Vinci is definitely the most renowned and admired Italian in the world. His genius and innovations in so many diverse fields have fascinated mankind through the years and are still a subject of study and speculation. Keeping in mind the constant and everlasting interest in Leonardo’s works an exhibition on the mind of Leonardo and the mode of his thinking has been organized.

The exhibition is at the Uffizi in Gallery in Florence from the 28th March 2006 to the 7th of January 2007 from 8.15 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.

There are many original documents and paintings on display. Thee drawings, paintings and manuscripts are accompanied by educational tools. They include functional models of his inventions, digital stations, virtual displays of some of his lost works and high-resolution reproductions and films on his works. For the first time there are also a few films depicting the sensational discoveries made in his drawings and paintings especially in The Adoration of the Magi.

This exhibition is an attempt to explore the way this genius’s thought processes worked. It helps to lift the aura of mystery which shrouds his image and looks at his rational mind which had expressed the desire to achieve a perfect imitation of nature through drawing and painting.

The exhibition can be divided into six major sections.

Section I deals with the origins of the “Modern Manner”. It also explores the innovations in his work prior to his shift to Milan. It also includes a scientific evaluation of The Adoration of the Magi.

Section II deals with the “face” of the genius. A study of his skull on the Weimar sheet offers an insight into the art-science concept of Leonardo’s brain. His self-portrait and his face seen in profile in earlier representations also offer some insights.

Section III deals with Leonardo’s Studio. It concentrates on his library and his writing desk. His library is filled with a large number and wide variety of books. This speaks of a curious and creative mind reaching out in all directions of research. His desk has been the birthplace of various sketches and drawings.

Section IV deals with the grammar of forms: proportions and analogy. He believed in the infinite malleability of forms. It is an essential feature of all his works whether in art, drawings, sculpture, designing of machinery or even as an investigator of the phenomena of the physical world.

Section V deals with Motion: the Universal Agent. He systematically investigated the laws of motion to find the laws that govern nature. This also helped him as a painter who strove to imitate nature in his splendid works. He explores motion of the mind in art, physiognomy and anatomy. Some of these results have been incorporated into his famous painting The Last Supper.

Section VI deals with the Science of Painting. For Leonardo painting is based on the mathematical principles of perspective. According to him painting is a form of mental discourse where the mind with the help of the hand capably imitates to perfection all forms of nature as well as endlessly invents other or new forms.

Leonardo had a fascinating mind. He believed in unifying scientific knowledge with the artistic representation of nature. The Mind of the Leonardo the Genius is an excellent exhibition, which provides insights on how the genius we call Leonardo managed to bring a fusion of the scientific and artistic temperament.

This wine is made from 100% Sangiovese grapes. It is made from the finest and most exclusive grapes produced in the Badia a Passignano region.

This family can trace its origins to Florence since the early thirteenth century and much earlier to Calenzo, a small town between Florence and Prato where their origins can be traced to records dating back to 1188.

Although they began with silk weaving and banking they established their importance as wine producers and merchants in 1385. By the sixteenth century they were renowned wine producers and merchants outside Italy. From 1896 it became a major family business when the property and farms were transformed into a modern and well-organized business.

It is a 215-hectare estate situated near the Sambuca Val de Pesa. It is situated in the Chianti Classico region and is one of the most productive and beautiful regions. In 1987 the Antinori family bought the vineyards surrounding the Abbey owned by the Vallombrosian monks.

Most of the estate is planted with Sangiovese grapes though a few hectares are devoted to Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. 19 hectares of olive groves have also been planted.

The estate makes the famous Badia a Passignano Riserva Chianti Classico.

It is one of the best-fortified Abbey’s in the region. This Abbey has ancient origins and its Etruscan origins can be traced. In 1049 it became part of the Vallambrosian order although much earlier origins have been traced. It also has been renowned for its famous wines for over thousand years.

In 1995 Allegra Antinori opened a small wine shop called “La Bottega” inside an 18th century building near the Abbey entrance. All Antinori wines are sold here. In 2002 it was expanded and the Osteria di Passignano was opened.

It is an estate grown wine with vintages from 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996 and 1995.

Vinification

It is produced from bunch selected grapes harvested between mid September and the beginning of October. The grapes are de stemmed, macerated partly in open wooden fermentors and partly in stainless steel fermentors for 15 days. Most of the wine is then transferred to French oak barrels. It is then aged for about 14 months and then bottled. It is held in the bottle for atleast 12 more months before being released for sale.

Taste

It is traditional in its complexity, roundness and elegance and yet it is modern in its fruitiness, presence of soft tannins. It is deep dark cherry in colour. It has a variety of flavours and can be amalgamated with chocolate and vanilla. It gives a high expression both on the nose and the palate. The alcohol content is 13.5% volume.

It is a popular wine and is exported all over the world including Asia, America, Europe and Africa.

It is situated between Panzano in Chianti and Mercantile Val de Pesa in the heart of the Chianti Classico region. It is a picture book Tuscan restaurant in a typical farmhouse surrounded by vineyards. The walls are lined with still life paintings.

It is a nice place to have a leisure lunch on a Sunday afternoon in winter with a warm fire blazing to keep you warm and some good food along with good company.

In summer benches and tables are placed in the farmyard in front of the restaurant although you can also opt for the cozy atmosphere indoors with hams and salamis hanging from the ceiling.

The chef and owner of La Cantinetta Paolo Abbarchini is very genial and friendly. He offers a fairly wide menu full of classic Chianti and Tuscan dishes. The barbequed items are highly recommended by many.

Many cold cuts and a special matured sheep cheese are on offer as appetizers. The first courses and main courses are also extensive and authentic. Most of the traditional fare of the region is available on the menu.

Many home made desserts and cakes tempt the diner and give the final sense of satisfaction of a traditional meal well enjoyed.

It is also possible to partake in the produce of the Rignano Farm. They include Chianti Classico wine, the sweet Vinsanto, extra virgin olive oil, honey and many varieties of flavoured “grappa” distillates. Many prestigious wine labels from the Chianti region and beyond also form part of the wine list.

It is closed on Tuesdays. It is better to book in advance, as it is a popular restaurant. If you are coming from Badia a Passignano take the Greve Road E and follow the signs to Rignana from the first major intersection down a long rough lane road. Although the route may be a bit rough the panoramic views of the Chianti countryside, together with he excellent food and warm hospitality make it well worth visiting the restaurant for a meal.

The Badia meaning Abbey in Passignano was originally built in central Chianti near Panzano. In 890 Sichelmo established the monastery in the shadow of the powerful Lombard castle of Passignano.

In 1049 it became a part of the house of Vallambrosa a reformist Benedictine monastery set up by it founder S Giovanni Alberto. It became the heart of the reformist movement and the driving force against simony. The Abbey had a checkered history. It flourished through the Middle Ages but declined in importance after that.

In 1810 the monastery was closed for short period of time. In 1825 it was reestablished but it was only in 1858 that a new Abbot was appointed and the community grew in number.

In 1870 the government auctioned off the Abbey of Passignano and its entire holdings. It now went through a period of difficulties with various owners and a decline in number of monks.

On October 10, 1986 it was joyous day when the Abbey regained some of its former glory as it was returned to the Vallambrosa monks of the Benedictine community.

It is still inhabited by monks of the Benedictine Order and stands as an ancient and flourishing monastery in the middle of the Antinori Estates. They live together as a family united despite inherent differences among its members. The monks follow the Benedictine principles within a modern context.

The beautiful vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees, which were once an integral part of the monastery, are now the private property of the Antinori family.

The Refectory was built in the fourteen hundreds. In 1476 Domenico and David Ghirlandino executed a beautiful fresco of the Last Supper, which is indeed very beautiful. Every June there is a Pentecostal Music Festival. Otherwise the monastery is open on Sunday afternoons.

Galileo was a novice at the monastery for a few years.

The Abbey of Passignano or the Badia a Passignano as it is commonly referred to is set in such sylvan surroundings that it is one of the most photographed places in central Chianti.

Green is the favourite colour of Tuscany. It is seen in its various hues and tints throughout the region especially in the countryside. The olive groves, the vineyards and the cypress trees bear testimony to the fact that this is a predominant colour in the landscape. However the colour is not confined to the landscape alone but is all-inclusive in its food as the Florentines and other Tuscans love their greens and incorporate them in many traditional Tuscan dishes.

Green vegetables have been a favourite food of the Florentines traditionally. In the fourteenth century hot food stands or stalls in the city use to sell boiled green vegetables on slices of toasted bread. Unfortunately this tradition has disappeared. However the San Ambrogio and San Lorenz markets can recapture a sense of those times with their original smells and flavours.

Ingredients
Bread (preferably Tuscan) 12 slices
Black Cabbage (Kale) 1 kg.
Garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Method
Clean the cabbage or kale well. Cook it in one and a half litre of boiling salted water. Meanwhile toast the bread, rub a clove of garlic over each slice and place it in soup bowls. Moisten the bread slices with some of the cooking water and top it with the roughly chopped cabbage leaves. Pour some extra virgin olive oil over it and finally sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper over it.

Now your Cabbage Crostini is ready and awaits your pleasure. Enjoy!