Christmas in Tuscany

raneen

New member
I will be travelling to Tuscany over Christmas and will be staying in Chianti region "castelnuovo Berardenga"
I am wondering what are the best places to visit, is Chianti region is nice in winter ?? and if all places will be open over Christmas...

Appreciate your help
 
The Chianti region is still beautiful in winter, although very different than what you'll have seen in postcards. The vineyards are mostly without leaves and in hibernation, the mornings are crisp but there is still plenty to see and do. Most wineries will not be open all of the time for drop-in visits, so just make sure to select a few you want to visit and call ahead the day before to book a visit or wine tasting. The larger ones, such as the ones listed on this itinerary (under teh DIY section https://www.chianti.com/wine-tasting/chianti-wine-tasting-without-a-car.html) will likely bring more success.

Many places will close on Christmas Day as well as December 26 for Boxing Day. Aside from those dates, everything runs as normal for the low season in Chianti - yes, there are less visitors and some restaurants cut their hours, but you will still find many places open since it is full of locals ;-).

Head to the larger towns such Siena, Florence, Arezzo and you will always find it more livelier, particularly on the days of the holidays themselves. Otherwise, just plan to have a quiet time to enjoy Chianti with many locals and not many visitors.

Wherever you are staying at, make sure to ask the owners there for recommendations -- since they live there in Castelnuovo, they will give you their suggestions on places they go to and do, places they know are open and good to go to (such as restaurants/trattorie).
 
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