Chianti wine road Day Trip from Florence
The SR222 through vineyards, with cellars and hill villages along it
A one-day drive from Florence to Chianti wine road — 100 km round trip, about 2h 25m behind the wheel, with stops, timings and where to eat already worked out.
The SR222 through vineyards, with cellars and hill villages along it. It's a day out of Florence: 64 km of driving in total, about 1h 53m behind the wheel, and the rest of the day on your feet.
The plan below is paced so the driving doesn't eat the day: leave after breakfast, be back for the evening. Every stop can be swapped for one of three alternatives if it isn't your kind of thing.
Your days
Chianti day: you wander Greve's arcaded square by morning and end it on a vineyard terrace above the valley by afternoon.
Just off the square, the town's famous butcher shop is a short stroll away.
Heading back north toward Greve, the estate's vineyards appear right along the roadside.
A brief climb up a side road from Greve reaches this hillside terrace for lunch.
- Florence's ZTL zone is active on weekdays — confirm your hotel parking grants access or avoid driving in.
- The SR222 Chiantigiana is narrow and curvy — budget extra time, especially with tour buses.
- Book the Castello di Verrazzano tasting and Ristoro di Lamole lunch table before you leave Florence.
- Greve's free parking lot near Piazza Matteotti fills by mid-morning in high season.
- Montefioralle+3 km
A tiny, perfectly preserved medieval hamlet just above Greve with cobbled lanes and no cars — an easy walk-in detour.
- Badia a Passignano+8 km
An atmospheric fortified abbey and vineyard estate visible from the valley road, worth a quick stop for the setting alone.
- Volpaia+15 km
A fortified hilltop hamlet turned wine village, quieter than Greve or Panzano and still remarkably intact.
This route was drafted with AI. Please double-check roads, opening hours and local conditions before you go.
Questions, answered
- How do I avoid a ZTL fine in Tuscany?
- Assume every walled town centre is restricted, and park outside the walls. Look for the round white sign with a red border: that is the zone boundary. If your hotel is inside a ZTL it can register your plate for the nights you stay, but only if you give them the number in advance.
- Can I do Siena and San Gimignano in one day?
- You can, and plenty of tours do, but it makes for a rushed day: roughly two hours of driving plus two hurried towns. Doing one properly, with a Chianti stop on the way back, is a better day.
- Is Cinque Terre a day trip from Florence?
- Not comfortably by car: the villages are closed to traffic and the coastal road is slow, so you'd park at La Spezia and take the local train anyway. If Cinque Terre is a priority, go by train from Florence, or stay overnight.
- When is the wine country worth it?
- September and October for harvest, May for the countryside. Most small Chianti cellars want a booking a day or two ahead: walking in works at the larger estates only. And whoever drives tastes little; plan for that.
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