Vineyard Road in Castellina in Chianti

An itinerary of nature and culture, through the vineyards of some of the most important estates in Chianti Classico: this is the Strada dei Vigneti—Vineyard Road—marked out through the municipality of Castellina in Chianti.

This walk covers just over 6 miles (10 kilometers), of no particularly difficulty, with an average walking time of about 3 hours and 30 minutes.

A few miles outside Castellina in Chianti, set out from the village of San Martino in Cispiano, the village that takes its name from the ancient church dedicated to Martin of Tours.

From here, descend through woods and vineyards to Villarosa. Continuing through vineyards and ancient farmhouses, you can admire some of the oldest Chianti Classico farms in Fivizzano, Bibbiano and Lilliano.

Among the points of interest touched upon is the wonderful cypress grove of the Sant’Agnese Forest Nature Reserve, which has been naturalized for more than 10 centuries.

Then in Lilliano, there is the ancient Pieve di Santa Cristina, a parish church of Romanesque origin dating back to the 11ᵗʰ century AD.

The last stop on the route is the village of Rocca delle Macie, where there is the farm of the same name housing the museum dedicated to the film “They Call Me Trinity.”

In fact, it was company founder Italo Zingarelli who produced the film by E.B. Clucher, a historic Spaghetti Western starring Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, set to music by the great Ennio Morricone. The museum houses memorabilia from the sets and photos of the shoot. 

The Vineyard Road route is part of the Chianti Classico Hiking Network, which unites routes and itineraries of the Chianti municipalities.