Situated between the Mountain of Chianti and the hills of Florence, Greve in Chianti is the first main city you will encounter while driving south from Firenze on the Via Chiantigiana. The city has made its name as the center of commerce and agriculture and hosts the largest wine fair in the region every September.
Each Saturday morning in Piazza Matteotti, the main triangle shaped square, a local merchant market is held. The city’s inhabitants produce many hand formed objects out of wrought iron, leather, terra cotta, and ceramic; in the past, the city found its economic base in the production of the famous Gallo Nero Chianti Classico as well as cement, wood, leather, and other goods. In the Saturday market you will find local vendors who sell farm direct products like flowers, fruit, cheese and sausage on one end and on the other, close to the Church of Santa Croce, booths selling clothes and crafts. Every day of the week the perimeter of the square is lined with specialty stores, antique boutique, bakeries, butchers, and jewelers who display their hand made wares.
Besides the wide array of delicious food and wine.. which, quite honestly, can be found in every one of the towns in Chianti, there is quite a high concentration of early Roman churches. The previously mentioned Church of Santa Croce has been restored in 2008 but it still retains a fresco by Bicci di Lorenzo, ‘Madonna e Santi,’ dating back to the 1400s. A bit outside of the city center is the 12th century Romanesque ‘Pieve di San Cresci’ with its original structure and mullioned windows.