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Chianti has a good bus network with the buses connecting
Florence or Sienna with the towns in their respective
provinces, but less often connecting the towns to one another.
These buses are very comfortable but are essentially a service
for taking workers and school children to their respective
destinations, so that the timetables sometimes don't suit
tourists (e.g. the last buses in the evening depart quite
early and very little service on Sunday).
More about getting
around in Chianti.
There is no railway in Chianti, although at the turn of the
century there were steam trams going as far as Greve but these
were soon replaced by electric trams and finally by buses.
Up until WW I and even later,
the better classes had a coach with footman. |
A Chianti diligence service
existed from at least around 1845. The service to Greve was known as the "Procaccia". |
The Chianti steam tram at
Falciani. The service began on 3 April, 1893. |
By 1917, buses were starting
to compete with the tram route. By 1926, the trams were all electrified but the route
closed in 1935. |
The bus routes are now served
by the comfortable Pullman buses of SITA and other companies. |
Bicycles and scooters can be hired but the best
way of exploring the highways and byways of Chianti is by car.
Rental cars are available in Florence and Sienna but rarely or
never in the Chianti towns.
More about Chianti
without a car.
More about traffic
violations in Tuscany.
More about
cycling in Chianti.
More about renting
a car in Tuscany.
Minibuses driven by qualified guides are an excellent though
expensive way to see a lot of Chianti with as little lost time
as possible. Many of the guides have access to castles and the
like that are not open to the general public and a tour can be
combined with wine or olive oil tasting.
More about
minibus transfers and tours.
As far as motoring for pleasure is concerned, Chianti is a paradise. Although
there is heavy traffic at rush hour on the main routes into
Florence and Sienna, the country roads carry only light traffic
for much of the day, although sometimes a large amount of
bicycle traffic on weekends. The dirt back roads, the "strade
bianche", that are so characteristic of the
Chianti countryside, can be explored not only by car but also
by bicycle and on foot, and provide a wonderful insight into
life in rural Chianti and the routines of the chiantigiani. The
Chiantigiana
Highway (SR 222) running right down the middle of
Chianti from Florence to Siena is on of the most enjoyable
motoring routes in Tuscany and indeed in the whole of Italy.
More about roads
and driving in Tuscany.
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