Next take La Strada del Vino e dell’Olio ( ), via more hill towns and extraordinary views, to the idyllic island of Elba. Tuscany’s bucolic back-roads wind south past outstanding restaurants delivering dishes piled high with local produce expect cinghiale (wild boar), fragrant finocchiona (fennel-spiced sausage), sweet oven-baked red onions, modern takes on the rich miniestra di pane (bread and bean soup) and hundreds of types of pecorino (sheep’s milk cheese), ranging from fresh and mild to flavourful and aged with pecorino di tartufo (cheese infused with black-truffle shavings) perhaps the cream of that crop.ĭining highlights include elegant Osteria di Passignano near Greve in Chianti, classy Ristorante Albergaccio, near Castellina in Chianti, and Panzano in Chianti’s bustling, innovative Dario DOC, with its uber-modern take on Tuscan cuisine. They finish with a tutored tasting of three Antinori wines – often a citrusy Castello della Sala, a chocolatey Peppoli Chianti Classico and the intense, fruity Villa Antinori Chianti Classico Riserva.

Guided tours lead into a stunningly sculptural architectural masterpiece, past cutting-edge oenological equipment and dimly lit, barrel-filled rooms. Explore this duality with the Antinori family – they've been wine-making since 1385, but more recently created the uber-high-tech Antinori winery. But in Chianti, past tradition also meets present innovation.

Foodie towns