Colors of Pontignanello-Chianti

by

Colleen LeMasters

Posted In:

In honor of #ThrowbackThursday, I’m taking it back to last year around this time, when Dave and I set out on our last Italian adventure before moving back to the States. We toured around Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany after harvest, but before all the vines were bare. Our stay in the little village of Pontignanello (in the Chianti region) gave us the perfect excuse to walk the single road of the village, which was flanked by olive groves and vines. It was a perfect way to take in the scenery on a crisp fall day after a little light rain.

Sign reading Zona di Produzione Quercivalle LOSI on a metal frame in a vineyard with gnarled vines and yellow leaves.
The grapevines belonging to our hosts Agricola Losi

Rows of leaf-sparse grapevines with scattered yellow leaves on a sloping vineyard, a bare tree at right under a cloudy sky

Rows of grapevines with red autumn leaves across rolling hills beneath a cloudy gray sky.

Rows of grapevines with red and orange autumn leaves across a sloping vineyard and rolling hills under a cloudy sky.

Medieval stone monastery courtyard with arched cloister, central stone well and bell tower under cloudy sky
The Carthusian Monastery of Pontignano (built in 1343!)

Stone well with columns and ornate pediment topped by a cross in a cloister courtyard with arched arcades

Ornate church altar with a large framed painting flanked by gilded columns, frescoed walls, and geometric black-and-white tiled floor.

Smiling couple taking a close selfie in front of rows of red autumn grapevines and rolling hills

Painted rock slabs by a dirt path showing a colorful rooster on a wine barrel and a heraldic crest, with cypress trees in the background.
The symbol of Chianti: gallo nero (the black rooster)