Villas for rent in Radda in Chianti

Radda in Chianti is the village for anyone who builds the week around cellars and quiet, not cities. It is the highest and most inland commune of the Gallo Nero, 530 metres up on the ridge dividing the Pesa valley from the Arbia, seat of the Lega del Chianti from 1415: the Palazzo del Podestà, with coats of arms on its facade, still recalls it. Radda is one of the eleven UGAs of Chianti Classico, with cellars such as Castello di Volpaia and Montevertine, and the hamlet of Volpaia, where the fermentation vats sit inside medieval houses, is a few kilometres away. The villas are farmhouses between Volpaia, Monterinaldi and Selvole, reached by gravel roads. Tripcare gets to them from its Poggibonsi office in about 35 minutes, and the village has few shops: groceries are arranged in advance.

The stay

In Radda you sleep in farmhouses with thick stone walls, fireplaces that genuinely get lit on May and October evenings, and a pool over the vine rows. “Villa con piscina a sfioro nel cuore del Chianti”, ten beds, seven kilometres away, suits a group of friends here for the tastings; “Cavato La Volpe – Stunning Apt with Florence View”, for four, is the choice of two couples. Check-in is in person: we walk you through the gravel road, the well and the LPG boiler. The concierge books Castello di Volpaia and the other cellars of the Radda UGA, a chef dinner in the villa, the transfer from Montevarchi station or the airports, and a driver between Panzano, Gaiole and Siena, so nobody drives after the tastings.

Why Radda in Chianti

Radda is the choice for anyone who wants the most secluded Chianti Classico: higher than Castellina, further from Florence than Greve, without the traffic of the Chiantigiana. People come here for Volpaia and Montevertine, for long lunches and for the silence at night, with Siena around forty minutes away and Panzano and Gaiole within a driver’s reach. It is the village of couples and small groups who arrive in October for the harvest and happily stay on until All Saints; at 500 metres the summer is cooler than in the Valdelsa, and in May the evenings call for a jumper.