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Few people know it but this landmark and one of the most famous and prestigious appellation Tuscan wines, Chianti, have something in common, and that goes far beyond sharing the same geographical roots. Let’s have a quick peek inside the Salone dei Cinquecento, the most imposing indoor hall in town. Can you see it up there on the ceiling? Yes, it’s the black rooster, the same used as trademark of the Chianti Classico bottles. Painted by Giorgio Vasari, the rooster was there as symbol of the Chianti Military League but also to sum up the curious legend which dates back to the Middle Ages. Back then Florence and Siena continuously fought over the boundaries of the Chianti area.
To establish the definitive borders it was agreed two knights would have fixed them at their meeting point, each departing at dawn from his own city at the rooster crow. Let just say Florentines were more creative and got their rooster to crow much earlier than that of their rivals, gaining significant advantage (and land!).
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