The name “Chianti” derives from the Etruscan “Clante”, or from the Latin “Clangor”, or birdcall. It was the hunting call cried out during expeditions of long ago in the forests that once entirely covered this area, which today is marvellously cultivated.
These hills were frequented by the great men of the Renaissance, such as Niccolò Macchiavelli. He lived in S. Andrea in Percussina, and he used to roam these hills on peaceful hunting outings because, as he wrote home in a letter to his family, there was nothing that lifted him from the burdens of his daily responsibilities like a good morning walk.
The remains of splendid Roman churches emerge from the green landscape, as do beautiful chapels with their extraordinary frescoes. A true gem of sixteenth-century Tuscan painting can be found in the chapel of the Villa of Caserotta (near the village of Calcinaia, 2.2 kilometers from Mercatale): frescoes painted by Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio – a triumph of incredibly delicate colors. In San Casciano Val di Pesa (a few km from Il Borghetto) at the Museum of Sacred Art there are many precious works including those of the Maestro del Trittico Horne, of Coppo di Marcovaldo, of Ambrogio Lorenzetti. The church of Sant’Andrea in Luiano is definitely worth a visit, while the church of Santo Stefano in Campoli has a magnificent Madonna by Giuliano Bugiardini.
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