The Val di Chiana (Chiana Valley) runs along central Italy in a north-south axis through the provinces of Arezzo and Siena in Tuscany, as well as Perugia and Terni in Umbria. It is celebrated for the rearing of Chianina cattle, one of the oldest breeds in existence, which is used to make the celebrated Bistecca all Fiorentina (T-bone steak). The fortunes of this valley have fluctuated over the centuries. Following a period of prosperity in Etruscan and Roman times, the valley flooded and turned into a marsh during the Middle Ages, until the land was reclaimed again through an ambitious project that was started in the late 16th century and took 300 years to complete. The fertile valley of today, with its chequered, rolling farmland, framed by gently undulating hills, covered in rows of vineyards and silvery olive groves, is a result of the hard labour of generations of inhabitants. Through thick or thin, these inhabitants staunchly tended the valley’s flatlands and hills. The Val di Chiana is a document in progress, etched upon the landscape and polished by the activities of civilisations past and present. Through these legacies, it has evolved over the centuries into a place that encompasses the flavours of all peoples who lived within its boundaries.
Looking at the present-day landscape, it is hard to fathom that some 500 years ago, this valley was covered by an immense lake. The only remnants of that lake are the two small lakes of Chiusi and Montepulciano towards the southern end of the valley, both dwarfed by the nearby Lago Trasimeno, whose very name echoes Hannibal the Carthaginian, whose troopsarmy ambushed and destroyed a Roman army in 217 B.C. The large lake that characterised the Val di Chiana in the Middle Ages was immortalised in a map drawn by Leonardo da Vinci around 1502. Towns and villages on the hills on either side of the lake could only communicate by means of a ford at Valiano, a small village that still in existence.
Looking at the present-day landscape, it is hard to fathom that some 500 years ago, this valley was covered by an immense lake. The only remnants of that lake are the two small lakes of Chiusi and Montepulciano towards the southern end of the valley, both dwarfed by the nearby Lago Trasimeno, whose very name echoes Hannibal the Carthaginian, whose troopsarmy ambushed and destroyed a Roman army in 217 B.C. The large lake that characterised the Val di Chiana in the Middle Ages was immortalised in a map drawn by Leonardo da Vinci around 1502. Towns and villages on the hills on either side of the lake could only communicate by means of a ford at Valiano, a small village that still in existence.
Val di Chiana covers an extensive area, approximately 70 km long and 20 km wide. During Etruscan and Roman times, the River Clanis (Chiana), which ran from North to South across the valley was navigable. It was during the Middle Ages that the area around the River Chiana silted up and became a marshy area infested with malaria-bearing mosquitoes. The people of the Middle Ages however, learnt to take advantage of the marsh which was a rich source of fish. They also put to good use the extensive woodlands surrounding it, serving them as a rich supply of wood and as terrain for farming pigs. That legacy survives today through the various pork specialities of the area.
For centuries, the two competing regional powers of Florence and Siena vied for the control of Val di Chiana. In 1554, following the Battle of Marciano, immortalised by Vasari’s eminent fresco displayed in the Palazzo Vecchio of Florence, the Florentines crushed the Sienese. As a result, Cosimo I de Medici became undisputed ruler of the region. During the time, many of the submerged lands were donated to members of the Medici family with the hope that they could reclaim them. Cosimo, who earned the title of Grand Duke of Tuscany, eventually commissioned a great project of water drainage and land reclamation that was started in the 16th century but only completed in 1840. The reclaimed land became property of the Medici who organised farming land into farm units called poderi, managed by the mezzadria system, which endured until World War II. By means of this system, tenant farmers were leased poderi and portions of land. The expenses and the produce were shared between tenant and lord. Thus, unlike the serfs of the Middle Ages, the tenants worked hard to maintain the land and buildings in good shape, being equal partners in the enterprise. Land reclamation and patient farming gradually morphed the Val di Chiana into the fertile valley of today.