Towns inside a protected wine zone
Inside a DOC, DOCG or IGT wine zone under EU law: the wine made here carries the name.
14 lists
The best wine towns within 90 minutes of MilanVineyard country begins closer to Milan than most visitors expect, in the Oltrepò Pavese hills, the high Novara slopes and the Monferrato ridges, where Nebbiolo, Cortese and Barbera are poured in cellars a short drive from the city. These are the wine towns to head for, each inside the zone of a protected wine.
The best wine towns within 90 minutes of FlorenceWine towns an easy drive from Florence, where the vineyards sit inside protected production zones and the cellars are attached to the houses that own them. Sangiovese hills, Vernaccia, Vin Santo and the stone villages that make them.
The best wine towns within 90 minutes of NaplesInland from Naples the ground turns volcanic and cool, and the hills of Irpinia and the Sannio grow Aglianico, Greco and Falanghina in villages built of grey tufo stone. Wine towns within easy driving distance of the city, where the cellars are working buildings rather than visitor attractions.
The best wine towns within 75 minutes of VeniceNorth of Venice the plain lifts into the vine-covered hills of the Prosecco country, where steep terraces, Glera grapes and villages of pale stone and stucco sit under the Belluno pre-Alps. Wine towns close enough to reach for lunch, with cellars, hillside abbeys and radicchio and sopressa on the table.
The best wine towns within an hour of TurinNebbiolo, Barbera and Erbaluce grow within an hour's drive of Turin, on hills of pale marl where the villages are built of brick and stone and the autumn smells of fermenting must and white truffle.
The best wine towns within 90 minutes of GenoaInland from Genoa the motorway climbs out of the Ligurian hills into the vineyards of southern Piedmont, where Cortese, Barbera and Dolcetto grapes grow on pale marl slopes and the towns are built of sandstone and brick. Wine zones, thermal water and agnolotti, all within easy reach of the port.
The best wine towns within 75 minutes of TrentoSouth of Trento the road drops out of the mountains into vine country: Bardolino's light red on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, Valpolicella's ripasso in the hills behind, olive oil, lake fish and moraine gravel underfoot. These are the wine towns close enough to Trento for a morning drive, each one inside the production zone of a protected wine.
The best wine towns within two hours of BolzanoSouth of the Alto Adige passes, the road drops into vine country: Bardolino's light reds on the eastern shore of Lake Garda, Valpolicella's terraced hillsides drying grapes for Amarone, and towns of pale limestone where the cellar door opens onto the piazza. Wine towns inside protected production zones, all within a couple of hours of Bolzano.
The best wine towns within 90 minutes of PaduaWithin an easy drive of Padua the Veneto turns into vineyard country: Prosecco hills north of Treviso, Valpolicella terraces above Verona, and the Bardolino shore of Lake Garda. These are the smaller towns inside those protected production zones, where the cellars are working buildings rather than showrooms.
The best wine towns within an hour of BresciaBetween the moraine hills of Lake Garda's southern shore and the vineyards above Lake Iseo, wine is a matter of local geography: Bardolino's light reds, the white Custoza grown on gravel banks near the Mincio, the bottle-fermented sparkling wine of Franciacorta. These towns all sit inside a protected production zone, and each one drinks what grows on its own slopes.
The best wine towns within 75 minutes of RiminiInland from Rimini the Romagna hills rise into Sangiovese and Albana country, a run of brick and sandstone towns with terraced vineyards, piadina stands and cellars cut into the hillside. Each of these places sits inside the production zone of a protected wine, and all are within easy driving distance of the coast.
The best wine towns within two hours of PisaSangiovese country begins within an easy drive of Pisa, from the galestro hills of Chianti to the coastal vineyards of the Maremma, where cellars sit under stone towers and the harvest runs from late summer into October.
The best wine towns within two hours of AnconaVerdicchio, Sagrantino and Sangiovese country within easy reach of Ancona, where hill towns of pale stone and brick sit inside protected production zones and the vendemmia runs from late summer into autumn. Cellar doors, rabbit in porchetta, tables with a view of the Adriatic or the Apennines.
The best wine towns within two hours of BariPrimitivo, Aglianico and the pale coastal whites of northern Puglia and inland Basilicata, all grown within a couple of hours' drive of Bari, in towns built from tufa and local limestone where the vineyards start where the houses stop.