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Voykit pocket guide · Italy
Lecchi in Chianti
Half a day: walk the village, eat a long lunch, and drive on. Not worth a dedicated trip unless you are staying nearby.
Lecchi in Chianti is a tiny farming hamlet in the Chianti hills, 20 km northeast of Siena. It has no major sights — the draw is a single celebrated restaurant and a farm stay that gives you wine and oil for free. Most travellers use it as a lunch stop or a quiet base for exploring the wider Chianti region.
- Country
- Italy
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat, crowds on the roads)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards and contactless are widely accepted in cities; small cafés, markets and rural places may prefer cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–100 excl. bed · Mid €100–180 excl. bed · High €180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- TIM, Vodafone, WindTre and Iliad sell prepaid SIMs in shops and at airports; a passport and an Italian tax code (codice fiscale, issued in-store) are needed.
- Emergency
- Police 112 · Fire 115 · Ambulance 118
- Plugs
- Types C, F, L · 230 V · 50 Hz · Italian type L plugs have three pins in a row; most sockets also take two-pin Europlugs (C), and bivalent sockets take Schuko (F).
- Tipping
- Bar: Leave €0.10–0.20 of change on the counter if you like.; Restaurant: Coperto or service may already be on the bill; leave €1–2 a person or round up for good service.; Taxi: Round up to the next euro.; Hotel porter or housekeeping: €1–2 per bag or per night.; Tour guide: €5–10 per person for a half day.
- Water
- Tap water is safe unless signed otherwise; Rome's nasoni fountains run all day. Restaurants serve bottled water (naturale or frizzante) unless you ask for tap (acqua del rubinetto).
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use bars (buy a coffee), museums and stations, where some charge €1.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Lunch at Ristorante Malborghetto | €35–70 per person |
| Glass of Chianti Classico | €4–8 |
| Espresso | €1.20–1.50 |
| 1 km (0.6 mi) taxi (Siena area)0.6 mi (1 km) taxi (Siena area) | €1.50–2.00 per km |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FLR · Florence Peretola
- About 1 h 15 min by car
- PSA · Pisa Galileo Galilei
- About 1 h 45 min by car
Typical fares
- Florence airport → Lecchi (car)
- about €80–100, 1 h 15 min
- Siena → Lecchi (car)
- about €25–35, 25 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is essential. The village has no train station and limited bus service. Parking is on the street.
See and do
Known for
- Ristorante Malborghetto
- Borgo Ricavo farm stay
- Chianti vineyards and olive groves
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Siena | Car, about 25 min | About 30 min |
| Montepulciano | Car, about 1 h | About 1 h 10 min |
| Castellina in Chianti | Car, about 20 min | About 25 min |
| Radda in Chianti | Car, about 15 min | About 20 min |
Sleep
- Lecchi in Chianti itself
- Borgo Ricavo is the only accommodation; book ahead.
- Siena (20 km)
- More options; drive back for lunch.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Goodbye | Ciaochow |
| Thank you | GrazieGRAHT-see-eh |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa?KWAN-toh KOS-tah |
| A table for two, please | Un tavolo per due, per favoreoon TAH-vo-lo per DOO-eh per fa-VOH-reh |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favoreeel KON-toh per fa-VOH-reh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Say buongiorno (until mid-afternoon) or buonasera on entering shops and bars; avoid: Walking in and pointing without a greeting
- Cheek kisses: Two kisses, right cheek first, among friends; follow their lead; avoid: Kissing strangers or in business settings
- Dress: Smart-casual in cities; covered shoulders and knees in churches; avoid: Beachwear, bare chests and flip-flops away from the beach
- Queues: At delis and pharmacies take a number (numerino); avoid: Assuming the crowd at a bar counter is chaos — pay at the till first where asked
- Restaurants: Wait to be seated and ask for the bill; avoid: Splitting a bill item by item with a large group
- Conversation: Food, football and family are safe openers; avoid: Mafia jokes and north–south stereotypes
- Dinner at a home: Bring pastries, wine or flowers (not chrysanthemums, which are for funerals); avoid: Refusing seconds too firmly
Scams and watch-outs
- Ristorante Malborghetto is popular: reserve at least a day ahead.
- Borgo Ricavo's swimming hole is a 30-minute walk through forest and vineyard — bring sturdy shoes.
- Many Chianti roads are narrow and winding; drive slowly.
Very safe. The main risk is driving on narrow, winding roads after dark. Keep valuables out of sight in the car.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Lecchi in Chianti yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Ristorante Malborghetto
- Borgo Ricavo farm stay
- Chianti vineyards and olive groves
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Lecchi in Chianti, revision 4835512 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4835512
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/lecchi-in-chianti). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.