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The Chianti Area becomes an open-air museum in honor of the three hundredth anniversary of the announcement issued by Cosimo III de’ Medici that first decided the borders of the Chianti Classico wine production area, on 1716 september the 24th.

In squares, roundabouts and crossroads of all the 9 Municipalities of Chianti will be placed majestic sculptures depicting the famous Black Rooster, that from centuries stands on the stamps, coat of arms and labels.

A tribute that the Chianti Classico Consortium Producers’ Association offers to its territory, the sculptures will be donated to the Municipalities, so they will continue to characterize the territory.

The works, whose prototypes will be presented to the public in occasion of “Chianti Classico Collection 2016″in Florence at Stazione Leopolda on february 15th and 16th, are realized by artists Luca and Stefano Ruggeri. They perform their work in Tuscany since 1970 in the context of theatrical stagecraft and sculpture, they restore and replace with resin copies some art works all over the region.

The Black Rooster has become a symbol not only of a prestigious wine, but also of a territory and of a life style, it’s preparing to welcome tourists and wine lovers that are looking for harvests to remember and for rediscovered legends.

Its history is rooted in the Middle Ages as testified by the tile “Allegory of Chianti” preserved in Palazzo Vecchio, on the coffered ceiling of Salone dei Cinquecento frescoed by Giorgio Vasari.

The Black Rooster camped also on the ancient military league’s shields, in the era of fierce battles between the cities of Florence and Siena, becoming the protagonist of a curious legend.

The story tells that in medieval times to put an end to the endless wars, the two cities decided to define their borders with a singular challenge: a trial between two knights that would have left early at dawn, on the first crowing of the rooster, and would establish the border at the point where they had met.

In order to this, the Siena people raised with attentive and generous care a nice white rooster, while the Florentines chosed a black rooster that they kept fasting so that, on the fateful day, began to sing even before sunrise.

So it was that the Florentine rider set off before the Sienese one and he arrived until the village of Fonterutoli, about 12km far from Siena, that ensured the control of almost all Chianti to the Florentine Republic.

In later centuries The Black Rooster continued to be associated with this territory, so the Chianti Classico producers were in no doubt when, in 1924, they had to choose a symbol that would represent their wine.

In next spring the image of the Black Rooster will be harmoniously integrate with the profile of the Chianti hills with nine installations that will oversee our territory.