Chiantishire
43°35′03″N 11°18′57″E / 43.58417°N 11.31583°E
![](http://up.wiki.x.io/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Tuscany_Italy_%28334557752%29.jpg/220px-Tuscany_Italy_%28334557752%29.jpg)
Chiantishire is a nickname for an area of Tuscany, Italy, where many upper class British citizens have moved or usually spend their holidays.[1] The word is a late 20th century neologism and derives from Chianti, a red wine produced in central Tuscany, in particular in the provinces of Siena and Florence.[2] The location rose to prominence in the UK in the mid 1990s when then Prime Minister Tony Blair chose it as one of his preferred summer retreats.[3] Celebrities who have owned properties in the area include Sting, Bryan Ferry, Antonio Banderas and Richard Gere.[4] The novel, Summer's Lease by John Mortimer characterizes satirically the manners and mores of British expatriates in Chiantishire.[5]
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office estimated in 2012 that there were 28,000 Britons living in Italy.[6]
Notes
[edit]- ^ "Chiantishire". Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "Tasting wine in the Chiantishire". Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ "Blair family's Tuscany break". BBC News. 1 August 1998. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ^ Insley, Jill (13 October 2002). "Looking for a house in the country? Try Chiantishire". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ Mortimer, John, "Summer's Lease," London, The Penguin Group, 1988
- ^ "Spectrum IFA targets the Chiantishire market". Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2013.