Throughout the Chianti region you will find numerous references to 'the black rooster'.
Below is the reason why this animal has been considered the ultimate symbol of this region for years.
In the Middle Ages, the republics of Siena and Florence were involved in an endless battle in the Chianti area, which is located exactly between the two cities. To settle the battle, according to an Italian legend, a remarkable plan was chosen: at sunrise, when the cock would crow, a horseman would leave both cities. The new border would be located where the riders would see each other.
The Sienese White Rooster
The Sienese chose and bred a white rooster which they fattened and pampered and provided every comfort to be powerful and strong; the shrewd Florentines bred a black rooster, il gallo nero, which they locked up in a dark stable for a long time and gave almost nothing to eat.
On the day of the competition, the starving Florentine rooster was taken out of the dark coop in the middle of the night and spontaneously started crowing (some say because of hunger, others say because the night was less dark than his coop). and the confused cock thus thought it was his duty to wake the world).
The Florentine rider therefore left - much earlier than agreed - in the direction of the south and met the Sienese rider at the crack of dawn near Fonteruli (about 10 km from Siena) where the new border was located and the battle began. was thus settled. The border was drawn about ten kilometers from Siena, meaning that a very large area of Chianti belonged to Florence from that moment on. Since then, the black rooster has been the ultimate Chianti symbol and has become an indispensable part of wine bottles, tablecloths, aprons and plates.