Il Gallo Nero (The Black Rooster)
If you have had even a passing acquaintance with a bottle of Chianti Classico, you’ve met Il Gallo Nero. This rooster has been the symbol of the Chianti region and the well known wine produced here for hundreds of year. I remember thinking it was a cool symbol and bringing home an apron embellished with the rooster on my first trip here.
It was only now, living in the heart of the region and passing a huge black metal rooster whenever I walk down the street that I wondered about the origin of this iconic image. I hope you enjoy hearing the story as much as I did!
Of course it goes back to a folk legend! An old legend- from 1384! As you may recall, Panzano which sits in the heart of the Chiant region, is exactly midway between Florence and Siena, each 35 kilometers away. And you may also recall that Florence and Siena were historical enemies. In the middle ages these two Republics ( of Siena and Florence) repeatedly fought for domination of the rich and strategic Chianti region. So in 1384, the two cities agreed to end their conflict and decide on the legitimate border between their kingdoms. How would this be decided? They would each send a knight to ride at dawn and wherever the two knights met would become the border. In those days before alarm clocks and digital time keeping, they agreed the cockcrow would determine the precise moment each knight set out. It seems that was a universal way to determine dawn.
The Sienese chose a white rooster to trigger their knight’s departure. They fed it well thinking that would make for a powerful cockcrow. The Florentines knight would listen for the call of a black rooster. Unlike the Sienese, the people of Florence did not feed the rooster for several days and kept him in a dark room.
On the decisive day, the starved black rooster began to crow as soon as he was freed, which was hours before the sun came up. The Florentine rider, with such an advantage covered far more ground that the knight from Siena who waited until the well fed rooster woke at dawn. The two knights met at Fonteruoli just 12 kilometers from Siena. As a result, Florence gained almost the entire Chianti region. So the black rooster, il gallo nero, associated with the vistorious kingdom became the symbol for the region.
