Chiantishire

43°35′03″N 11°18′57″E

This article is about the term used to describe an area of Tuscany. For the episode of television series Succession, see Chiantishire (Succession).

A characteristic estate in Tuscany

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 and its British television adaptation starring Sir John Gielgud characterise 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]