Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB 2027: preparation, logistics and gear guide

The UTCC 120, Ultra Trail Chianti Castles, starts from Radda in Chianti on Saturday 2027-03-20: 123 km, 5,200 m of climbing, 100M category of the UTMB World Series. The organisers describe it as a loop linking the castles of the historic Chianti, from Monteluco to Monte San Michele, joining the two ends of the territory. The same day, from the same line, the Chianti Ultra Trail, CUT 73, covers 73 km and 3,000 m of climbing in the 100K category, between the Chianti fiorentino and the Chianti senese.

Around those two races, the week lines up the Chianti Marathon Trail, CUT 46, 46 km and 1,650 m of climbing from Castellina in Chianti on Friday 2027-03-19, 50K category; the Chianti Half Trail, CHT 20, 20 km and 920 m from Gaiole in Chianti on Sunday 2027-03-21, 20K category; and the Chianti Wine Run, 10 km and 400 m from Radda in Chianti on Sunday 2027-03-21, which the organisers present as a night race through the vineyards. All five races are open for registration as of 2026-09-07.

This guide gives the published facts and the order of decisions for a runner travelling in: arrival through Florence, Pisa or Bologna, a base in Radda or a neighbouring village, and a pack built for one March night in Tuscany — mild in the valleys, cold on the ridges and often wet. Start times, the detailed agenda and the gear list are not published as of 2026-09-07 and are read on the official site when they land.

5,200 m of climbing over 123 km is a profile of repeated bumps rather than big passes: around forty metres of gain per kilometre, spread over short, runnable climbs. The training consequence is clear — on the UTCC you run far more than you hike, and it is the muscular cost of constant restarts that decides the second half. Train long rolling outings at a sustained pace, not just raw vertical.

The ground is a mix of vineyard tracks, white gravel roads and woodland trails. It is fast when dry, greasy and slippery after rain — and March is a wet month in Tuscany. Do at least one long night outing with the race pack, and one outing in the rain on muddy ground with the shoes you will wear on race day: here it is grip on wet earth, not on rock, that matters.

Radda in Chianti concentrates the event: start of the UTCC 120, the CUT 73 and the Chianti Wine Run, and in all likelihood the race village and bib pickup, to be confirmed on the official agenda not published as of 2026-09-07. The two other starts are in neighbouring villages, less than half an hour by road: Castellina in Chianti for the CUT 46, Gaiole in Chianti for the CHT 20.

These three towns are small. Chianti accommodation is made of villages, agriturismi and isolated houses rather than resort hotels: book early, and check the place is reachable by car late at night and early in the morning. A supporter can see several starts in the same weekend without changing base.

A car is by far the simplest option. Radda sits at the heart of the Chianti, roughly halfway between Florence and Siena: about an hour by road from Florence on the SR222, the Chiantigiana, and around forty minutes from Siena. From France, road access goes through the Fréjus tunnel or Ventimiglia, then motorway to Florence.

By air, the useful airports are Florence, Pisa and Bologna; by train, Firenze Santa Maria Novella is the natural entry point. In all three cases the last leg to Radda remains, and it is poorly served by public transport in the evening and at weekends: sort out the rental car before buying the ticket, not after.

Radda in Chianti is the simplest base: start of the UTCC, the CUT and the Chianti Wine Run, shops, and the least possible driving on race morning. Castellina in Chianti and Gaiole in Chianti are minutes away and suit anyone with a car, especially for the CUT 46 and the CHT 20 that start there.

Agriturismi and vineyard houses are plentiful between the three villages, often at the end of a gravel track: check night access and parking before booking. Confirm late arrival, a very early breakfast on start day, and a recovery night after the UTCC finish before driving home.

Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB is prepared as a fast race more than a mountain race: the car, the bed in Radda and the shoes for greasy ground count as much as the vertical. Open a TrailCompanion Prep from this guide to date those decisions and track the agenda and the official list when they land.