Privacy Policy

This privacy policy explains how Chianti Guide collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you visit chianti.guide. We are committed to handling your data with transparency and in full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR — Regulation EU 2016/679).

1. Data Controller

As data controller, Ricardo Lourenco determines how and why your personal data is processed. For any data protection enquiry, please contact us at the address above and we will respond within 30 days.

2. What Data We Collect and Why

2.1 Analytics Cookies — with your consent

If you choose to accept analytics cookies, we use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymised data about how visitors use this site. This helps us understand which content is most useful so we can improve the guide over time. Data collected through Google Analytics is not used for advertising or profiling.

Data collected includes:

• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• General geographic location (country or region — not your precise location)
• Device type, screen resolution, and browser
• The website that referred you here

Legal basis: Consent — Article 6(1)(a) GDPR. You may withdraw your consent at any time (see Section 6 below).

2.2 Google Fonts

This site loads typefaces (Cormorant Garamond and Inter) from Google Fonts. When your browser requests these font files, your IP address is transmitted to Google's servers. Google states it does not use Font API data for advertising or to build user profiles.

Legal basis: Legitimate interest — Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. Delivering a consistent and readable typographic experience across devices. We are actively evaluating self-hosting these fonts to eliminate this third-party request entirely.

2.3 Contact & Listing Enquiries

When you use the contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message. This data is transmitted via Web3Forms (web3forms.com) and used solely to respond to your enquiry. It is not shared with any third party beyond Web3Forms' processing role.

Legal basis: Legitimate interest — Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. Data will be retained for no longer than 12 months after the enquiry is resolved, and deleted immediately upon request.

2.4 Affiliate Links

Some hotel listings include a "Check availability" link to Booking.com. If you click this link and subsequently complete a booking, we may receive a commission from Booking.com B.V. No personal data is transmitted from chianti.guide to Booking.com when you click — the link simply redirects your browser. Booking.com processes your data under their own privacy policy once you arrive on their site.

The presence of affiliate links does not influence which hotels are listed or how they are described. All recommendations are made on editorial merit alone.

Legal basis: Legitimate interest — Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. Affiliate commissions help sustain this free editorial guide without charging readers or accepting paid listings.

3. Cookies

This site does not place any cookies without your explicit consent. If you accept analytics cookies, the following cookies are set by Google Analytics on your device:

Cookie	Purpose	Duration
_ga	Distinguishes unique users by assigning a randomly generated identifier	2 years
_ga_XXXXXXXX	Session-level analytics state for GA4	2 years
_gid	Stores and updates a unique value for each page visited	24 hours

No essential, functional, or advertising cookies are set by Chianti Guide. If you decline analytics, no cookies are placed on your device by this site.

4. Third-Party Services

Service	Purpose	Privacy Policy
Google Analytics 4	Anonymous traffic measurement (only with your consent)	policies.google.com/privacy
Google Fonts	Typeface delivery (Cormorant Garamond, Inter)	policies.google.com/privacy
Booking.com B.V.	Hotel availability and booking — only when you click a "Check availability" link. No data is sent by us; Booking.com processes your data independently once you arrive on their site.	booking.com/content/privacy.html
Web3Forms	Contact form submission processing — receives your name, email, and message when you use the contact form.	web3forms.com/privacy

We do not sell, share, or transfer your personal data to any other third parties. External links on this site (to wineries, restaurants, hotels, and distilleries) lead to independent businesses — their own privacy policies apply when you visit them.

5. International Data Transfers

Google Analytics and Google Fonts are operated by Google LLC, headquartered in the United States. Data transfers to the United States are governed by Google's Standard Contractual Clauses with the European Commission, which provide appropriate safeguards under GDPR. For details, see Google's data processing terms.

6. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject under GDPR, you have the following rights. To exercise any of them, contact us at privacy@chianti.guide — we will respond within 30 days.

• Right of access (Art. 15) — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification (Art. 16) — ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure (Art. 17) — request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten").
• Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18) — ask us to limit how we use your data.
• Right to data portability (Art. 20) — receive your data in a portable, machine-readable format.
• Right to object (Art. 21) — object to processing carried out on the basis of legitimate interest.
• Right to withdraw consent (Art. 7(3)) — withdraw your analytics consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of any processing that took place before withdrawal.

7. Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You can change your analytics cookie choice at any time. The button below will reset your preference and show the consent prompt again.

Update cookie preferences

You can also manage or delete cookies directly through your browser settings. For guidance, visit aboutcookies.org. Note that clearing cookies will reset your preference here too.

8. Data Retention

Analytics data is retained in accordance with Google Analytics' default retention settings (26 months). If you withdraw your consent, no new analytics data is collected from that point. Previously collected anonymised data may be retained in aggregate; you may request its deletion by contacting privacy@chianti.guide.

9. Supervisory Authority

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Italian data protection authority:

We would, of course, appreciate the opportunity to address any concerns directly before a formal complaint is made — please reach out to us first.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time as the site evolves. The date at the top of this page always reflects the most recent revision. Where changes are material, we will make this prominent.

11. Contact

For any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data: