12 Nights in Tuscany

Old Mar 9th, 2008, 12:09 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
12 Nights in Tuscany

We spent 12 nights in Tuscany at the end of Sept/early Oct 2007. This is an abbreviated report. I decided to wait to make a report because I thought some of my perceptions might change which sometimes happen.

Overall it was a wonderful, dreamy trip. Thanks to the many fodorite reports and comments which helped create the trip. I did save my restaurant notes and so the emphasis will be on dining and the superiority of Chianti

Next time we rent a car in Europe we might bring our own GPS unit. We spent over $1900 at Hertz on a horrible little Ford - it was some type of sub compact with automatic transmission and a add-on Never Lost GPS system. I discovered that even though we had taken out the maximum insurance, there was no insurance that would protect us if the GPS was lost or stolen- Hertz valued it at around $700. We are mechanical and computer idiots and had never used GPS before and wasted a lot of time circling around Pisa trying to figure it out. Once we finally arrived in Lucca, we were so tired from our all night flight and already reliant on the GPS, I lost all common sense. A warning: GPS does not work in walled towns. I had come prepared with detailed map printouts but was too tired and confused to consider them. My husband ended up parking in a Lucca piazza and getting a local to walk him to the hotel- even the police had never heard of our hotel and I didn't have their phone number.
Do we regret getting a car with automatic transmission? Driving in Montepulciano after dark was a harrowing experience but my husband thinks we could have managed with a standard transmission. Other than the terrible expense and crummy car, driving in Italy was a delight- roads and other drivers were good.

Next time we go to Europe we might try to economize and not get a rental car if we're in major cities and not in the countryside. The newest issue of Conde Nast recommends Kemwel. Runners up are kayak and autoeurope- in the past we've had one good experience with autoeurope and one poor.

Next: Lucca

calville is offline  
Old Mar 9th, 2008, 12:19 PM
  #2  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Lucca- spent 3 nights here- our first stop. Highlights were renting a bike and cycling around the top of the wall and riding our bikes around town. The path at the top of the wall is very wide, full of lush plantings, peaceful ambiance and amazing views overlooking the city. We had a religious experience at the Basilica Di San Giovanni listening to Puccini arias- those 50 minutes were some of the best of our entire trip.

We stayed at the Noblesse Hotel and were quite happy with it- very comfortable and nice but extremely expensive. The other hotels we walked past did not appeal to us.
We took a day trip to Viareggio which we really enjoyed despite it being a kind of tacky, old fashioned seaside town. We had one of the best ever in Italy meals here at restaurant Ilpuntodivino- truly divine food.
Would we return to Lucca? Probably not although we don’t regret our visit.
Best meal in Lucca was at Osteria via S Georgio AKA Osteria Pesce.

Lucca also had many nice little shops and clothing boutiques.

Next S Tuscany
calville is offline  
Old Mar 9th, 2008, 12:24 PM
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Montepulciano-5 nights here at the lovely La Locanda di San Francesco. This town is amazing and beautiful- inundated with tourists but the locanda is at the highest piazza in town and most of the tourists don’t venture up that high.

We had many nice meals in Montepulciano- there are a lot of sophisticated dining options that don’t seem to be available in Pienza. We also got a kick out of observing the cooing young Italian honeymooners at dinner- very different interactions than you observe with Americans. The women were very sexy, beautiful and talkative- the men were mostly quiet but interested/attentive.

We arrived at Pienza on a rainy weekday morning and the streets were swarming with tourists- could barely move. Lunch at Trattoria Latte Di Luna café was a disappointment- do not understand the long lines- food was tasty and homey but nothing to rave about. I was really glad we did not stay in Pienza for these reasons: the town is beautiful but so tiny and popular – had a claustrophobic feel and secondly, dining options seem limited. Restaurant Rosellini had received better reviews but it was too rainy and late in the day to look for it.

Chiusi was delightful without a tourist in sight. The food at Il Bucchero was excellent –we loved eating outdoors under the grape arbor with the locals- wish we had known about the Etruscan museum in Chiusi which many dismiss as just as railstop.

Driving into Montepulciano was a pain as some fodorites had warned.
Would we return to Montepulciano? Probably not since we spent so much time there but it was a very beautiful and exotic experience which we loved. If we could do it over, would shorten our stay in Montepulciano to 4 nights and add on a fifth night to Chianti.

Southern Tuscany is where all the fodorites seem to say to go. It is very beautiful but inundated with tourists. Chianti, in comparison, was peaceful, just as beautiful if not more so, lush and green. Chianti is the place we would like to return to.
Best meals in S Tuscany: Osteria Teatro in Cortona, Ristorante Le Logge Del Vignola and Godimento DiVino in Montepulciano. Also enjoyed the wines, snacks and hot soup at our hotel Locanda Di San Francesco. Caffe Poliziano had beautiful views from the outdoor terrace but average to mediocre food.

Staying out in the countryside in southern Tuscany: I know there are many beautiful villa accommodations around but not sure if I would want to drive into the hill towns every night for dinner. While driving around looking for La Foce we met an American couple who were very happy with their rural accommodations at Sant’ Antonio.

Next: Chianti
calville is offline  
Old Mar 9th, 2008, 12:31 PM
  #4  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Panzano in Chianti- We stayed at the wonderful Villa Le Barone for 4 nights and had the most relaxing, peaceful experience taking little day trips and napping by the pool. Some fellow guests without GPS tried to drive into Florence and gave up and came back to the villa. We decided that rather than risk a nerve wracking experience with driving and parking or the hassle of the local bus we would splurge on a taxi each way- this was a great decision. It was 50-60 mins from our hotel to the Palazzo Medici.
We had an interesting day in hectic Florence but were glad to escape and get back to Panzano. The taxi driver we hailed at the Boboli Gardens for our return also seemed thrilled to be getting out of town. The setting of the villa was sublime, staff were delightful and the food was delicious, inexpensive and abundant. I’ve reviewed all three hotels on tripadvisor.
Best meals in Chianti: Villa Le Barone half board plan and Ristorante Lamole up in the hills for lunch.

This is a shortened report without all the trip details- some of which I’ve forgotten since it has been so many months but I welcome any questions. I encourage anyone who wants to experience the beauty of Tuscany and avoid crowds to head to Chianti!
calville is offline  
Old Mar 9th, 2008, 01:42 PM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,525
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Sorry about your bad experience with the car---that was very expensive. Tell us more about driving up to Locanda San Francesco---would you stay there again?
bobthenavigator is offline  
Old Mar 9th, 2008, 04:13 PM
  #6  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Driving into Montepulciano during the day was difficult but manageable:
Here are some of the problems we encountered:
One way streets everywhere.
Narrow, vertical streets teeming with pedestrians.
Signs all over the place indicating do not enter- some of these were wrong and it was OK to enter if you were staying overnight.
Streets that all looked the same/difficulty getting our bearings- we’d repeat the same mistakes over and over- sometimes when you’d commit to a direction that was wrong you were forced to keep going- no room to back up and turn around or the street had become one way.
I also have to confess that we might be getting senile in our middle age- my college age kids probably would have remembered landmarks and done much better.
We only ventured out once after dark and had such trouble we were scared to do it again.
We took a wrong turn returning to our hotel and ended up on top of what seemed to be a walled alley- at one point the rear tire was off the road and we were about to plunge off a cliff. Montepulciano is a stunning medieval town that is very dark at night- no or few street lights. It’s funny now thinking back on it but wasn’t at the time. I can’t believe some of the locals have SUVs because there were walled arches we barely got through with our subcompact.

We were very happy with Locanda di San Francesco. I generally dislike B and Bs but this one was one really nice. I’ve noticed guests at B and Bs often develop a weird relationship with their hosts-it’s as if the hosts can do no wrong and they all get rave reviews. These owners were genuinely warm, helpful and had good taste. They really knocked themselves out so it’s possible they will get burned out at some point.
It’s not a four star hotel and there is no concierge but Cinzia or her husband Luca were almost always next door at their wine bar and you could stop in for help at any time. I inquired about laundry service and she told me to leave our clothes outside our room- she drove them herself to a full service laundromat of some sort and they were returned pressed and perfect a few days later-I’d call that excellent service. The views from the rooms were spectacular; everything was super clean and tastefully decorated with extremely comfortable beds.

The two restaurants I mentioned were only a block or two away- one was on such a steep little side street you almost needed a rope tow to get back up! We discovered these restaurants on our own but heard other guests say that Cinzia gave other good suggestions.
Yes, we would definitely stay there if returning to Montepulciano.
calville is offline  
Old Mar 9th, 2008, 04:35 PM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,525
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thank you---very infomative.
bobthenavigator is offline  
Old Mar 9th, 2008, 05:24 PM
  #8  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks Bob!
calville is offline  
Old Mar 9th, 2008, 05:49 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 916
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks for this great report. I'm in the beginning stages of planning a summer trip to Italy. This will be my fourth visit. I've done the Rome, Florence, Venice cycle and now I'd like to stay in one area and explore the region more in depth.

We're looking into Tuscany or the Amalfi coast at this point. Your report was very informative.
cybertraveler is offline  
Old Mar 10th, 2008, 01:46 PM
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks Cybertraveler- this was just our 2nd trip to Italy.

I'd love to see the Amalfi coast at some point.

We liked Chianti so much we're also considering a repeat and adding on some new areas.
calville is offline  
Old Mar 24th, 2008, 01:10 PM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Cybertraveller, if you're going to Italy, I think you will absolutely love the Chianti region, and the Amalfi Coast. We are returning to the Chianti region this September for two weeks, and also, one week on the Amalfi coast. We are renting villas at both locations. A great central location, is in the Castellina in Chianti town. We are staying at a villa, about 10 minutes outside the town. Stayed at the same place two years ago, and had a wonderful time, and found it so central, many, many towns, within 20-30 minutes. On the Amalfi, we stayed in Positano, last time, but are renting a house in Priano, just a few miles down the coast. If you need some websites for research, I'd be happy to give them to you.
MaggieT is offline  
Old Mar 24th, 2008, 02:31 PM
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 47
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We bought a TOMTOM 920 with Northern European maps which we will bring to use in our car rented from Avis ($400 for a week). Our itinerary and ages are similar....hope we survive!!! Thanks so much for the information.
Linda74 is offline  
Old Mar 24th, 2008, 06:00 PM
  #13  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,581
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I'm glad to read that someone else enjoyed the Osteria Teatro in Cortona. It was my best meal in a two-week trip to Italy.
luvtotravel is offline  
Old Mar 24th, 2008, 07:10 PM
  #14  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,392
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I just wanted to add that we spent a few days in Tuscany in early June and found it to be very lacking in tourists at that time of the year. Siena was pretty crowded but the hill towns around Montepulciano were not overcrowded at all. Also, we stayed at Locanda di San Francesco and loved is as well. I'd go back in a heartbeat. The views from the windows each morning were spectacular.
rbnwdln is offline  
Old Mar 24th, 2008, 10:16 PM
  #15  
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 82,724
Received 46 Likes on 17 Posts
Thanks for such a great TR. My next trip will be in Tuscany - hopefully soon. Your report inspires me.
starrs is offline  
Old Mar 24th, 2008, 10:48 PM
  #16  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 310
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Hi Linda74,
I just wanted to add that we are very technology-challenged and are on our second trip (we are in St. Remy de Provence now) with our Tom Tom 910 (you probably have the newer version). Our first trip was to Italy for 4 weeks last March and April and it was amazing for us then and is certainly helping us get around with this trip. We practiced at home before leaving for Europe so we could be up and running in Italy. Have a great trip!
Colleen is offline  
Old Mar 30th, 2008, 01:08 PM
  #17  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 916
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
MaggieT,

Thanks for the comments on Amalfi and Chianti. From what I've read, it looks like getting around the Amalfi coast can be treacherous. Did you rent a car? I think it would be fun to visit Positano and some of the other towns, but not much fun if it involved white-knuckle car rides in between!
cybertraveler is offline  
Old Mar 31st, 2008, 06:38 AM
  #18  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 306
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks everyone for your comments.

Linda74- if you don't mind, post back with the final cost of your Avis rental after taxes, insurance and fees. It seems the quoted rates are often misleading.
Colleen-that was smart to practice with your GPS at home!
I'll look forward to your Provence report- we're thinking Dordogne night be our next trip but then we'd have to rent a car.
rbnwdln- interesting that early June was uncrowded- perhaps spring or early summer is the time to go to S Tuscany.

Re: using GPS in walled towns- our Hertz Never Lost usually went dead but when it didn't, the directions were all wrong so we started turning it off as we approached walled towns. After you become dependent on GPS it feels kind of wild and scary to be without it!
calville is offline  
Old Apr 18th, 2008, 07:23 AM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
We will be staying in Tuscany, D'Ambra, early in June and will be driving around to surrounding towns. Since Montepulciano was so difficult to navigate, can you park outside the town and walk in?
therealbobbie is offline  
Old Apr 18th, 2008, 08:25 AM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,754
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Just in case calville doesn't see this, yes you can.

Watch for the square blue sign with a white P. Head for and park in the first one you see. Walk up!

Buon viaggio!
Dayle is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -