Amazing Discoveries in Tuscany

Better start with one of my own then. The Cantinetta Di Greve is a great enotecca. It's a great overview of all the wines of Tuscany. I thought it would be cheesy, but it was very fun. It has automated dispensing machines and you can taste close to a hundred types and varieties, plus olive oil and desert wines. There is a charge, but I went with a wine tasting expert friend and we both loved it.

A restaurant in Cortona.
www.osteria-del-teatro.it/index_E.html

Dining at teh Osteria del Castello in Gaiole. Seamus de Pentheny O'Kelly is the lively, shall I say character, chef who holds cooking classes. His food is fabulous and the atmosphere fun. The restuarant caters to locals as well as tourists. Everyone in the area seemed to know Seamus!

Our trip is just two weeks away so I thought I'd try to start this up again. Thanks for all your help so far.

My biggest find from the archives has been Stu's detailed driving tour in Southern Tuscany. Really looking forward to that one

fairoaks,

If you have a car, I highly recommend a trip to the pristine little town of Montone. It is in Umbria, but fairly close to Cortona, should you be nearby. We stayed at the lovely Locanda del Capitano and fell in love with it. The restaurant is top notch..one of our very best meals...and, there are virtually no tourists..it is quiet and peaceful with amazing views.

Traviata,

We will have a car and will be staying at Capricci di Merion near Lake Trasimeno. I have located Montone on the map. Is the restaurant part of Locanda del Capitano?

fairoaks,

Yes. It is in a lovely, small dining room.....very elegant, very upscale...wonderful host and hostess who happen to be the owners and live right there. I think you won't be disappointed.

Not a restaurant, but a sight as you also requested; climb to the top of the tallest tower in San Gimignano. For a small fee, you will get a breathtaking view of some of the most scenic Tuscan landscape.

Fairoaks,
You are probably already aware of the Fortezza in Montalcino and their rather complete offerings of wines of the region, particularly Brunellos. It is a very authentic setting and the staff will go the extra mile to make certain you can explore the offerings. I've had good experiences there and you can obtain maps of the locations of the individual wineries in the area and make arrangements to visit.
San Antimo is a very old abbey south of Montalcino which is a must visit for the scenery and the chanting. It also is very near some excellent vintners. Banfi is not far away as well.
Have fun. Paul

Paul,
Do you have one incredible Brunello producer you would recommend to visit? Although enotecas are fun, We love wine tasting at the wineries
Jim

bookmarking for Sept '07 trip

Castello Vicchiomaggio, a beautiful Villa, near Greve where one could stay or experience a wine tasting experience. It overlooks the vineyards with a fantastic view.

There are some wonderful historic villas and spas that make the voyage well worth it. See www.elegantetruria.com for photos, articles and itineraries in Tuscany & N. Lazio.

vetralla,

Thanks. Your website looks fantastic. Looking forward to spending more time with it.

fairoakschris,
For excellent Brunello I would visit both Fattoria dei Barbi and Poggio Antico wineries. Both also offer excellent tours of their operations. I enjoyed Fattoria dei Barbi more as it is a smaller family run operation (wine tastings were free here also). Have a great trip!!

tmoon,

Exactly the kind of recommendation we were looking for! Grazie.

And take the iJourneys iPod Walking Tour of Florence. You will see things and learn things I promise you didn't already know. It's really fun and a great way to tune out the hordes of other tourists, too.

Thanks fairoaks for your kudos. Another great wine estate to visit is Terre di Nano, see my site for the link.

fairoaksjim,
Re: one incredible brunello producer.
My take on that is it really depends on your personal tastes in wine-particularly, brunellos. They come in all flavors-rustic, tannic, mellow and hearty and some with all those qualities. Also, they are "built" for the long term and to be cellared. My visits to individual wineries include Barbi, Banfi and Tenuta di Sesta. Banfi is clearly set up for tasting and presentation but lacks an intimacy, Barbi is smaller and more personal but not my taste, Sesta was very remote and rural.
My best advice is to taste at the Fortezza or Osticcio in Montalcino and then seek out your favorite. It is best to call ahead to get a feel for their ability to assist you. A good resource is www.consorziobrunellodimontalcino.it/
it lists all producers and their contacts.
I realize that all this takes time from your trip but I haven't figured out another way. I'll be returning to the area (week apartment in Montepulciano) in September and am already trying to schedule visits. Its all good though! Cin Cin Paul

macanimals,
Great word on the Brunellos.

This is exactly the kind of info I crave.

Keep it coming all you AMAZIING Tuscany experts.

Also not Tuscany but Umbria, but we loved our visit to Spoleto in particular for its amazing Ponte delle due Torri. After a not too strenuous hike up the hill it really is like nothing I had experienced before. (Mapquest says it's about 1 1/2 hrs from Cortona just to give you a gauge of distances.) We did it on mostly the secondary roads and found it a pleasant, easy drive.

And shopping in Deruta old town for ceramics was fun, too.

Below is a link to my 2005 blog (aka trip report with pictures). Some of favorite recollections:

Roccalbegna - Climb to the top of the fortress on the hill for great views. There is also a terrific view of Roccalbegna from the road out of town (see blog how to get to it).

Sorano - Cool drive into Sorano because the road is cut into the tufa. Views of Sorano from near the parking lot just outside of town are fantastico.

Pitigliano - Great views of this town perched on the edge of a cliff. In town, stop in one of the many wine caves and buy cheap (yet, pretty darned good) wine.

Ristoro di Lamole - in the hills a little south of Greve. Great food. Wondferful atmosphere. Terrific prices.

Monte Oliveto Maggiore - between Siena and Montalcino. Beautiful and tranquil.

Palazzo del Capitano - our favorite hotel of this (and probably any) trip. - Located in St. Quirico, a great little town and perfect base to see Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Bagno Vignani, Radicofani and Monticchiello.

Osteria La Porta - be sure to eat on the patio of this restaurant in Monticchiello. It has a postcard view out on to the Tuscan landscape.

I also love the Fortezza in Montalcino and the automated wine dispensing machines in Greve.

From a previous trip, we absolutely loved Volterra. Scenic drive from San Gimignano. Bring provisions (we were partial to pecorino and vino) and have a picnic in the park near the fortress (now a prison, I believe).

If you get to Umbria, check out Gubbio. Take a ride on the Bucket of Bolts.

Have a wonderful time:

http://travelswithmaitaitom.typepad.com/travels/

bookmarking

Great stuff.

Still hoping for more amazement from other Fodor's Tuscan All Stars who have not chimed in yet.

grazie, grazie, grazie

FOJ

Well, this is no secret, but I would love it if you would check out Lorenzetti's mural about Good & Bad Government in Siena for me.

I tried to see it on the last trip, but wouldn't you know it...they closed EARLY just that day! Arghhh.

Near Greve, in teeny Montefioralle, we had a great meal at La Castellana.

Again, no secret, but have you been to Sant' Antimo to hear the Gregorian chanting monks? Near the front of the church, walk the few steps down to the underground little altar with pretty frescoes.

If you end up in Umbria at Assisi, hike (or you can drive, but not the same effect) from Assisi up the path on Mt Subasio to the hermitage where St Francis lived. The friars are mellow, white doves fly around, the views are great and you can see where St Francis prayed and meditated in tiny caves...

Annabelle,
Thanks.
Where exactly is Lorenzetti's mural about Good & Bad Government. When was it painted?

I actually have NOT been to Sant' Antimo. One of my top ten to do.

FOJ

Is the Vignamaggio tour worth the time, money, and effort? It's where they filmed Much Ado About Nothing and where Mona L was from.

fairoaks,

We stayed at Vignamaggio for two nights this past October. The grounds are lovely..really good views. The wine tour costs more than many we have taken, but, it was well presented and the nibbles were more sustantial than most. A good day would also include a drive further up the hill to Ristoro di Lamole for a delicious meal.

Most all of my discoveries were found based on hints here and Slow Travel.

I'll try and list some "discoveries" that many may not be all that familar with. Some of them are:
1.La Pensola-The cashmere farm near Radda.
2.Antica Trattoria La Torre -in Castellina.Amazing pastas.
3.Castello di Volpaia's wine tour.
4.Tavernna del Guerrino in Montefioralle .Wonderful views and authentic Tuscan food.
5.Ceramiche Rampini -A great ceramic shop outside Radda.
6.Osteria Alla Piazza-A wonderful restaurant in the countryside near Castellina.
7.The Crete Road between Siena and the Sant'Anna abbey.
8.Mt. Amiata-Especially in summer. It can be 15 degrees cooler on top.A wonderful place to picnic with locals (very rarely do you see a tourist here).
9. Podere Torre in greve-Easily the best bargain of our trips to Italy.
10.The Poggibonsi Coop-cheapest wine. A huge store.

TT

A fellow named Reid Bramblett wrote a small book that I would have written if I knew how. It is named TOP 10 TUSCANY and you can buy it for $10 at Amazon. Do yourself a favor.

Bob,
Thanks for all your help in my planning process. You have answered several questions for me here and on SlowTrav.
I love the top Ten Tuscany book. As you can tell I' m a list guy.
I love your photos. What are a couple of out of the way photo ops we shouldn't miss?
Or is there a link that you have I've forgotten about?

thanks again,

From my Bella Italia gallery look at " Santa Anna" which is marked on most maps--look north of Pienza and near Montisi. It is the site where THE ENGLISH PATIENT was filmed. I also like Bagno Vignoni---a tiny spa town just south of San Quirico. The best enotecas are in Montalcino---especially the Fortezza. Have fun !

Maitaitom;

Just finished reading your trip reports (blog). Best and funnest trip report I've ever read. You got some talent. Where do I sign up for Toms Tuscan Tours?

http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=1259

The Lorenzetti frescoes (I think called the Effects of Good and Bad Government) are at the Palazzo Pubblico (city hall, I guess!) right on the Campo in Siena.

None of us had been to Siena and went there as part of a day trip. We had our 'homework' to see this fresco, assigned to us by an artist friend.

We had carefully checked the hours and arrived with a couple hours to spare. However, a hand written little sign on the ticket door said Closed early that day...and the only unpleasant person we encountered that entire trip was behind the glass, scowling at us as we begged to be let in.

Oh well, will have to return to Siena.

I also love the Top Ten series; so easy to carry around.

Fairoaks-
I know I sound like a hung-up wine-o but with regard to Brunellos and your desire to visit wineries, the July 31 issue of Wine Spectator has an exhaustive series of articles which highlights producers, vintages and places to stay and visit. The cover features Montalcino and while I have yet to read it all thoroughly, it suggests the top 10 producers and those you can easily schedule a visit along with prices and contacts. Its a fantastic area for those of us who chase the grape--Have fun! Paul

Just got the Wine Spectator…oh yeah!

bookmarking. grazie mille!

Spend some time sampling the brunellos at Enoteca Osteria Osticcio in Montalcino. Charming hosts - we fell in love with 2 brunellos. They shipped a case home (for a price, of course) which arrived within 10 days of being there. We have one bottle left so I'm ready to return!

A tiny restaurant in Pievescata just outside Siena. Run by a Japanese couple who sold their chain of restaurants in Japan years ago and excel at Tuscan basic cooking. Best meal we have had in years and we had a supurn Chianti - e asked them where it was from and she pointed to the vines across the road!Pure theatre!

Oh NO! Other people have discovered the church at Sant Anna in Camprena (don't go its not worth the trip (he lied). Please don't swamp it it needs to left untouched.

thinking about tuscany too...great info!

My girlfriends and I loved the day tour we went on http://www.tuscan-wine-tours.com/montalcino.htm
great wine (Brunello), home made lunch at an in house cooking school...just one man, his garden and his house with a stop in between to hear the monks chant.

bookmarking

bkmrk