kireland

Hello all. I have been perusing many posts to come up with an itinerary and I'm now ready to share it and ask for feedback.

We are three couples staying in a Villa in San Giovanni d'Asso (near Buonconvento) the week of Oct 15-22. We are looking for a rather laid back vacation and have agreed to plan three days and leave the remaining ones to fate.

The first day is a Saturday and we will be arriving at the Rome airport and travelling to the Villa via rental car. We are renting 2 cars, one small one and one larger one that seats 5 with the hope that we can squeeze 6 in if we all want to travel together one day (e.g. to Florence). The day we arrive we plan to explore San Giovanni d'Asso and not venture far from the Villa (we will arrange for the Villa rental company to stock the pantry so we can eat in that night if necessary, since we don't know the hours of the shops and cafe/bar in the village).

Our three planned days are shaping up to be:
1 - a full day in Florence - we will drive there early one morning and plan to return in the evening after dinner.

2 - a full day visiting Pienza and Montelpulciano (on a Thursday if the Montelpulciano market is worth catching). We will travel by car and want to see the sights, shop, visit wineries and have lunch and dinner. Any suggestions for wineries, where to eat and whether we should add any other towns/sites on this day would be appreciated. Ideally we'd like to find a winery where we where we could be served a traditional Tuscan meal with wine.

3 - a full day driving to Siena, shopping, sight seeing, eating and returning to the Villa after dinner.

Does it sound like we are allowing too much time for these towns at the exclusion of others (e.g. Montalcino). There are a number of places that are quite close to our Villa - San Quirico d'Orcia (with thermal baths), and Asciano (Friday market?), which we can venture out to as desired on our unplanned days. We are also planning on having a cooking lesson at our Villa whihc will culminate in dinner.

Any comments are welcomed!! Thanks - K

kireland

Topping (sorry to be a pain but we are approaching our planning deadlines soon so any advice would be appreciated!)

tedgale

Congratulations for not over-scheduling.

Indeed I feel you are very modest in your driving plans.

On your "unplanned" days you still could go to Montalcino, Asciano etc. They are not in the day-trip category; they are 20 or 30 minutes away, from what I can see.

If you would feel cheated at not seeing Florence on this trip, go for it -- but it is your furthest destination and it is hard to park and to navigate in.

tuscanlifeedit

Pienza and Montalcino, as well as San Quirico, the abbey at San Antimo and Bagno Vignoni are all worth your time and worth repeat visits for great meals, sights and a little shopping. I think you are planning well to stay in one area. Market day in Siena is Wednesday and it is huge and fun .

kireland

Thank you for the replies! I have seen a number of posts here about itneraries that are packed full - too full in my estimation to really take advantage of the country home lifestyle we are looking forward to.

tedgale - Some in my party have not been to Florence so it is a must see for them. We do plan on parking outside the city though - any suggestions on a safe convenient place to leave the car for the day?

tuscanlifeedit - thanks for the tip on Siena's market - we will try to plan to be there on the Wednesday. Good eating and drinking will be key on this trip (fancy and not so) - any restaurant names/locations you'd like to share?

Thanks very much! K

bobthenavigator

The appeal of market days is beyond me. It is not like the markets in Provence. These local markets are for the locals and are mostly tacky clothing and produce. The town is always very crowded on market days and it is almost impossible to park. I always try to find out about market days so I can avoid that town that day.

bobthenavigator

And, from your location I would take the road via Asciano and Abbey Oliveto Maggiore on the day you hit Siena.

dorkforcemom

I'm with Bob on the Market issue. We struggled (to put it mildly) for parking to go to the market at Montepulciano. While we love the village itself, the market was a huge disappointment. We love Pienza. I would actually avoid the Market. I loved the Abbey (don't miss the chanting), loved San Quirico and think you could do those 2 with Montalcino in a day for a wonderful experience. Our favorite restaurants in these places are (excuse my memory on the spelling) Latte di luna (Pienza), Il Rossilini (Pienza), Grappolo di blu (Montalcino), Locanda dell Amorosa (near Sinalunga, expensive). The winery we enjoyed was Barbi - I've heard they have a good lunch there but we weren't there at that time. Is Assisi too far for a day trip from where you're staying? It was one of my favorites...hope this helps, have a wonderful trip.

StuDudley

I'm with bob and dorkforcemom on the markets. They are more like K-mart parking lot sales - very utilitarian and very un-interesting, IMO. I've been to all the markets in the area you're staying in. I've also been to over 50 markets in France and elsewhere in Italy. Siena, Montepulciano, Pienza, and San Quirico markets are at the bottom of my list. The Montalcino market is a little better. Don't waste your limited time to visit them. Instead, take my driving tour through the Val d'Orcia that I've posted many times here.

I think you could do a lot more on the Pienza/Montepulciano day if you plan to have dinner there also. Pienza is a 2 hr visit, and Montepulciano is a 2-3 hr visit - mainly because it's so steep. There are several places to taste wine in Montepulciano. Remember, most shops in Pienza & Montepulciano will be closed from about 12:30 to 3:30. I would start the day in Montepulciano, and then on to Pienza. If it's 4:00 and you are finished with Pienza, head to Sant Antimo Abbey, Montalcino, or San Quirico.

Did you know that you can take the train from Buonoconvento to Florence?

Stu Dudley

Jean

I also agree about the markets with the big exception of the antiques market in Arezzo which is held the first weekend of each month (except September when the Joust of the Saracens is held). I realize this doesn't fit into Kireland's dates but, while this thread is on the subject of markets, wanted to single out Arezzo.

Other antiques markets are held in Rome (Sunday mornings at Via Portuense, Testevere), Lucca (third weekend, around the Duomo) and Naples (third weekend except August at Parco Villa Communale). Arezzo's is the largest.

Marilyn

There is convenient parking for Florence at the Piazzale Michaelangelo, located on a hill above the city, south of the river. It should be signposted as you approach from the south.

This is a large, open area. Parking is free. There is a spectacular view of Florence from here, and you can walk down into the city or take a taxi. You'll almost certainly want to take a taxi back up at the end of your day.

I think your itinerary sounds delightful, and you can always squeeze in more towns if you have the time. If you finish Montepulciano and Pienza (which is small) early enough, you could pop over to Montalcino. The Fortezza has a wine bar in it and it's a nifty place to end your day and sample some Brunellos by the glass.

Also, from Buonconvento, you are close enough to drive into Siena for dinner. It's a lovely town to stroll around in the evening.

kireland

Bob, Mom & Stu - thanks for the heads up on the markets! I was thinking they would be more like the farmer's markets I've been to in Rome, Bordeaux and Barcelona. Since they are not I imagine we will try to avoid towns on market days in Tuscany.

Mom - you mentioned San Quirico - did you visit the thermal baths? We are thinking of doing this and wondering how it works - do you just show up with a bathing suit and towel and relax away? Are they crowded? Is there a charge?

Mom, Stu & Marilyn - based on your feedback I think we will add Montalcino to our Pienza - Montepulciano day. After all the more wine tasting towns the better! I had heard the prices at the Fortezza are good for shipping wine home so we will definitely check this out.

Marilyn - we will definitely be having dinner in Sienna at least once and afterward we will join in the 'passeggiata'!

Another thing we are interested in is possibly catching a 'futbol' match - will we be able to do this in Siena?

Thanks everyone - I'm excited that our plans are really starting to come together and it's great to have your input! - K

kireland

Another logistics question re daytripping from our villa...
what days should we avoid? e.g. are there certain days that things will be closed (remembering that we are ther in mid-October).

We arrive on a Saturday and will stay near the villa that day. I am told that the shops in the small village we are in will be closed on Sunday so this might be a good day to venture out. Will most things be open in Siena? What about in smaller places like Montalcino, Montelpulciano and Pienza?

For Florence the only day I think we need to avoid is Monday as the museums we want to visit are not open.

Any insights would be appreciated - thanks! K

StuDudley

Most, perhaps all shops in Siena will be closed on Sunday. Many will be closed on Monday morning also - opening up at 3:00 or so in the afternoon. Same for Montalcino and Montepulciano. Many shops in Pienza will be open Sunday & Monday. Shops in San Gimignano are almost always open (except for the 2-3 hr lunch closing - like elsewhere in Italy).

On Sundays, we like to drive or walk in the Countryside, or visit Sant Antimo Abbey)

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

Kireland
If you visit Montepulciano, Pienza, and Montalcino on the same day, I think that's perhaps too much stuff with the same flavor. By the time you hit Montalcino, you may not appreciate it as much as you should.

The countryside and some of the real small villages around there would add additional flavor to your excursion.

After Montepulciano (and wine tasting at Avignonesi), head west towards Pienza, and close to the San Biagio Church just outside of Montepulciano (look backwards & take a picture), take the small road southwest towards Monticcheillo. Explore Monticchiello on foot - it's a charming village. Continue southwest on the paved road, and when you hit a somewhat larger road heading north/south, proceed north directly to Pienza. You get a very striking view of Pienza from this road.

After visiting Pienza, take the N146 toward San Quirico - stopping just 2K short of San Quirico to admire the little church on a hill that you have undoubtedly seen on oddles of postcards, and in the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" (bet you though that scene was filmed close to Cortona - nope).

Continue on towards San Quirico, and stop at the Casanova restauant. Drive into their parking lot behind the restaurant and admire another "postcard" view.

Next, head towards Montalcino. As you drive towards the fortress, follow the signs to Sant Antimo Abbey. Try to time your visit so you can listen to the Gregorian Chants. See:
http://ww.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/sant_antimo.htm
for a full chant schedule. Prepare to take lots of photos of this abbey in it's lovely setting. If you have time, return to Montalcino for a visit.

Stu Dudley

Marilyn

Stu has got it nailed. That back road from Montepulciano to Pienza is a real gem. There is also a truly wonderful restaurant in Montecchiello called Taverna di Moranda.

donnaannie

I know it's over a year since you started this thread...however, I am renting a villa in San Giovanni d'Asso in Oct 2006 and wanted some travel tips, restaurant ideas, etc. Could you help?

Henry

donnaannie,
Send me an e-mail and I will send you some day trips in Tuscany.

Henry

annabelle2

Two cars is a great idea -- we (5) opted for two small cars for a week in an Umbrian agriturismo and it was nice to be able to do things either as a group or break into smaller numbers.

Just want to echo the good advice to visit Sant' Antimo Abbey; very close to Montalcino. We picknicked on the lawn with some young nuns nearby and a few friendly dogs, then went in to listen to the chants, and then to Montalcino for some wine tasting (we also added Siena for the late afternoon/dinner, but admittedly that was a long day!).

StuDudley

When we were at Sant Antimo in mid June, there was scaffolding in many places & a large crane too. Couldn't get to the lawn.

Stu Dudley