phieaglefan

Hi all,

After visiting family in Germany for a few days, DH and I are flying from MUC to BLQ and picking up a car for the Italian portion of our trip. We've hit most of the majors before, so this will just be Tuscany. We are traveling the first week in August.

It's the first two nights I'm concerned with. After that we have four nights booked in Pienza to explore the Val d' Orcia.

My original thought was to spend two nights in Volterra to see some Etruscan sites and the Roman Amphitheater. When I was booking originally, nothing 'in' Volterra was available that had air conditioning. So I relented and booked in San Gimignano here: http://www.leonbianco.com/

The idea was, stay in San Gim and see it in the evening, and travel to Volterra for our one full day in the area as a day trip. A kind of two for one.

Later, this property became available in Volterra:
http://www.parkhotellefonti.com/

I've read two short articles lately, one that absolutely panned San Gim, the other still saw it as a viable option.

Any recent impressions on San Gim, or the travel between San Gim and Volterra? If it were YOUR trip, what would you do?

I would appreciate any and all input!

Thanks!

bobthenavigator

I would stay in San Gim. Enjoy it after 15:00 when most of the tour busses have left.
The drive to Volterra is easy enough and will take about :40. Have fun !

macanimals

Exactly as Bob has suggested. Like Venice, the early mornings and late afternoons are perfect times to enjoy San Gimignano. We like the drive between SG and Volterra and appreciate SG's proximity to some of the less traveled areas of western Chianti.

michele_d

We stayed in San Gim for two nights and loved it. We would roam the streets early in the morning and had the town basically to ourselves. So quiet and peaceful. We would day trip during the day, one day to Volterra, and return in the evening for dinner. Again, quiet and peaceful after the day trippers had left. We stayed right on the main street. We would fling open our shutters in the morning and watch the locals strolling about just below us. Lovely town.

tuscanlifeedit

SG: access to the interior of the Duomo, which, IMHO, ought not to be missed, and a tradition of very good restaurants for a well touristed town.

HappyTrvlr

Inagree with the posters above however I really like Volterra and would like to stay there. If it were me, I'd go to Volterra.

sandralist

Since you asked if it were my trip, what would I do: If it were me landing in BLQ and heading eventually to Pienza in August, I would stay in the mountains around Bologna rather than go to another mega-tourist popular Tuscan town in peak season. My pick for a near-Bologna rural stay would probably be around Castelvetro in Modena/Vignola and eat choocate cake -- Torte Barozza. Something else I might enjoy is taking the scenic route to Porretta Terme or maybe even a bit further to reach the hills above Pistoia/Pescia. From that direction, you could easily see San Gimignano or Volterra on your travel day en route to Pienza.

http://www.bestsmalltownsitaly.com/t...romagna-north/

http://wild-about-travel.com/2014/06...cenic-railway/

cybertraveler

We stayed in San G and did a day trip to Volterra. We have never stayed overnight in Volterra, but I highly recommend staying in San G. It's magic at night and in the early part of the day before the day trippers arrive. There are also some lovely quiet restaurants in San G and we loved sitting in the piazzas at night. If you are lucky there might be a musical performance in front of the church in the evening.

BlueRidgeboots

I stayed in SG for a week and spoked out from there every day. It was lovely, one of my favorite hill towns really. Voltera was nice too but, my vote between the two is SG.

phieaglefan

Wow, thank you all for your prompt and thoughtful advice. I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised. I had thought I might hear to avoid San Gim. at all costs. The hotel we have reserved in San Gim. is right in town, which is were we prefer to be.

Sandralist, I will look into your suggestions. A part of me considered a less touristed and/or less hot area for those two days, but I hadn't found anything that fit the bill.

Thanks again!

tinabina

We stayed at Hotel Leon Blanco and it was lovely. We had atop floor room with a view of the Piazza and a balcony over looking the Tuscan countryside. Breakfast was delicious. And as others have stated, the evenings were quiet and the dinners were delicious. Have fun!