kjb

My wife and I are spending 4 nights in Tuscany at the end of Sep., early Oct. and are trying to decide what towns to see, and where to stay. We both like wine and would like to stop in a vineyard or two, as well as see Sienna.

We are thinking of staying in a more rustic B&B style accomodations for a night or 2, and maybe in another town for another 2 nights. Does it make sense to have one base and tour Tuscany from there, or spend 2 nights in 2 different places? If staying at two places, how far apart should we spread them to cover the optimal amount of territory? Any recommendations would be appreciated, on towns / things to see as well as specific places to stay.

Thank you.

Henry

klb,
http://www.lacrociona.com/
The above is a wonderful vineyard about 3 km outside Montalcino. You will
need a car but there are many little towns very close (within a half hour)
Siena, Pienza, Montepulciano, Bagno Vignoni, Sant Antimo, Monte Oliveto
Maggiore, Buonconvento, Murlo. The driving is easy and the food and wine in each town is special.
There is no need to change locations to find places to see.
If you want more information e-mail me.

bobthenavigator

First, stay at one location but pick it well. I prefer the area south of Siena or within a 30 mile radius of Siena. Look at www.lacosta.it and also www.palazzodelcapitano.com for a start. I assume you are driving.

kjb

Thanks Bob and Henry.
Yes, good point I forgot to mention that I will have a car for the duration of our stay.

It seems to me that visiting wineries in Tuscany is not quite the same as in Napa for example. I seem to read that you need to have appointments. Is this true? How far in advance would I need to arrange a visit? I'm not looking to do a full blown tour including the winemaking process at each vineyard, but we would at least like to stop in a tasting room and perhaps buy a bottle..

Thanks!

Henry

kjb,
La Crociona is a vineyard with a tasting room. I am sure if you ask them they can make appointments for you during your stay.

bobthenavigator

You are correct---Tuscany is not Napa and you should not try to approach it as such. Wineries and enotecas are everywhere and can be visited for tastings as you venture to the many and varied historic hill towns. There is so much to see I think you will find the wine portion of your trip will become secondary.

Lorac1127

All of the above advice is good. Choose any of the towns suggested, and you will have a wonderfultrip. Our favorite towns were Montalcino, Pienza, Siena, Greve, Castellina and Cortona. Actually, we never met a hilltown that we didn't like...that goes for gelato too!

These are some vineyards which were recommended to me. Just send them an e-mail and they advise you of their offerings. Some responses take a lot longer than others though, so be patient:

Avignonesi Vineyards, Montepulciano
[email protected]
http://www.avignonesi.it

Poggio Antico, Montalcino
Email: [email protected]
www.poggioantico.com

Verrazzano Vineyards, Greve
Email: [email protected]
www.verrazzano.com

Volpaia Vineyard
Email: [email protected]

Ciacci Piccolomini, Montalcino
www.ciaccipiccolomini.com

I emailed all of the above and received very nice responses...we decided on Avignonesi and Verrazzanoand enjoyed both tours.

There is a lot of information on Fodor's on wineries/vineyards. Try doing a search if you need more suggestions.