Mary

My husband & I are wine and food lovers and are planning our first trip to Italy in late June/early July for 2 weeks. We are thinking of a week in the Tuscan countryside wine tasting and exploring, followed by a week in a beautiful oceanfront place along the coast the following week. <BR><BR>Questions are:<BR>* Is it possible to stay in one central place in Tuscany & do day trips to sights & wineries, or is it better to move from town to town? We prefer to minimize hotel moves so that we aren't moving more than once every few days.<BR>* In early July, do we need reservations everywhere or could we easily find hotels with space spontaneously?<BR>* What town or towns do you recommend in the Tuscan countryside?<BR>* Where would you recommend for a coastal or island stay (town and hotel)?<BR>* How much in US$ should we plan on for hotels and meals? We don't have to have top of the line hotels as long as they are clean, peaceful, have some local character, and have nice views of vineyards/ocean.<BR><BR>Thanks very much!<BR>Mary

Grasshopper

Mary,<BR><BR>A couple of years ago we spent a week in Florence, with several trips into the hillsides (Siena, San G., wine tasting) and a week in Sorrento, with trips to Pompei, down the Amalfi Coast and Capri. It was a great vacation. At the time you are planning it would definitely be good to have reservations now and you should be able to see lots of both areas in that time frame. You can also travel by public transportation very easily.<BR><BR>You will find lots of recommendations for hotels in both areas on this board. My personal favorite in Sorrento is the Aminta (www.aminta.it) which ran about $125 a night. It books very fast though.

ellen

Since you'll be there for a week, I highly recommend renting a place in the Chianti Valley of Tuscany. We rented an apartment in a farmhouse in Castellina in Chianti. The farmhouse was on the side of the valley, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. There are lots of rental agencies on the web. From there, we took day trips to Florence, Arezzo, Siena, San Gimignano, and one day we drove to Orvieto and took the train to Rome. And Castellina is near Greve and Radda. The only downside about the location is that it's a bit far from the southern end of Tuscany, ie., Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, which we didn't have a chance to visit. You can even get to Lucca and Pisa from Castellina.

Barbara

I too, like Mary, am going for 16 days in the middle of Sept. and would love to spend 7-8 days in Tuscany. If you can please tell me the web sites of rental agencies where you found such great places to stay , I would really appreciate it.Thanks...Barbara

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

Mary, That is a complex topic and I do not have an hour now. So, here is a good start for you:<BR>* You can do Tuscany from 2 good locations but not one<BR>* Yes, you will need res<BR>* Go to www.slowtrav.com for good info<BR>* You want to do the Ligurian coast from Tuscany--I like Portovenere<BR>* Go to my web site for a good budget<BR>www.bobthenavigator.homestead.com<BR><BR >Sounds like a fun trip !

Pat

We have been to Italy several times and our favorite home base in tuscany is a working vineyard called La Crociona (about 45 min.south of Siena) near the city of Montalcino...there is lots to see and do in the area and you can even day trip to Florence (train). e-mail me if you want further info......Pat