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-   -   Agriturismos in Italy without a car (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/agriturismos-in-italy-without-a-car-1124240/)

janetsob Aug 9th, 2016 09:38 AM

Agriturismos in Italy without a car
 
My husband and I are traveling in Italy from Oct 1 to 13 and would like to stay in an Agriturismo. We will be in Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Veneto regions. BUT we will not have a car. Does anyone know of Agriturismos we can get to on a bus or train that might be walking distance of a town. Or a good website that we can use to find Agriturismos that you don't need a car to get to. One with good food too would be a bonus!!

RonZ Aug 9th, 2016 10:06 AM

http://www.agriturismo.it/?gclid=CMb...FdIV0wodgM8Gbg

Good luck!

kybourbon Aug 9th, 2016 10:14 AM

One website is www.agriturismo.it and you can search by region.

http://www.agriturismo.it/it/agriturismi/toscana

What amenities are you wanting? I guess I don't really see an advantage of trying to stay at one without a car.

There are a couple within walking distance of small towns like Pienza or Montepulciano, but it's hard to suggest something when it's not clear what type of amenities are a must (or your budget). Perhaps consider an apartment instead.

Friends have stayed at Le Torri and they have a bus stop within walking distance (my friends had a car) so that might be an option if this part of Tuscany appeals to you (not my favorite area). Keep in mind that buses are more geared to commuters or schools than to tourists. You will find almost no service on Sunday in the countryside. Many small towns in the countryside don't have train stations.

http://www.letorri.com/without-car.php

If you look at maps of various areas, you should be able to see bus stops.

You also need to narrow down which part of Tuscany (it's a huge area) as some parts have more buses than others. Diito for your other areas.

kybourbon Aug 9th, 2016 10:25 AM

I guess I should have added that staying within walking distance of somewhere like Pienza or Montepulciano does not give you many options for sightseeing other towns either as the buses just aren't frequent. While you might catch a bus to somewhere, getting back at an optimal time can be an adventure. There can be big gaps of service for several hours.

Click on mappa extraurbano Siena on the right to download the bus map for the Siena province ouf Tuscany. You can look at the various routes/bus numbers to get an idea of how much service exists.

http://www.tiemmespa.it/index.php/Vi...na/Extraurbano

HappyTrvlr Aug 9th, 2016 10:53 AM

I don't see how agrirurismos and lack of a car are compatible. I actually can't imagine doing those areas you have mentioned without a car, especially Tuscany.

StCirq Aug 9th, 2016 11:50 AM

Agriturismo is meant for people with their own transportation. It makes no sense to me to choose this type of accommodation without a car, especially when there are other far more sensible options.

Adelaidean Aug 9th, 2016 01:48 PM

We travelled by bus and train and obviously had to limit our expectations about getting to small towns and rural Tuscany, so our compromise was 2 nights in a wonderful villa in Volterra. If you want to see my photos and report click on my screen name.

wesleymarsh Aug 9th, 2016 02:27 PM

For our recent trip, my sister and I did a lot of research for places to stay in Tuscany. Many of the websites cautioned against relying on public transportation. In our 3-week trip driving back and forth from Siena to Montepulciano on local roads, we never saw a local bus. We never saw anyone standing at a bus stop, either.

nytraveler Aug 9th, 2016 05:15 PM

You really need a car to make this work unless you are willing to spend a fortune on taxis or private drivers. The point of the agriturism is that it's in the country ad there is usually extremely limited access to any sort of public transit.

I think better to get an apartment in a town with decent transit to other towns so you have some variety.

Have a couple of friends who did this and they had to have cars, except for one who was taking a cooking course and the agri provided group transit for excursions - but they went to only 2 towns in a week - the rest of the time was cooking or eating or in the pool.

bilboburgler Aug 10th, 2016 06:18 AM

Well I've seen people waiting for buses, taken them and even been given advice by their drivers (I mean more than "get out of my way").

Certainly a bicycle helps, but stations often have taxis or even bars where taxis can be ordered.

Use the Agriturismo.it (use the Italian version, as the English seems to cut some out) and use the map function.

TrenItalia is your friend.

Emilia Romana, for instance there is a station just a mile from http://www.agriturismo.it/it/agritur...519/index.html (never been) or you could taxi from central Ferrara.

"Agriturismi" is plural :-)

nochblad Aug 10th, 2016 06:34 AM

I have stayed a few occasions at Fattoria Pagnana - http://www.fattoriapagnana.it/en/home/

Although I had a car there is a bus stop just outside the main gate. Current bus services are - http://www.acvbus.it/orari/350.pdf

The service is clearly aimed at commuters but still allows the possibility of a full day in Florence for tourists.

DebbieDoesDulles Aug 10th, 2016 07:14 AM

La Fattoreza is just outside of central Florence and reachable by bus:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/la-fattoressa.html

La Pisana will arrange taxi for you from Pisa, and has bikes to get back and forth into town (3 miles?) Lovely spot.

Looking forward to our stay here next year but we'll have a car to get around. They do offer to arrange transport, and have bike rental available, but it's 7 miles into Verona:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/agri...-casa-zen.html

HappyTrvlr Aug 10th, 2016 08:39 AM

Is there a specific reason you aren't planning to rent a car for this rural based trip?


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