Base in Tuscany?
 

My husband and I are planning to visit Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Giminiano and some of the wine country in Tuscany. Would it make more sense to make a base in Florence or somewhere in the countryside?

Assuming you'll have a car (which is a must for exploring Tuscany IMO), it's best to base "somewhere in the countryside" - specifically in the environs of Siena.

With a car, you'll find it next to impossible to base inside Florence, or in Siena for that matter; vehicles are to be kept outside of the walls or the town. The Siena area is good because of its central position in Tuscany.

Thanks for your advice. What town or village would you recommend?

Argus, when I was living in Florence, my friends and I did several day trips using Florence as a base, and visited all of these places you intend to go very easily, either by train, or by bus. (you should also definitely visit Lucca). Because Florence is such a great city to base in, and there is so much to see in this city alone, I would definitely recommend basing here-you'll be glad you did-these other towns in Tuscany are really nice, but they aren't happening places-doing an evening "passegiata" in Florence at night is just a pure joy-its great restaurants, the incomparable Duomo, walks along the Arno, the nightlife of the Oltrarno, the list goes on and on. Plus, none of these other towns have the quality and quantity of shopping and bargains that Florence does-although I like San Gimigniano very much, I see it primarily as a day trip.

We prefer to stay in an agriturismo, one that's not in a town or village.

I presume you'll be staying for quite a few days or a week or so and, if so, I suggest you google "agriturismo" to find one to your liking. Preferrably it'd be fairly close to a town and also fairly close to one or more of the main roads for ease in making daytrips.

BTW, Tuscany is more than a collection of towns and villages - there's a certain feel to the countryside. This is especially so in the area of the Val d'Orcia.

The Pallazo Ravizza hotel in Siena has free parking space for cars. The hotel is recommended by Frommers as a best buy, has good breakfasts and a lovely but small garden.

Hi

My wife and I stayed right outside Castellina in Chianti when we went to Tuscany in July. It was a perfect base for checking out Siena, San Giminiano, Montalcino etc. We stayed 4 days in Florence to start with without a car to explore the city first :d

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures