Hello everyone,

I'm spending 5 nights in Tuscany. We were considering Castello di Spaltenna for two night, 3 nights La Saracina to see: Volterra, San Gimignano, Chianti, Siena, Montep. Pienza, Val D Orcia, San quirico and Montalcino.

What hotels would you recommend in the San Gimignano area in place of the hotel Castello di Spaltenna since it might be a bit east though I will have a rental car? I would like something very charming, comfortable, price is not a factor becuase its my 1 year anniversary (200-500e+) but would be open to staying somewhere if you thought it would be an ideal location/base.


Thanks in advance,
Natalie

Hello Natalie!
I know you're working hard to plan out your special vacation. I'm one of the La Saracina fans you've heard from and am glad you've secured reservations there. You'll love Simonetta & her gracious manner. In San Gimignano, we loved L'Antico Pozzo (www.anticopozzo.com), a charming hotel in the midst of the city. I believe we found it originally on Karen Brown and Alistair Sawday's recommendations and couldn't have been more pleased. It's worth a look....

I would also recommend l'Antico Pozzo; we stayed there during our most recent visit to San G. We had a lovely room overlooking the countryside; we sat there one evening and had a glass of wine. More often, though, we sat in the piazza in front of the hotel, at a cafe, and had our wine or coffee there.

The hotel is charming for the views; it's very nice, but not luxurious.

Hi Natalie,
I might recommend staying near Greve which will give you easy access to the western region like Volterra, while still having the best of Chianti at your fingertips.

We loved this area though stayed nearer to Siena for our time in Tuscany. There's also a cooking school here which would suit your needs. Have a look at these sites and see what you think:

http://www.villabordoni.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Villa_Bordoni-

We found the driving times on mapquest were very accurate so your time to Volterra from Greve would be about 1.5 hrs, which would allow you to stop in San Gimignano for the rest of the day on the way back to Greve if you liked. Another day could be spent driving the Chianti road, with part of the day in Siena.

If I had to leave something off the list, I guess it would be Volterra. While lovely, it was definitely out of the way but we had 4 days in the area so that was fine for us. You have only 2 nights, and for me Siena is a "must see." If you want to visit wineries or do even a half day cooking class, then you will need to adjust your schedule a little.

For us the accomodation can often make all the difference in the experience, so I'd be flexible with that. You would be fine with Spaltenna if you decide not to visit Volterra, and that might work well for you as well.

Have a wonderful anniversary!

We stayed at l'antico pozzo back in 2000 and it was great then. Glad to hear that it's still going strong. If you have a car, they will let you drive up to the hotel to drop off your bags but you must then return your car to the parking lot as the town is car-free.

We loved staying at the Leon right across from the Cisterna. One nice advantage was we kept our car right there. They opened big doors and kept about a dozen cars for guests in this big garage. When we were ready to go somewhere, they'd come out and juggle cars and bring ours out. We had a nice room with a spectacular view.

Originally we were disappointed that we couldn't get into the Cisterna, and I still was fascinated with the "heavy, old world" feel of that place.

Natalie, here is the BEST hotel in the San Gim. area:
http://www.lacollegiata.it/pages/english/index.htm

If you want to stay in town---with the inherent parking problems--then consider Antico Pozzo.

Keep pluggin'---you will get this trip right.

Thank you all! Bob, HOTEL LA COLLEGIATA is the perfect place. We booked it immediately.

Thank you for suggesting we change our base hotel.

All the best,
Natalie

a LONG time ago we stayed at the Bel Soggiorno - both the room and the food were very pleasant - the real advantage to staying inside the walls is that you are there when the bus tourist groups etc are gone and can have the town to yourselves - a climb up to the lovely flowering fortress sans the hordes, or shopping in the stores ditto in peace is a big advantage. SG isnt my favorite town in Tuscany by a long shot, but if you are going to go this is the way to see it.

Sorry to jump in here...But has anyone stayed at the Relais Santa Chiara Hotel? One of our party chose that hotel. Though I had seen BelSoggiorno and Pescille recommended quite often on this (and other)site, I haven't heard much about Relais.

Prego Natalie !
Have some Vernaccia di San Gimignano for me.