Chianti by Bus?
 

Hi. I'll be visiting Bella Toscana the last 2 weeks of September and visiting Chianti is something I'd really like to do. I won't have a car. Is it actually possible to take the bus into a town and still visit vineyards and castles by walking or taking another bus? Or do I have to do a tour? I haven't found any books or Web sites that can help. I was thinking of Castello di Brolio or maybe something around Radda. Any tips? <BR> <BR>Also, if you could pick one non-touristy place in Tuscany to go, what would you recommend? <BR> <BR>Grazie. <BR> <BR>Tina

We had a car in Tuscany last year. You could take a bus between some of the major towns, e.g, Florence and Siena. You can take the train to Pisa and Lucca. But as far as the smaller hill towns, e.g. Castellina in Chianti (where we stayed) , or Radda or Greve, I don't think it's practical to see them without a car.

Yes Yes Yes! One of the most fun things we did last year in Florence was take the half day tour to Chianti. I'm not a big enthusiast of tour groups but this was perfect. I think it was CAP tours. Their brochures are in all the hotels. We bused through the Chianti region, got lots of good info about the region and stopped at a Castle winery (I will have to check the name). There we had a tour of the winery and the cellars then of the castle, saw how they make olive oil. Then we went into a lovely garden where they seated us at tables of 8 or 10 and proceeded to pour the wine (and brought out regional specialties to munch on)... 4 bottles of wine per table and only 4 people at our table drank wine! Then out came the vin santo and biscotti. It was great. At the end we were given an opportunity to buy wine at a discount but there was no pressure. On the way back we stopped at a tiny hill town and were given a chance to stretch our legs, walk about the town and buy a gelato. It was an absolutely lovely day!

Do you mean CAF tours? I would be interested in the details of where you went. The current CAF tour that I am looking into goes to Castello di Querceto and the Church of S. Leolino near Panzano. Anyone been to these places?

I found an email address for CAP tours <BR>[email protected]

Thanks. The website and e-mail address do not seem to be working. If anyone has additional suggestions for day tours to Chianti from Florence, I'd appreciate it. I've already tried Tours Around Tuscany and Christina Tours.

Tina <BR>you obviously got me really interested in this, thanks. It's nice to be remnded that even without a car there are very few impossible destinations. <BR>I found this on the frommers's website about tour companies in Florence: <BR> <BR>"... many companies run guided bus tours of the main sights. The two virtually indistinguishable biggies are <BR>American Express (tel. 055-50-981) and Sitasightseeing (tel. 055-214-721). <BR>Both companies also run afternoon tours to Pisa (52,000L) and the Chianti (55,000L) and an all-day trip that and San Gimignano (75,000L). To arrange a private guided tour, visit the Associazione Guide Turistiche <BR>Fiorentine, Via Ugo Corsi 25 (tel. and fax 055-422-0901), or Centro Guide Turismo, Via Ghibellina 110 (tel. <BR>055-288-448; fax 055-288-476). <BR>office off the Ponte Vecchio. I Bike Italy (tel. 055-234-2371) offers leisurely 1-day bike tours of the Tuscan countryside (one <BR>up to Fiesole pausing for a picnic, the other into the Chianti wine region) and a 2-day bike trip from Florence <BR>to Siena. The Accidental Tourist (tel. 055-699-376 or 0348-659-0040; fax 055-699-048) offers slightly more <BR> genteel 1-day jaunts, either a bike ride through the hills around Florence with a countryside meal or a cooking <BR>course and lunch in the Chianti (you needn't pedal; you're shuttled back and forth to this one)."

San Gimignano is a pretty cool one day trip from Florence. You can take a bus to Poggibonsi and then a bus to San Gimignano. San Gimignano is a small, medieval town and it isn't that long of a ride. Make sure you get a bottle of Vernaccia if you go.

Thanks. I was planning to do a couple of day trips without a tour group. Possible towns include San G., Siena, Montepulciano, and Fiesole. I'm definitely spending one night in Cortona. I wish I could just take a bus to Radda, Castellina, or Gaiole and just walk around, but I get the sense that that isn't possible.

We had a car when we were there in May, but I believe there are "local" buses you could take that run between Florence and Siena, which would make stops in some of the Chianti towns. How good is your Italian? It might be easier if you speak the language, because you might find yourself wandering if you get off at "the wrong" stop. It might be a good idea to take one guided tour early on, such as the winery and hilltown trip Katherine mentioned, then another day, setting out on your own for Siena via bus for the day. And another day, San G -- you'll probably have gotten the hang of getting around by then and comfortable just exploring. Even with a car we discovered our plans needed to be more flexible than we'd originally expected. Not that it was a problem, we just sometimes got distracted and more involved in something or somewhere that struck our fancy. It is a fabulous place for that kind of adventuring!

Thanks Diane. I got this book called Walking in Tuscany by Gillian Price. It include trails around Chianti and one that does a loop starting in Radda and going to Volpaia. I think I'm going to try it. Has anyone heard of this book?

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