Cortona, Volterra or Montalcino?
 

Which of these would you choose as a day trip from Florence and why? We're trying to decide. Thanks!

Susan

Hi Susan,
I've never been to Cortona, but have been to the other two. I would say it depends on your interests. If it's history, artisans, and scenery- Volterra. It's a beautiful hilltop location, lots of marble artisans, and a really cool, well preserved Roman ampitheater with a neat gold jeweler nearby. It's a fascinating little town.

If you are a wine drinker / lover, Montalcino. The Fortezza (fortress) at the highest point of the town has a fantastic enoteca with tasting menus that will take you through the various producers of Brunello di Montalcino. They are very informative and approachable, and you will learn about the wine and the vineyards. Montalcino also has interesting architecture and churches.

Volterra is about 30-45 minutes southwest of Florence if memory serves, Montalcino a good hour plus.

If I personally had to choose one over the other, it would be Montalcino because I am a fan of Brunello.

Have fun!

For a very simple reason, the shortest trip, I'd suggest Volterra.

Vincenzo

We've been to all three and I would suggest Volterra. Are you driving yourself ?

Another vote for Volterra, not that the others are also very nice places to visit. Cortona is charming but I believe that Volterra is more appropiate for a day visit.

I love staying in Montalcino and really like visiting Cortona and Volterra.
The countryside around Montalcino makes its location special. It, however, is very small. A day tip should incude at least two of the other fine towns in the Val D'Orcia.
Assuming you have a car, this destination is a little longer drive from Florence.
Cortona and Volterra are both about the same distance and you can reach them abot 30-40 minutes faster.
Most people stop at San Gim, if they are going to Volterra.
If you are going by bus, choose either Volterra or Cortona. Bigger towns with more options when you arrive.Montalcino,for shopping, has most wine shops.
I've been to Volterra three times, Montalcino at least 6 (including 3 stays in the town)and Cortona only once. This may give you a hint on my preference. Next visit,however, I believe we will plan on a revisit to Cortons.
So, nomatter which you choose,yit will be a good choice.

Hard to answer without knowing more. Are you using public transport? If so, Montlcino is 2 hours away with bus changes in Siena. If hiring a driver, or with a car, I would choose Volterra and San Gimignano as a logical pair.

Cortona isn't that 'big' of a town and actually not much to see when you think about the movie. But it's worth driving up the hill to for the views down and the olive oil shop right off the square is just wonderful.

The amount of driving you can do in 1 day isn't that hard. We drove out from Florence and managed to see 3 towns each day. Even Sienna wasn't that hard to get to and I wish we had actually stayed there over night to enjoy that location more.

We won't have a car and I think we've decided on Volterra.

You can get Brunello other places than Monyalcino, can't you? I checked the price here and bottles were $60-80! Is it very expensive there, by the glass? Unfortuneately, with the new airline rules about liquids in carry-ons, I don't know if we'll be able to bring any wine back. We hate to pack it in checked luggage in case it would spill.

Sue

Volterra is cool. How do you plan to get there? It will not be easy.

There's a SITA bus that takes two hours with a stop (change of buses?)at Colle di Val D'Elsa.

Sue

Have fun and buy some alabaster.

it depends on what you want to do. Volterra is a lovely little town to wander around. I went there and Pienza in one day. Montalcino however is hands down amazing. great food, great beautiful town and wine! I loved going to the fortress and their tasting. If you aren't interested in wine though I guess it isn't the town for you. I haven't been to Cortona. Montepulciano is also a great town to consider!

sjde53,

From what I remember about the wine shops in ANY town, yes, you can taste the Brunello. That means, some wine shops will allow you to taste various brands of Brunello for a small fee, most of the time we ended up with almost a full glass. The bottles can be a little pricey but they're cheaper if you get them there and stuff them in your checked suit case for the flight home. Shipping them back can run you a bunch of $$$. We bought $20 bottles that ended up costing us almost that much to ship them back.