Day Trips from Montepulciano
Aug 27th, 2008, 06:31 PM
#43
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WOW this is a great report. Will be leaving for Italy Oct.12. We are planning to do a self-guided hiking trip through Tuscany. I was having a difficult time deciding which tour company to go with but with your help and descriptions of the towns you were in this might make my decision easier.
I have posted 2 times asking if anyone has done a self guided walking/hiking trip in Italy but did not get many responses. So if you don't mind me jumping into your post and inquiring if anyone has done one of these and what company they used I could use some more advise.I know that we will miss alot of the town that you saw but we just want to do a slow trav trip this time around and really absorb the country side.
thanks in advance
6abc
I have posted 2 times asking if anyone has done a self guided walking/hiking trip in Italy but did not get many responses. So if you don't mind me jumping into your post and inquiring if anyone has done one of these and what company they used I could use some more advise.I know that we will miss alot of the town that you saw but we just want to do a slow trav trip this time around and really absorb the country side.
thanks in advance
6abc
Aug 27th, 2008, 06:43 PM
#44
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We spent a wonderful week in Montepulciano in 2005. Our day trips included Pienza, Siena, Montalcino and Orvieto, but we just loved 'living in' Montepulciano itself.
I hope this link will take you to a good website about the town and area. It's from the owners of the apartment we rented there. The rental information will be out of date but there's great great information about the town:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/amcquillan/index.htm
I hope this link will take you to a good website about the town and area. It's from the owners of the apartment we rented there. The rental information will be out of date but there's great great information about the town:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/amcquillan/index.htm
Aug 27th, 2008, 06:45 PM
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sorry, I posted before I meant to.
If you click on the numbers in the website, it will take you to the various pages.
Don't forget to go down to San Biagio, the cathedral. Wait till it's empty, then stand in the middle right under the dome and clap your hands hard once. You'll hear that clap echo 17 or 18 times around the cathedral.
If you click on the numbers in the website, it will take you to the various pages.
Don't forget to go down to San Biagio, the cathedral. Wait till it's empty, then stand in the middle right under the dome and clap your hands hard once. You'll hear that clap echo 17 or 18 times around the cathedral.
Dec 7th, 2008, 08:22 AM
#52
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missy,
We've spent a lot of time in the area and love it. Below is an excerpt from our last trip to Montalcino (which is one of our favorite places in the world), which you might find helpful... Have a GREAT trip!!
MONTALCINO
This town is world famous for it’s wine, but it is surprisingly and refreshingly quiet and completely unspoiled by tourists. We absolutely love it here. It is the perfect Tuscan location for our family: great wine for mom and dad, a hotel with a pool for the kids, excellent restaurants that we can walk to, and loads of charm.
Highlights:
1. Staying at Hotel Dei Capitano in rooms with a view. And what a view -- the entire valley spread below you like a patchwork quilt. And what a value -- 115 euro per room per night! The pool and breakfast terrace have the same views. Another slice of heaven, here, trust me. (I'm not sure why this hotel doesn't get more kudos in guidebooks and on this forum. Maybe it's because the hosts/owners seem a bit socially awkward and don't come across as being very friendly.)
2. The quiet, cobblestone streets and friendly locals.
3. Having lunch every day with a view at Osticcio. The owners of this enoteca are wonderful people, and their food and wine selections are amazing. (We left the kids at the pool with some money to go buy pizza for lunch, and did this on our own.) If you go to Montalcino, do not miss this place!!!
4. Dinner at Il Pozzo. The owners from Osticcio recommended to us their favorite place to have dinner. It’s just outside of Montalcino in Sant’Angelo in Colle. There are two restaurants in the town, and they recommended Il Pozzo for delicious, authentic Tuscan food. The food was fantastic and the experience of being in a tiny town with no tourists was great. We were clearly the only tourists around.
5. Dinner at Il Grifo. Their pizza is to die for.
6. Driving through the wineries and countryside below the town. It’s not like Napa Valley, where you can just stop in and taste. Most of the wineries are closed to visitors unless you have an appointment. We did our tastings in town, and just enjoyed the drive.
7. Day trip: (well, actually, a late afternoon trip) We stopped in PIENZA, a charming town we had wanted to visit again. Bought a wheel of pecorino to bring home. Also checked out the lovely road to MONTICHIELLO, a very quiet, charming town. Had fantastic gelato at the Osteria La Porta and headed home.
8. The wine... Brunello for lunch and dinner. My husband was in heaven. He also spent a lot of time (I mean A LOT of time) in the wine shops throughout town.
9. Our leisurely routine: sleep in, breakfast on the terrace, read/lounge by the pool, lunch at the enoteca, read/lounge by the pool, shop or take a drive in the late afternoon, shower/relax, walk to dinner. Aahh.... (I feel relaxed just rereading this paragraph!!)
Our Only Disappointment:
Dinner at Grapolo Blu. We had eaten here a few years ago and loved it. Tonight, the friendly owners we remember were not around and the waiter was easily the 2nd most unfriendly person we encountered on our trip (the only other being the Villa Krupp hostess on Capri). The food was really mediocre for all four of us. On top of that, we all ordered 2 courses, like usual, but for some reason he decided to bring them in 3 courses according to how they were listed on the menu (appetizer, pasta, and main meal), so that at least one person had no food in front of them for each course and had to wait until the others finished so his/her course could be served! Crazy!
We've spent a lot of time in the area and love it. Below is an excerpt from our last trip to Montalcino (which is one of our favorite places in the world), which you might find helpful... Have a GREAT trip!!
MONTALCINO
This town is world famous for it’s wine, but it is surprisingly and refreshingly quiet and completely unspoiled by tourists. We absolutely love it here. It is the perfect Tuscan location for our family: great wine for mom and dad, a hotel with a pool for the kids, excellent restaurants that we can walk to, and loads of charm.
Highlights:
1. Staying at Hotel Dei Capitano in rooms with a view. And what a view -- the entire valley spread below you like a patchwork quilt. And what a value -- 115 euro per room per night! The pool and breakfast terrace have the same views. Another slice of heaven, here, trust me. (I'm not sure why this hotel doesn't get more kudos in guidebooks and on this forum. Maybe it's because the hosts/owners seem a bit socially awkward and don't come across as being very friendly.)
2. The quiet, cobblestone streets and friendly locals.
3. Having lunch every day with a view at Osticcio. The owners of this enoteca are wonderful people, and their food and wine selections are amazing. (We left the kids at the pool with some money to go buy pizza for lunch, and did this on our own.) If you go to Montalcino, do not miss this place!!!
4. Dinner at Il Pozzo. The owners from Osticcio recommended to us their favorite place to have dinner. It’s just outside of Montalcino in Sant’Angelo in Colle. There are two restaurants in the town, and they recommended Il Pozzo for delicious, authentic Tuscan food. The food was fantastic and the experience of being in a tiny town with no tourists was great. We were clearly the only tourists around.
5. Dinner at Il Grifo. Their pizza is to die for.
6. Driving through the wineries and countryside below the town. It’s not like Napa Valley, where you can just stop in and taste. Most of the wineries are closed to visitors unless you have an appointment. We did our tastings in town, and just enjoyed the drive.
7. Day trip: (well, actually, a late afternoon trip) We stopped in PIENZA, a charming town we had wanted to visit again. Bought a wheel of pecorino to bring home. Also checked out the lovely road to MONTICHIELLO, a very quiet, charming town. Had fantastic gelato at the Osteria La Porta and headed home.
8. The wine... Brunello for lunch and dinner. My husband was in heaven. He also spent a lot of time (I mean A LOT of time) in the wine shops throughout town.
9. Our leisurely routine: sleep in, breakfast on the terrace, read/lounge by the pool, lunch at the enoteca, read/lounge by the pool, shop or take a drive in the late afternoon, shower/relax, walk to dinner. Aahh.... (I feel relaxed just rereading this paragraph!!)
Our Only Disappointment:
Dinner at Grapolo Blu. We had eaten here a few years ago and loved it. Tonight, the friendly owners we remember were not around and the waiter was easily the 2nd most unfriendly person we encountered on our trip (the only other being the Villa Krupp hostess on Capri). The food was really mediocre for all four of us. On top of that, we all ordered 2 courses, like usual, but for some reason he decided to bring them in 3 courses according to how they were listed on the menu (appetizer, pasta, and main meal), so that at least one person had no food in front of them for each course and had to wait until the others finished so his/her course could be served! Crazy!
