I see what your saying ... I'm still looking!

I really think we will be up for a little walking in the evening. We are very fortunately flying business, with only one connection (LAX-CDG-FLR). So I think we will arrive well rested, and probably restless after being cooped up in a plane. But it will be nice if we were closer, so walking would be optional, not mandatory.

My mom was in town last night and we had dinner. I was teasing her she needed to start psyching herself up for Italian street crossing!

For the Chianti portion of the trip, trying to decide which town to stay in. I'm thinking Greve is the best option, being the biggest? Is there another town I should be considering?

I'm attracted to this apartment "Monica" http://www.greve-in-chianti.com/vaca...einchianti.htm . But can't find any reviews (really this time!) Any opinions?

Another town in Chianti to consider (and I feel a better choice) is Castellina in Chianti. It is more central than Greve for day trips to the many highlights of the region including San Gimignano, Radda, Gaiole, Panzano, Volpaia (a very lovely small town), and Siena. In addition, Castellina is much prettier than Greve.

Castellina in Chianti looks absolutely lovely, but I can't seem to find any accomodations in town. Everything that comes up is Agritourismos. Are my google skills failing me?

Albergo Squarcialupi www.essenceoftuscany.it

Because of the way all the local bus routes were recently rerouted to avoid the Duomo, many routes now travel from the train station, along Viale Filippo Strozzo, then turn onto Via Cosimo Ridolfo and chug right past the corner of Casa di Barbano to Piazza della Independenza and Via 27 Aprile to reach the major bus hub of Piazza San Marco. So the street Via Barbano may be quiet, but the hotel is near the corner of a very busy street.

I'm running into availability issues due to the November 1 holiday. The apartments I was looking at in Greve are not available.

I'm having a hard time discerning the size of Chianti towns. Would Panzano or Certaldo be an option? Are there a streets to stroll in the evening? I'm alright with a small town, I just don't want one that closes up at 8 pm

What is there besides wineries in Chianti?

Are the towns as interesting as say Siena or the ones in the Val D'Orcia, apart from the cooking and wine tasting?

aimeekm,

Here is a review of a place located within walking distance to Panzano-

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ti-tuscany.cfm

Panzano is smaller than Greve or Castellina but perhaps less crowded- especially in the evenings.

You might also find something by looking through these Tuscany hotel reviews (they are listed alphabetically by town)-

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/hotels/list.asp?r=Tuscany

This link may provide other information you may find useful for your trip-

http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/index.asp

scrb11 - I'm looking to use Chianti as a base to explore central Tuscany. I'll have 3 bases, for 3 nights each in North (Lucca), Central (Chianti) & South (Pienza). From central Tuscany I plan to daytrip to Siena & San Gim. Keeping in mind my mom's ankles, I'd rather stay in a town smaller than Siena or San Gim, so at the end of a long day it won't be an uphill hike to our lodgings.

Thanks zoecat! Very helpful!

I'm driving myself crazy (and probably all of you as well!) finding that "perfect" place in Chianti. They're either too far outside of town (http://www.hotelsalivolpi.com/en/home_ingle.php) or in a small town that I'm afraid might close up too early in the evening (http://www.albergoilcastello.it/albe...ertaldo&rid=en) or out of my price range, etc..

So I was thinking about staying maybe in Siena? But only if I can find a hotel/b&b/apt that is located so the walking to & from the car could be minimized. Like this one? http://www.bb-sanfrancesco.com/lang1/index.html

I'd love to hear your opinions!

I thought you were going later in November. Then you just said something about the All Saints holiday, which would put you there on the 1st.

What is your arrival date?

Our dates are 10/30 - 11/9

10/30 - Florence
10/31-11/3 - Central Tuscany
11/3-11/6 - Pienza (Casa Frati confirmed)
11/6-11/9 - Lucca

We were there almost the exact time 2 years ago---arrived FLR on November 1. In our case that was a Saturday, meaning a very crowded All Saints weekend. The main roads were packed, restaurants booked solid. Then---come Sunday night---every town seemed to turn into a ghost town.

I would have thought you would miss the big crowds since the holiday is on Tuesday this year. But I wonder if Monday is a holiday? Perhaps that's causing your booking issues?

Anyway: You're in for a real treat. The autumn colors were spectacular, especially in Chianti. It was like driving through a vivid oil painting! We stayed in Castellina at Palazzo Squarcialuppi. They close for winter, but the website seems to indicate they're open til the 5th. The room was nice, bathroom very recently remodeled/modern, breakfast was good. And then there's the spa! You won't believe it. Steam, sauna, hot tub...all in an ancient underground stone cellar. It was brand new when we were there. Just gorgeous. We had the spa to ourselves every evening before dinner. It was heaven.

Their website is the pits, but we were very pleased with the hotel.
http://www.palazzosquarcialupi.com/english/albergo.htm
Parking shouldn't be a problem. If you look at the photos, you park down on that level where the pool is. But you can drop your Mom at the front door b4 you zip around the corner to the parking area.

There are several good restaurants nearby to choose from. But be aware: all these towns were pretty empty at night. It was cold, so people weren't "strolling".

I'll post more about the Val D'Orcia, etc.

Reviews of Palazzo Squarcialupi

http://tinyurl.com/6a4vz4x

We did San Gim as a day trip from Castellina.

After Chianti we headed to Pienza. We left Castellina, spent half a day in Siena, then on to the Val D'Orcia. I didn't like driving in Siena at all. (Keep in mind, this was All Saints weekend.) But it was quite stressful. That said, I do regret we didn't have more time in Siena.

And now we're off to Pienza. We stayed at a little agriturisma just outside town, 5 minute drive. (Hint: at these agriturisma's pay close attention if they show you how to operate the heat! We didn't and spent a frigid first night.) The countryside was awesome. Olive picking time...we saw lots of that. The vineyards were splendid in their fall colors. And the farmers were plowing those deep furrows into their fields...we could see their tractor headlights working late into the night.

Days were mild to warm and we drove all over the place. Nights were cold...but that meant every place had logs burning in the fireplace. It was dark by 5. Don't miss sunset in Pienza--from the west wall! I'll never forget it.

We didn't worry about driving after dinner, just went easy on the wine. Oh, and have a good map! We had the Touring Club Italiano Toscana map. Great investment! Driving in Tuscany was generally very easy. Road markings are non-existent...you just have to know the next town you're going to.

From there we went to Rome and flew home from there.

Thanks so much Jeanne!

I love your descriptions, now I'm even more excited. I'm also excited it's olive picking time.


Thanks for recomending Palazzo Squarcialuppi. I had looked at it then dismissed it because it's a bit out of our budget. But I was clicking around the site, and they have a lower priced apartment right next door. I wonder if it includes spa access ... hmm .... I looked at pics, it looks lovely, if the apartment doesn't it might be worth splurging. I've emailed for availabity, so we'll see.

The pretty empty at night part is a little worrisome. Were restaurants & enotecas open till 10 or so? That's all we really need.

Thanks for the reassurance about driving. My Touring Club Italiano Toscana map arrived yesterday.

I'm glad you are no longer considering Radda. We were driving through Chianti a couple of weeks ago and stopped there. While Radda was absolutely charming, it is too hilly for your mom. If you go back to your original ideas, I think Castellina would be better, although is is not completely flat...and it has my favorite gelateria of our trip the past 17 days!

An agriturismo outside of Pienza would be perfect for you. We did just that and went to Pienza all 3 nights of our stay there, each time to a different restaurant, and then walked around afterwards. The short 2 kilometer drive back to our agriturismo was easy at night because the roads were fairly empty then and our turn was well marked.

Don't worry about having lots of questions...that's part of the fun!

We would arrive for dinner around 7:30 or 8. So I'm sure we were there past 10. There were usually two or three other tables. I don't know about enotecas.

I emphasize the empty-at-night part because you had been so emphatic about night life. You might want to consider larger towns. But even they weren't exactly "hoppin'". It's either just a winter thing or all the Tuscans were simply recovering from the long holiday.

Thanks for the feedback kwren & Jeanne! Glad to know about the gelato! We don't need a nightlife per say, just some sort of diversion, so we're not in the room flipping through Italian tv :) . I'm glad to know that the restaurants are open, we'll probably have about the same dinner timing.

So I found availability at these places:

Siena Apt
http://www.sienaflat.com/index.html
http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p648152a
+ In Siena, plenty to do in the evening,
+ Get to see more of Siena than daytripping
+ Don't have to get up early & drive in for market day
+ More space
- Parking location & cost
- No reviews, not many pics
- One is on the 3rd Floor, other is on ? floor, no mention of lift

Palazzo Squarcialuppi
http://www.affittacamerelacastellina.com/index_e.html
+ Recomended by Jeanne! Lots of great reviews
+ First Floor
+ Spa
+ Private balcony
+ In the center of Castellina
- Parking is down some steep steps

Here is what the apt owner said about parking: "You can park your car in the underground parking area "Il campo" on 5-minute walking distance from the apartment Casato, 10 min from the apartment Le Campane.Fee 1,60/hour. Either you can park your car in the free parking area out of the walls, it is well reached by bus ( the busstop is near the aparments)." How big of a hassle will taking the bus be?

I'm leaning towards Palazzo Squarcialuppi (the apt part). My only hesitation is by day tripping I'm afraid we will short change Siena.

Opinions please!!