We were also recently in Montepulciano for a week and stayed at yet another great apartment, the Politian. Only two apartments, a one bedroom and a two bedroom. We learned about it from people posting on this site, and we are very glad to have found it.

However, Susan P, it's at the top of the town, so you do have to walk uphill to get to it, and it might not be right for you.

For anyone interested, see http://www.tuscany.net/stuart/pages/reach.htm

Montepulciano is a wonderful place to spend several days or longer. Hdm, we were there in early June, and while I don't think I will write a trip report (not organized enough), I plan to post some general thoughts and recommendations when I have time.

Patrick, you were the source of our belief that we could enjoy several days in Montepulciano without a car, and that was a great idea. It helped to slow us down and give us plenty of time to get the feel of the town, etc. We picked up a car for the last few days and explored, and for us that was a terrific combination.

I think we ended up paying about $800 Canadian for the week (which would translate into about $600 US, if my backwards math is correct). The apartment has two large bedrooms and a pull-out sofa in the livingroom, two full bathrooms, a washing machine (a blessing at that point of the trip!) and a dishwasher. Although we did have a car, we also found the pace of the town to be relaxing and often didn't drive anywhere till late in the afternoon. I must say, though, Susan, that it's going to be hard to avoid walking up hills in Montepulciano. While the main street was quite level, the shopping street was fairly steep as was the street leading to the square. Still, we were walking with a friend who is recovering from an illness and we just stopped periodically to give him a chance to catch his breath.

Thanks for the additional information. Actually, I will only be going to Montepulciano as a daytrip. I realize that I will have to do some uphill climbing, I will just try to cut it down by initially taking the minibus up from the bus station if it's available.

We just returned from Montepulciano. We rented a 2 bedroom apartment we found at VRBO #13370. We ended renting apartment #A and it had spectacular views of the countryside. We paid 550 Euros for 7 nights. Tourists walked to our street to take photos of the view. We loved Montepulciano. If you would like more info regarding the apartment we rented, let me know.

Travelatte

13370

SusanP, I am not sure how often the buses run, but they seemed to me to be fairly frequent, at least during the middle of the day. The trick for us was finding the stops; there are small signs that we didn't notice at first. And, similar to Patrick's experience, we only used the local bus once.

Be aware that you buy tickets for the bus in tobacco shops.

jd_dallas, Are you saying that tickets for the minibus have to be purchased at a tobacco shop? I guess I figured that since they're mostly to take you from the bus station to the top of the town that you could buy them from the driver or at the bus station.

Yes, Susan. They are less than one Euro, but there is no system for buying them on the bus. I'm not sure about the station; you should ask there, and if not available, find out where the nearest tobacco shop is.

Actually inside the little bus station there is a waiting room and a ticket office/cafe/tobacco shop/lost luggage department/information counter/shipper/lottery sales/shoe repair/psychiatrist. There isn't much they don't do from that little window! You can buy your tickets there.

We are going to Italy next month and we were planning to take a 2 day trip to Montepulciano but it seems we should stay longer. The idea of renting a car for the last few days sounds good. Where did you rent the car, JD Dallas? How much are we missing if we don´t speak any Italian?

Thanks, I will check at the bus station to get the ticket.

We were just in Montepulciano and had an incredible lunch at Ai Quattro Venti. One of my favorites of the trip. My husband had the minestrone soup (wonderful) and I had the chicken arrabiatta (sp?). This dish was truly amazing and I was tempted to ask for another order and take it with me. But, of course, I knew there would be other wonderful tastes ahead of me in other restaurants. The calabrese salad was fab too. Highly recommended by our party of 6.