chchem

Hey Folks,

I am hoping you can help me plan a trip this coming March (with four teenagers). We would like to stay in the Florence area so we can day trip to Florence, Chianti, San Giamignano as well as maybe squeeze in some towns north of Florence. We have about a week and are looking for a centrally located town. Any suggestions on B&Bs or agriturismo's type accomodations would be greatly appreciated. We will be renting a car.

Thanks so much and Happy New Year everyone!!

fun4all4

Hi and Welcome to Fodor's!

I am hesitant to make the comment I am going to make because I don't know your interests or those of the teens in your group AND I don't want your first response to be negative.....

However, I am not sure that I think March is the best time for Tuscany in general and I think 4 teens might find the hilltowns boring after a while (at least I think my boys who are 12 and 15 might). Weather could be really iffy and the towns very quiet.

Nonetheless, it certainly can be done. I think the area around Castellina in Chianti, Radda, and Greve would be fairly central for Florence, San Gimingnano, and southern Tuscany (like Pienza), and more north as well. Siena is also convenient and would be a great stop! I'm not sure of any particular places that time of year (the Locanda where we stayed is closed till April, I think), but hopefully that will help get you started location-wise. In fact, staying in Siena might be a good idea as it is charming and a bit larger for more to do.

Good luck planning and happy travels. Feel free to ask more questions or give more info about ages and interests - there are many here who can help with more specific recommendations.

chchem

Thanks so much for your reply fun4all4. I agree, that March isn't the best time of year to visit the area but it's the only time our school and sports schedule will allow.

The girls range in age from 13 - 16 and love new experiences, having already travelled to Africa, they are open to anything. THey love to shop, and explore out of the way places. They youngest one loves to cook so I was thinking of a cooking class. The older ones like art history (Florence) and everyone likes outdoor adventure, hiking, biking, caving etc.... We will be starting in Rome and driving north to the Florence area as we only have time for two major cities.

Thanks again for your thoughts and I'd greatly appreciate any further input.

fun4all4

Believe me, I understand about school and sports schedules!

OK, girls who like art history, small towns, and shopping should do great with that area. For sure, check out Siena along with some of the other places you mentioned. Also, I would definitely have suggested Rome which sounds like it is part of the plan (I was thinking you were only going to Tuscany)! The cooking class idea sounds awesome.

As for exact B&Bs or agriturismo's for a family, I don't have any good suggestions.... we did not do this area with our boys. Hopefully, others will chime in. You could also try a search in the above box - perhaps with keywords such as "agriturismo" or "tuscany." Here is a link to one thread I found right off the bat:

http://tinyurl.com/wfon6

There are tons of prior posts with recommendations.

Hope this helps! Happy travels!

chchem

thanks again...I checked out your link and it was very helpful....I will also check out slowtravel, but again, I hadn't narrowed down which area around Florence....

skiobx

Hi -- we stayed at the Fattoria Viticcio in Greve-in-Chianti, which was perfect for daytrips....they rent apartments or you could rent out 2 rooms in the main building...www.fattoriaviticcio.com

Hope this helps

chchem

Just trying to move up my plea for help.....thanks everyone...

fun4all4

Have you had any luck finding Greve, Radda and Castellina on the map or found any possibilities there? Also, if you locate those areas on the map, it will help you get a feel for the general area in case a place you find isn't exactly there (such as the Colle Val D'Elsa place mentioned in my previous link).

Another possibility I found on another post would be

http://www.fattoria-tregole.com/tregole_eng.htm

Also from another post:

Author: Mario06
Date: 11/23/2006, 11:58 am
Here is a few:

http://www.tuscanweb.com/property/?ID=4260

http://www.tuscanweb.com/property/?ID=4237

http://www.tuscanweb.com/property/?ID=4147

http://www.tuscanweb.com/property/?ID=4158

http://www.tuscanweb.com/property/?ID=4146

http://www.tuscanweb.com/property/?ID=4405


Here is another thread to read through as well:

http://tinyurl.com/yhzm28


The more you research and read, the more you will begin to see some places that get recommended a lot. Those plus a map will really help you sift through. South of Siena (like Montalcino and Pienza) also has beautiful areas, but is not as convenient as Chianti for Florence and north of there.

Good Luck.

suze

^ for Chchem

jgg

In June we stayed at Fattoria Tregole mentioned earlier by fun4all4. It is centrally located in Tuscany right near Castellina in Chianti. We rented one of their apts. that slept 4. I believe the other apt. next to us slept 5, so maybe you could get a rollaway for your 6th person.

It was great, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms a nice living room and a large kitchen. There was a pool and outdoor terrace where breakfast was served, (you probably won't be able to enjoy either in March). However, the breakfasts were nice as was the indoor breakfast room.

Edith was a great host, helpful with suggestions of restuarants, things to see, and directions. She also makes dinner twice a week which was excellent and also a great way to meet the other guests.

We liked the location as we were able to see San Gimignano, Siena, Pienza and most of the Chianti region (Greve, Radda, Gaiole, Castellina). We didn't go to Florence as we had been there on a previous trip, but I believe it is about 30 minutes from Fattoria Tregole.

chchem

thanks for the recommendation jgg...I checked it out and it looks great....anymore recommendations out there??? thanks