We are refining our itinerary, and need more help regarding Italy. We will travel from Munich to Venice by train--- 4 nights in Venice, then by train to Florence to pick up a car and head for Tuscany. We want to stay just outside Siena, and would like your suggestions. I am thinking Montacini or Cortona. Then we are going to the Cinque Terre for 2 nights, and are thinking Montarossa. Good idea for place to stay? We will be flying home from Milan, and may spend a little time in Genoa. We leave next Tuesday---yes this is a hastily put together trip----so need ideas soon! Thanks so much for any help you can provide.

Genoa is supposed to have a great aquarium. We enjoyed a day there. I really like the Locanda del Amorosa, but it is not right outside Siena. Sorry I can't be more help.

The only hotel I know in that area is in Siena -- Hotel Garden. It is a nice hotel and the people who work there were great.

http://www.gardenhotel.it

I know you are looking for outside Siena but I figured I would offer this information just in case.

The ride from Florence to Siena is nice and quick...about 45 minutes and you will be there.

If you are interested, you can also taking a cooking class in Montestigliano. It was not only a great class but the scenary was amazing too!!!

http://www.eccolacucina.com

I don't know what your price range is, but there is a fabulous, but very expensive place just outside Siena-- the Hotel Certosa di Maggiano.
www.certosadimaggiano.it

Thanks for the suggestions, but are still looking for something reasonably priced in a small town outside Siena. My husband wants to be able to walk to dinner from our hotel. Anyone else have ideas?

We have not stayed there but have friends who stayed at the Palazzo di Valli, a small hotel in the countryside very close to Siena - a 10-15 minute walk from the Porto Romana gate. They thought it charming and said it was very reasonable. The phone # is 0577-226-102. If you are leaving in a week, you need to make reservations asap as this is a very popular time in Italy.

www.palazzodelcapitano.com
or, Piccolo Hotel Oliveto in Siena

See my trip report at slowtrav.com

Thank you, Bob. I have emailed the palazzo to see if they have availabilty. Can you walk into the village in the evenings for dinner, etc? I will check out your trip report. One more question----would Cortona be a good choice if we want to be in a village?

My husband and I were interested in a similar thing for the Tuscany portion of our trip to Italy this summer -- small charming village & a hotel right in the village.

After some research, I decided I really wanted to be in Montalcino. We booked a room at Il Giglio (http://tuscany.net/gigliotuscan/index.html), thanks to Bob's trip report, but also considered Palazzo del Capitano. There is also a hotel in Montalcino called Vecchia Oliviera (http://tuscany.net/oliviera/) which looks lovely. Bob is a great resource for southern Tuscany.

chicgeek, I don't know if you've visited before, but your reference to Siena and Cortona as "villages" makes me concerned that your expectations might not be met. Siena is a city of about 55,000 people and Cortona a town of around 25,000. They're far from villages IMO.

If this is just a semantic issue, never mind; but if you're expecting small and quaint...

It is in town--San Quirico is a nice small village--and Roberto also owns the best ristorante in town--see my report. I do not like the Cortona location. I would do SQ or Montalcino as mentioned above.

Thank you all SO much. This is exactly the info I need! I have emailed availabilty requests to all the places you have named in Montalcino. It sounds like the perfect location for what we want. They all look great, so I hope we can book one of them. Shellio-- we have been to Siena before, so I do know it is a city, but we haven't been to Cortona. I had no idea it was that big. Bob----I read your report on slowtrav, and it was helpful. Thank you all again!