Hello,

My fiance and I are planning our October honeymoon and will be spending four nights in Tuscany in the middle of the trip. Does anyone have any thoughts on staying in Siena vs. one of the smaller towns (such as Montepulciano)? We will have a car with us so I don't know if that would be difficult in Siena. We aren't planning on visiting Florence. We just want to spend a few days seeing the region, drinking wine, and eating good food. Beyond the actual area, if anyone has any specific hotel recommendations in either area it would be much appreciated. We're first timers to Italy. Thanks in advance for your help!

Since you are driving I would base in a smaller town. We stayed, once,in Gaiole at Castello Spaltana. It was very nice and from there you can easily drive all around Tuscany. They have a first class restaurant and very nearby is Badia a Colta Bueno(sp?) another great restaurant. When you visit Siena or Florence, park on the outskirts and take public transport into the old city. There are many places like Gaiole, Radda, Greve, and more that are great places to base from. You will love Tuscany. The food and wine don't get much better. Don't miss drinking some Brunello from the Malticino area, my personal favorite.

I would post again for BOBTHENAVIGATOR, and ask his advice. I think he may have lots of recommendations for Montepulciano, which I've heard is fantastic.

We stayed in Radda at Relais Fattoria Vignale, a converted farmhouse w/annex that overlooks the Tuscan countryside. It's a wonderful small hotel with a lovely pool overlooking olive groves. The food is beyond heavenly.

Radda itself is just a handful of streets, but it is well located for visiting wineries, Greve, Siena, and San Gimignano.

Just to give you an idea of location, Radda is about 45 minutes from both Florence and Siena. About an hour and a half from San Gimignano.

Villa Il Crocicchio, in Regello. We stayed there as part of a Rick Steves tour last October. It is a lovely agriturismo with very kind hosts. You WILL need your car - as I recall, it took us an hour or so to reach San Gimignano - but the location is rural, romantic and quite lovely. Good restaurant too. Also a swimming pool and horses to ride.

In Montalcino I would recommend either Il Giglio http://goeurope.about.com/gi/dynamic...iohotel.com%2F
and it's also available on www.tuscanyby.com
or the Palazzina Cesira at
www.montalcinoitaly.com/home_cesira.htm

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I don't know what type of hotel you are looking for but we stayed at the Hotel Minerva in Siena and they had a garage for our car. The hotel was plain but a good value. It worked out perfectly. The hotel was a short walk into the center of town, albeit all up hill, but it only took about 5 minutes. Siena is a good base as it has plenty of restaurants and is a good town to walk around at night after you've parked the car from your day trips.

Hi Min,

If you want quiet in Chianti, I would highly recommend Hotel Residence San Sano, 4*. It's in a TINY village that you won't even find except on the most detailed Chianti map. The only visitors are those staying at the small hotel in ancient stone buildings. Near Castello di Brolio and Gaiole. You can see in on www.chiantnet.it.

I stayed in Montalcino, also at Il Giglio, 3*. Nice, large rooms and baths, very reasonable prices, divine views. Loved Montalcino and the brunello! Nice to be a in a small town where you can walk to dinner, then crawl back if necessary.

Congratulations and buon viaggio!

There's also some very nice agriturismos that you may want to consider.
Are you traveling in and out of Florence?

If you choose to stay in Siena, check out the Grand Hotel Continental. It's a luxury hotel in a great location.

Jabez- We're travelling out of Venice actually and into Naples (getting a car in between and spending some time on the Amalfi Coast before heading up to the Tuscany region) We were leaning towards Montepulciano but, based on the replies, there seem to be many options for us. . .

Montepluciano was our absolutely favorite place is all of Tuscany! We felt like life was going on around us rather than because of us!

Montepulciano is a wonderful base for exploring Tuscany. We stayed at the Hotel Duomo and it was lovely and reasonable. One thing you might take into consideration is where you will park your car - be sure and ask the parking question whenever you inquire about hotels. Most of the hill towns only have public parking so you need to find a hotel located near one since you will be making day trips.

Minmaggie,
If you are going to be in the area at the end of October take a look at http://www.montalcino-tuscany.it/sagra_del_tordo.htm

Henry

We stayed at Hotel Santa Caterina in Siena just outside the Porto Romano. The location couldn't have been better for entering the centro storico - by foot or by bus - while still having ample private parking for a rental car. The views from the rooms over the Tuscan hills were amazing, but only one room has a balcony so request early. It may be too cool in October but the garden set for breakfast was charming - and delicious. And Siena's central location allows you to explore north, Chianti region, one day, then south for Brunello another day. And there's something special east and west as well. You won't be doing a lot of doubling back over already traveled roads.

Minmaggie:
IMO the decision between Siena and a town like Montepulciano has alot to do with how small a place you like to be in. Because of Siena's larger size and the fact that it has a University, there are more chances for entertainment at night. On the other hand it is great to be in one of the smaller hill towns after the day-trippers leave.

That is a great tip from Henry, so if your dates coincide I would definitely stay in Montalcino.

Everyone has their favorite hill town--mine is Montalcino because of brunello. Here are some additional hotel suggestions.

You do not mention your budget but if it is large then for Siena you can consider the Certosa di Maggiano. It is just outside so parking and day trips will be easy.

http://www.certosadimaggiano.com/

Another hotel in Siena with parking (and rooms with views of the countryside) is the Palazzo Ravizza.

http://www.palazzoravizza.it/

In Montalcino, this hotel is considered the top end. It has some rooms with a view also.

http://www.vecchiaoliviera.com/

We honeymooned in Tuscany last May. We stayed at Locanda Dell'Amorosa in Sinalunga. Perfect location for driving around Tuscany and Umbria. Check it out at www.amorosa.it
Can't recommend it highly enough.

I agree with "Highwayman", the Amorosa is a delightful place, quiet and romantic and really well located for driving. We did not stay there as we were renting a villa in the hills nearby, but we have had several wonderful lunches at their restaurant, on two different holidays. This property's seclusion is wonderful, but it is within easy reach of major roads, so day trips will be a breeze. The problem with the smaller hilltowns is that they are often tricky to get to: lots of winding roads! Siena has very busy roads all around, and getting in and out in the traffic takes a bit of practice (especially when there are roadworks happenning, as was the case last time we went)