Montepulciano in August
 

Myself, DH, and 2 daughters, are planning on staying in or near Montepulciano for 3 nights in August (before going to spend 3 nights in Greve in Chianti).

Since we're planning to make daytrips from Montepulciano, would it be very inconvenient to stay in Montepulciano itself, or should I look for something outside Montepulciano. I've tentatively found something for the 3 nights inside Montepulciano, but now having second thoughts on ease of parking, getting in and out of the town for a daytrip...

Help, I need your advice!

Getting in and out of Montepulciano, even in a small car, is *not* easy.

I was thinking of staying in Mueble Il Riccio, www.ilriccio.net, in Montepulciano. Does anyone know how the parking situation there is, and how hard would it be to go out of town on daytrips?

Or should I stay outside of Montepulciano?

I cant help, but we've booked a week in Montepulciano for next spring at apartamenti al poggiolo. They do have a car park, which I conclude is a luxury. Anyway, please do a report when you return...I'll be interested to read how it goes with children as we're travelling with ours as well.
Thanks!
Anja

Here is a place that we're going to try in November...it's just outside Montepulciano.....

http://www.montorio.com/uk-home.htm

Monica, we were there in January with a car. Il Riccio looks great from the exterior and I imagine they either have a parking lot of will give you a pass and tell you where to park as our hotel (La Terrassa) did. The town is small. Getting out would involve driving on some narrow streets but your hotel is quite close to an exit from the town if I am remembering correctly. My point here is that the town is small enough that getting out should not take more than a few minutes. There are also pay car parks just outside the gates which might afford easier access.

Maybe I can offer insight... we went 2 weeks ago and stayed outside. We thought it would be hard to navigate and park. That was our guess. We stayed at La Saracina near Pienza. If we return we will stay there again, but we WOULD 100% stay in a town because its quite easy to get around with a car! Parking is no problem, there are areas to park.

Also, we stayed in northern tuscany, in La Collegiata "just" outside San Gimignano. We both agree that next visit we will stay IN San Gimignano for sure. We imagine it will be just magical to stay there.

Happy planning!

Hi,

We just got back from a trip where we stayed at Mueble Il Riccio. The hotel is nice, but overall it was our least favorite of the places we stayed in Italy (more so because the other places where great, than any real deficiencies in Mueble).

Parking is ok, but not particularly easy. On arrival, we eventually found the hotel, but by that point, had passed their parking area, and had to drive through the city again. The roads are very small, tight, and mostly one way.

If you decide to stay at the Mueble Il Riccio, here are some tips on parking:

1) The hotel is about 50 ft. down a side street from the main square. You can drive into the main square, and temporarily park while you unload people and passangers.

2) The hotel parking is previous to the main square (about 300-400 ft.) on the left just past a large arch. It is basically 3 levels on the side of the cliff with very tight spots, about 8-10 per level. If you drive to the main square you can not go back to the parking, without driving through the town, and looping around back in, because it is one way between the parking and the square.

3) The hotel will give you a note to put on your car dash for the parking. IIRC, you park in the white spots for the hotel, the blue ones are pay. Unfortunately, the white spots do not seem to be completely reserved for the hotel, as one time they were all full.

The hotel was nice, had a pretty decent location, and our room had a great view. What we didn't like was the 8EUR for breakfast (every other hotel we stayed at breakfast was included and just as good). Internet was also not free (6EUR for 30min - again IIRC). Water pressure and temperature were one of the worst of our trip (maybe to be expected in these small hill towns?).

Getting into/out of town is not too bad once you get used to it. Our first night, it took us about 30-45 minutes from when we arrived at the town, until we had finally figured out where to park and how to get to the hotel. After that, most days it was just 5-10 minutes getting in or out of the town.

If you do stay at Mueble - check out the nearby restaurant on the Piazza Grande: Ai Quattro Venti. We had great service and great food at a reasonable price.

Thanks everyone,

Decided to stay in Montepulciano itself.

DH blew a fuse after he found out I wanted to book a hotel room instead of an apartment for the four us, especially when that hotel room didn't even include breakfast.

So I went back to the drawing board (aka: Fodors postings) and finally got a 2 bedroom apartment in Montepulciano. http://www.politian.com/index.htm.
This place has gotten great reviews, and the owner, Giacomo, is very prompt in replying. He said parking was just outside the entrance and was free, so hopefully everything will work out.

Thanks for all your help, folks. Don't know what I would do without you.

Monica, we stayed in that apartment a couple of years ago in September. Here's a cut/paste from my trip report on the apartment.


Author: Budman
Date: 10/14/2004, 08:27 pm
Here is the cut/paste portion that I had previously posted. I'll edit it a little more.

We booked both apartments 6 months in advance as my brother and his wife were going to accompany us and the apartments had a door that adjoined the two. We thought this was ideal for getting together for snacks & trip planning, wine drinking, etc.

Well, my brother had to cancel, and for some reason I thought I would be getting Apartment #1, the same one Monica Pileggi stayed in, but when we arrived -- Oops, we were given Apt #2.

Even after Monica gave us directions, we still got a little lost finding the apartment. We arrived late Saturday afternoon and rang the doorbell. Giacomo was not at home, and we were greeted by his lovely mother and the cleaning lady, who by the way spoke no English at all. After going thru all the hand signals, we seemed to break all the ?codes? we needed to get situated, i.e., which keys went to which doors, yada, yada, yada.

Now, to get the kitchen sink (pet name for my wife's suitcase) up to Apartment #2. I remember it was either me or someone else asking how many steps to get up to the Apartment, and the answer was about 25 or so, but Giacomo carried her luggage up there for her. Well, here's the not so good news to get to Apt #2. Up 17 steps to the first landing, then another 5-6 steps to another landing. To get from there to Apt #1, you would turn right at the second landing, then up 17 more steps to get into Apt #1.

To get to Apt #2, once you get to the second landing, you go outside to the back courtyard, down 10-12 steps, across the courtyard (100 feet or so), and head up 17 wrought iron steps to get into the Apt. Once you open the outside door to enter the apartment, there were another 10 steps to get up to the apartment. Guess what happened to Budman on several occasions? He forgot something in either the car or the apartment and had to go back and forth and get it.

We headed out to the supermarket (Conad) to buy some cheese, salami, bread, water, more cheese, OJ, snacks, etc. A 6-pack of 1.5 litre bottles of water was 2.76 Euro (a little over $3) -- great deal. We went thru that plus some during the week. We had a couple of 20oz water bottles that we brought with us in our carry-on, and we used them to refill for day trips. I later found out that there is a little local market a few blocks from the Apt which had just about everything you would need. I would use that next time instead of going to the supermmarket.

We had a little problem finding Conad. It is out the back gate of the town the other end of the town from where we were staying, down a little street just to the left of the Esso gas station. We drove there on the road that circled the city.

You are probably waiting to hear more about the Apartment? Well, here goes.

-- There is no radio, TV, air-conditioning, and no washing machine, but you should not have any problem entertaining yourselves. I was counting on the washing machine as I brought fewer clothes and was going to use it about mid-week. I ended up going down the street. There was a little place you could drop the stuff off, and she washed/dried/folded for 10 Euro.

-- There was plenty of hot water (no switch to turn on/off) for back-to-back showers and my shaving. Great water pressure. The shower stall was tiny, tiny, tiny. You had to squeeze to get into it, and when you closed the doors there was very little room to move. I know you are going to be on your honeymoon, but don't even think of showering together. Additionally, there was no shelf in the shower to put your soap or shampoo bottles. Oh, by the way, bring your own big bar of soap and wash cloth. Don't forget. The towels are not what you are used to at home. Just a little thicker than a bed sheet.

-- There are 2 bedrooms, master with wrought iron canopy bed (it is a little squeaky) and a second bedroom with 2 single beds. We used the two single bed pillows. The views from both bedrooms are just as you see on the website, if not better, especially in the mornings and evenings.

-- Giacomo had a can of coffee and a bottle of red & white in the Apartment for us. I shared a bottle of my super tuscan with him. I had to get some brief instructions on how to use the coffee maker. It makes one cup at a time.

The best part of Montepulciano was the wine, especially the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. I really liked this stuff. There were a lot of enotecas in the village, but I thought the best one was Crociani which was right across the street from the apartment and down a building or two. They had the best prices too. I bought a case of wine from them and the provided the Styrofoam containers free of charge so I could put it with my checked baggage (you are allowed 4 checked bags -- I had 3 bags and one box of wine for the 4 th bag. I also carried 8 bottles in my carry-on.

I ended up buying 12 Reserves (a Reserve is 3 years in the barrel and 6 months in the bottle before they can release it as a reserve). 6 of the 99's (13.5 Euro each), 3 of the 97's (15 or 16 Euro each), and 3 of the 95's (20 Euro each).

Additionally, when I was in their shop tasting, I learned that they are good friends with Giacomo, and it certainly helped letting them know I was staying in one of his apartments. I also learned that they sold their own vino da tavola by observing some of the locals bringing in their empties to be refilled. I asked if I could buy some, and they gave me 2 of their empty tasting bottles, magic markered the labels, filled them both, and when I asked how much, she said "Two Euro." Budman instantly "died and went to heaven."
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34535227 ((b))

Thanks, Budman, that does sound like an awful lot of steps, but I think we'll manage.

According to his web site, Giacomo has added a washing machine. We're not huge fans of AC, so I'm hoping that with the altitude we'll be OK running the fan/keeping windows open. Giacomo also has a desktop computer in the apartment with free internet access, so I know that'll be a huge hit with my two teen-age daughters, as we're in Montepulciano about midway in our Italy trip, and it will be the perfect time for them to catch up on their e-mails, etc.
I think DH will be ecstatic to hear about the deal on the table wines. How the heck did you get all those bottles through Customs?

Getting the wines thru customs was a piece of cake. I just returned with a case in with my checked baggage. The customs official asked me what I had. when I told him a case of wine, he just waived me thru. You see, the duty on still wines is "peanuts." It would be more time & trouble to write it up and collect the money that it would be worth.

BTW, Crociani is the winery a short 1/2 block down the street. They have the styrofoam boxes if you're interested in bring wine back. I really liked their wines, especially the 1 euro table wine.

I'm jealous of your trip. Enjoy. ((b))

Washing machine and computer. Maybe he upgraded that tiny shower stall also. I always miss having a computer since I like to keep up with the news. Since there is no radio/TV, you can listen to the radio over the computer if he has speakers. ((b))

Hi Monica,

I just got back from a 2 weeks in Europe with 1 week in Italy with my 3 daughters ages 11, 14 and 16. We spent 4 nights in Rome and 3 nights in Florence.

Just thought I would tell you a few of the highlights for my girls: We did a 1 day bike ride from Florence into Tuscany http://www.tuscany-biketours.com That was the best part for the kids and us. (Order your tickets ahead of time for any museums. We got into The Academia - and except for the David - it was boring for my girls.) The climb to the top of the Campanile was great - excellent views of the Duomo and countryside and no line when we got there. My girls also enjoyed the outdoor flea market with the leather bags and "designer" goods.

In Rome - we booked a three hour tour with Tony Polzer of Three Millenia Tours for a tour through the Vatican museum and Sistine chapel. It was expensive but worth it. He kept everyone's attention - kept it light and interesting. We then did the walk/hike up to the cupola of St. Peter's on our own. We also took a tour with Romearound of the Coloseum and Palantime - that was interesting for all of us too.

Good luck with your planning and I will check this posting again to see if you have any questions.

BTW - we went to Lake Como and the other Italian lakes 2 years ago and it was stunning!

I'm concerned that you will be in Montepulciano in August with no air conditioning...could be very uncomfortable.

Budman, if DH ever reads this, now he has license to go buy as many bottles as he can.

Mikki, thanks for the tips. I have promised my two daughters (12 and 14) not to go overboard on museums, and promised to set a limit of 10 museums over the three week trip. So far I have the Uffizi and Academia in Florence, Guggenheim in Venice, Borghese in Rome (I told them St. Peters doesn't really count as a museum).

Please let me know which museums in Italy carry the most bang for teenagers. I'll probably do some more research through past postings as well.

Monica,
I promised my girls only 1 museum per city- we went to 4 major cities. I don't think I would recommend the Galleria Academia in Florence - really the David scupture is the only work that interested my girls. I didn't count St. Peters, The Forum, etc as museums either.

Have fun, Mikki

We are in the Politian apartments right now. It really is perfect. I guess today was the first rainy day in 2 months. Oddly, my daughters know I'm on the internet, but they are too busy playing chess right now. We are having a wonderful trip. We are about to go out and find some wine now!
Thank you everyone for all the help and suggestions!

Find some wine? 1/2 block down the hill to Crociani. Bring some empty bottles to get some of their vino da tavola. It's really good stuff, especially for 1 Euro per bottle. Enjoy!!

Did he enlarge the shower stall? How did DH do bringing up all that luggage up/down the stairs? :-)

Osteria Acquacheta, right down the street was our favorite restaurant in the town. Be sure to make a reservation.

Enjoy! ((b))

Hey Budman,
Friday night, our first night here, they had some kind of festival/wine tasting where for 10 euros you got a glass you carried in a holder around your neck, and got to try 5 different wines. After trying the vino de nobile and the brunello, DH turned his nose up at the vina da tavola at Crociana. But he liked their other wine though. A neat flag throwing procession also took place.

The steps weren't too bad and we've gotten lucky with parking for two nights, finding a space right in front.
The shower stall is pretty small, but I haven't heard too many complaints yet. The view more than makes up for any shortcomings.
My daughters haven't watched TV for the last 12 days, so lack of TV here hasn't been a problem. The computer/internet access has definitely been a boon.
We went to Pienza and Sant Antimo Abbey yesterday, I think following your directions/itinerary that you emailed to me. We did a drive by for Montalcino, we return in the late afternoon today for some sort of archery contest/festival/pageant they're having.
We're just finishing up some tea and some wonderful pastries from Cafe Poliziana that DH and younger daughter went in the morning to get. We have yet to explore Montepulciano itself during the daytime.
Thanks again for your itinerary, Budman. I haven't been able to stop at all the places since DH has been whizzing by because I didn't want to be late for the chant/mass at the abbey. But we'll have another go today when we go to Montalcino.

PS to Mikki, my daughters loved the Borghese, we only have two more museums to go.