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Hi All -

Last time I was in Montepulciano was 2005, and we hired Bob the Navigator for some trip planning help because I just didn't have the time to pull it together myself at that time. Bob did a GREAT job for us, but this trip I'm planning myself (and Bob is retired, I've heard) and I'm actually enjoying it but I'm stumped on a few items that I thought I'd throw out to the Fodorites to see if you could provide some suggestions:


My husband and I will be in Val d'Orcia for 4 days at the end of Dec, including NYE. Our plan is to stay in Montepulciano on Dec 31st and we currently have reservations for 3 nights at a hotel that is inside the walls of Montepulciano; very close to city center. Currently booked at Il Tosco but have considered Locanda di San Francesco, too.

We have read about the NYE celebration in Montepulciano and it sounds like a great way to ring in the new year. We are looking forward to the festivities - bonfire/fireworks, etc...here are my questions:

1. Does anyone know how late (and loud) the festivities last? We likely won't make it past midnight, perhaps turning in even earlier, and we wonder if the party goes on until the wee hours, will we hear it in our room? If so, it's early enough now, that we could still have the option to change to a hotel a few miles away.

2. Also, we'd like to know if there's a restaurant anyone would recommend in Montepulciano for dinner on NYE. Is IL Grotto still the "go to" place or is there something else we should consider?

3. It seems a lot of the lodging is closed down this time of year. We are looking to find one night, Dec 29th, in a vineyard hotel near Montalcino. A small rustic-chic sort of place in which we could take part in a cooking class and a winery tour. I've been searching high and low for several weeks and very little has been available except Villa Armena (Buonconvento) or 2 places nearer Siena: Borgo Casabianca and Castella di San Fabiano (the inn and the cooking class sound perfect but they require minimum 2 night stay which means I'd have to shorten our stay in Montepulciano which I'm not sure we can do as there are minimum nights req'd in Montepulciano, too). Does anyone have any familiarity with Villa Armena and if so, do you think it'd be a good choice for us? To let you know, we will be arriving Val d"Orcia in a rental car from Florence on Dec 29th. Our plan is to take the route thru Chianti, I think it's Rte 224, but we are flexible if someone has a better suggestion.

Thank you,

Shelley


Thank you

Macross

Pictures from our New Year's Week in Tuscany

Go down and bikerscott has a trip report. I miss their reports.

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Macross - your pictures are absolutely amazing. Thanks so much for sharing. We stayed in San Quirico on our last visit to Val d'orcia and you've got me wondering if we shouldn't be staying there again instead of Montepulciano. Your pictures of all the areas are so beautiful but I couldn't help but dwell on the San Quirico ones.

I'm not finding bikerscott's trip report but I'll keep looking; it's been awhile since I've been on this site so I have to re-familiarize myself with how things work.

Are you familiar with IL Tosco or Locanda de San Fran? If so, do you recommend one vs the other? It's just me and my husband - no children joining us.

When you were in Montepulciano for NYE's did you find the festivities to carry on all night and if so, were you able to hear the partying in your hotel room?

Thanks,

Macross

Those are jamikins photos and in the same thread bikerscott post about the trip

Jamikins and Bikerscott hit Tuscany for New Years

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Also, forgot to mention one other Wine Hotel that has availability: Conti di San Bonifacio Wine Resort. It looks very nice and a good match for what we are looking for but it looks to me like it's too far from the area we really want to focus on: Montepulciano, Montalcino, Pienza, San Quirico, etc...

Am I correct in thinking it's too far out of the way for a one night stay?

Macross

Wesleymarsh - it is just not fun for us when threads go downhill because of some posters, that's why we don't write them anymore. It takes a lot of time for my hubby to write them and if he doesn't enjoy the banter with friendly posters he doesn't want to take the time. Our previous trip report on the area is here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-new-years.cfm

I am happy to answer questions though, and not hesitant to share our apartment info as we loved it so much we booked in for NYE week in 2017/2018! I didn't realise you were looking for specific information.

We stayed here: www.appartamentialpoggiolo.it/

We had apartment 3 and 4 that connect. There is secure parking that is fairly simple to get to without going through town, and it is right in the heart of Montepulciano. The woman we dealt with was lovely. HIGHLY recommend it.

Did you need any further information? This was a post from Jamikins and Bikerscott

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Macross - thank you for setting me straight. I realized after I hit enter the mistake I made.

I was a bit confused as I read thru the thread and kept seeing jamikins name so I thought it was his thread but then I noticed it came from you, thus my confusion. Sorry about that.

Macross

No problem, I was watching the baseball game and not very clear. I just loved his trip reports and her pictures and it was NYE.

bobthenavigator

Sorry I can,t be more help, but I will say that the Locanda di San Francesco was a favorite of mine.
But that was several years ago---no recent experience. Location is ideal too.

I still monitor the Forum everyday, but my Parkinson,s limits my participation.

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Thanks Macross. Were you watching the Packers-Chiefs? We were watching that game and even though I now live in AZ, I'm a Packers fan as I was born and raised in the area.

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Hello Bob,

So nice to hear from you. Thank you for your response. Very much appreciated. Believe it or not, I still have the package you put together for us way back in 2005. What's your thought on lodging in Montepulciano vs San Quirco? You put us up in San Quirco in 2005 and we just loved it. Relias Palazzo del Capitano was the hotel you had us stay in. I looked at on-line and appears to have undergone some renovations/upgrades since we stayed there.

I chose Montepulciano this time just to mix things up - but we are flexible as to where we stay.

Shelley

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Hi again,

Thanks very much for the info. The video is great. I think they only rent by the week, unfortunately.trip

Trip report was great. Sounds like I better watch the weather forecast so I pack appropriately.

Shelley

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Hi Bob -

We are fast training it from Venice to Florence. In Florence we are renting a car and driving to Val d"Orcia. From Val d"Orcia, we are heading to Rome.

Regarding rental car drop off, do you recommend we drop it off somewhere like Orvieto and then take a train to Rome or should we just drive to Rome and drop the car off in Rome?

Shelley

bobthenavigator

I would drop it at Orvieto if possible that time of year.
If not, drop it at the Rome airport as you enter Rome and taxi to hotel.

bobthenavigator

I would rather be in Montepulciano that time of year.
It is 5 times bigger than San Quirico and has more to do.

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Hi Bob,

Thanks much for your last 2 notes. Appreciate it.

Shelley

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Does anyone have a recommendation for an afternoon Cooking Class in Montepulciano? We will check with our hotel, as well, but I thought I'd check to see if anyone has one they've participated in and would recommend.