My best friend and I are planning a trip to Italy in September. We both love Florence and plan to visit there as well as some hill towns in the Tuscany area. I had thought we would pick up a car at the Rome airport and drive to our first destination. This is where I need help. We would like to visit the Montalcino, Pienza, Montepulciano area. I would like your advice on a base for this part of the trip. We would like a town that is large enough that there is some activity at night--not we like to walk around after dinner and enjoy the city we are in. Parking is a consideration also. If you have specific reccommendations for hotels I would love to hear them. Our budget is around 150E per night. After leaving this area we will drive to Florence and turn in the rental car. We will be in Florence for 4 days then train to Rome for our departure home. Please offer any advice or suggestions on the trip.

Look at Palazzzo del Capitano in San Quirico--the perfect Tuscan small town. Drop the car at the airport in Florence--it is NW of town and then shuttle or taxi into town--do not drive in the city. In Florence look at Tourist House Ghiberti.

It is a good drive to Tuscany from FCO. I would consider your first nite in Orvieto, which is worth your time as well. Look at Hotel Duomo.

I would think Montepulciano would have the most activity at night, not that there is much nightlife in any of these towns.

I'm uncertain of the total length of your trip but understand the last 4 days will be in Florence. Your desire for "walk around nightlife" should be met best in Florence. Southern Tuscany towns will provide ample opportunity to walk around and enjoy the sights but virtually no nightclubs or classic nightlife, save for a lingering dinner or an enoteca.

Bob's suggestion of Orvieto is a good one--its big enough to explore at any time and well worth the effort. Italy's different--pleasures can come from very simple things. Good luck.

We spent four nights in Pienza in November at Residence San Gregorio. The hotel had parking, and it was a very easy in and out for exploring the rest of the area. At 90E (off-season of course)for a large two room suite with kitchenette, it was a bargain. We walked to dinner in Pienza each night. It is small, but there are a few restaurants and a couple of enoteca. Many of the shops were open until 7pm and we enjoyed poking around in them before dinner. No nightlife.

Consider Piccolo Hotel La Valle in Pienza. The hotel is located just outside the town wall & has a private garage. You can request a room with a valley view. Pienza is a pretty town with some wonderful restaurants! It is quiet here at night.

www.piccolohotellavalle.it

We've also stayed at Tourist House Ghiberti in Florence. It's a lovely B&B in a great location! We recommend it highly!

www.touristhouseghiberti.com


Good luck!

My wife and I we were in Montepulciano for five nights last September. On a couple of those nights there was a club where you could go salsa dancing, so there is some limited nightlife.

But, not to count on it. Luck of the draw and you might wind up sitting in the square sipping Vino Nobile and munching Pecorino and bread. However, this is not too shabby and quite memorable!

I would most certainly drive from Rome to Siena that is if you don't want to just sleep after dinner, the other three are beautiful but at night you won't have any young people or pubs...
so I suggest you stay in Siena and the move around from there, since it's in the middle. http://ow.ly/YYxq oriana of the Tuscan Social Media Team

I'm afraid you can't have everything! As others said, Montepulciano is the only place with *some* nightlife (which means that there will be *some* more people other than you who are not asleep after you've finished dinner - don't expect anything more). But Montepulciano is also the worst place for car parking. As far as car parking, Montalcino and S. Quirico d'Orcia are excellent, but then, there's no after-dinner-life at all there...

Consider staying at an agriturismo with a pool, a kitchen, a private patio and near a town. This is where I like to stay, located just 5 minutes outside of Pienza-

http://fontebertusi.com/eng/

The views are beautiful and the owners are wonderful. They have a nice selection of wines to purchase. You will be in the heart of some the the most lovely countryside you will ever experience.

Thanks for all your great suggestions. They all sound very nice and reasonably priced.

Can you give me some idea of the difficulty of driving in this area. I know these are "hill towns" but does that mean hills rather than mountains? I am not very comfortable driving in higher elevations.

Yes, hills means hills there. Excellent roads, not much traffic, easy driving, though not overly quick due to the topography.

This apartment is just south of Pienza and has a lot to offer at a good price. Check out www.cozytuscanyapartment.com.

cathy52,
I have a large file on Tuscany that may help. It is too big to post but if you e-mail me I will send [email protected]

Well, dinner runs long and late in Italy. It'll be 10 or 10:30 before you finish. Another reason why I like to stay in or on the outskirts of a town with a selection of restaurants. No need to drive home in the dark. And no need to abstain from wine for the drive.