lildes

Can Radda be used as a base for exploring Tuscany? We really like a B&B/agritourismo there.

sandralist

Depends on where else you want to go in Tuscany, which is a rather large region of Italy. Many people go to Radda just to tour the nearby villages, castles and wineries of the Chianti hills. Some include a day trip to Siena or Arezzo. It's a little more complicated to take a day trip to Florence with a car, but it's possible if you research where to park, and you can also go to San Gimignano or Volterra from Radda.

The other most famous scenic area of Tuscany -- the val d'Orcia, is reachable, but it makes for a long day of driving. Lots of people have strong opinions that the val d'Orcia is prettier than the Chianti, but the Chianti fans are pretty loyal to Chianti.

Some places in Tuscany that are a real nuisance to visit from Radda. Western places like Lucca, Pisa and all of coastal Tuscany, plus some areas in southwestern Tuscany, like Pitigliano or Saturnia. The roads are just too slow, or have too much traffic or don't connect well to these places.

bvlenci

There are buses between Radda and Florence, but service is a bit sparse. However, there is much more frequent service from towns a little closer to Florence. From Greve, for example, service is almost hourly through a good part of the day. If you can drive to Greve and park the car near a bus stop, that would be a convenient way to visit Florence. I wouldn't dream of driving all the way there.

http://www.acvbus.it/orari/365.pdf

asps

Driving in the Chianti area is very slow. If you want to tour nearby villages and Siena, Radda could be a base. If you plan to drive extensively, it would be better to choose a place near to a motorway.

sandralist

It's a one hour drive to Florence from Radda, which I would not find too daunting a drive. But I would just prefer not to hassle with parking in Florence and the risks of traffic violations etc.

But if I didn't want to drive to Florence, I would sooner go to Montevarchi (35 minute drive) and take a train, rather than go to Greve (35 minute drive) and take a bus. The trains run just about every hour until midnight.

However, if you want to see Florence as part of exploring Tuscany, it is optimal to see it before or after your countryside stay, without a car.

lildes

Thanks all. I forgot to mention that a potential farm stay in radda is after spending 2 days in florence.

bobthenavigator

Radda is fine for Chianti but not so good for south Tuscany, which is my favorite part. Tuscany is quite large---hard to see it well from one location.

Let me guess---you like Fattoria Tregole near Radda.

HappyTrvlr

We stayed right in Radda and found it charming. However, our facorite area of Tuscany is Chianti, lots of green in the landscape

carolll

There is a cashmere goat farm one mile outside Radda. The goat herder, Nora Kravis, is an American ex-pat who has been living and working in Italy for over 40 years. She has stunning pieces handwoven from the cashmere wool, as well as bath products made from goat milk.

On another note, we drive to Florence and leave our car at a car park just past Galluzzo in the outer reaches of Florence itself. Public buses run frequently into the city. I believe the bus numbers to take are 11 and 38, but there are schedules posted at bus stops.

Carol

asps

buses 11, 36, 37

WWK

excuse my typing w/broken wrist. we stayed in radda about four years ago at fattoria vignale, and really enjoyed it. I'd say the town is good as a base for exploring surrounding countryside/vineyards and a visit to Siena. But you will need a car for most of that. We hired Luca Garapa from Hillsandroads.com to drive us back and forth from some of the vineyards we wanted to try. He was an excellent guide for Siena, too.

jabez

I very often split my stays south and north. It all depends on how long you will be there.