butnotrmpt

I'm still considering inserting a few nights in Tuscany between our nights in Florence and Rome during our April trip. I would be looking for a comfortable place with beautiful views, walking distance or easy access to a lovely town for meals, easy to get to from Florence without a car. I don't want to move from place to place - just 2 or 3 nights of R&R, to recharge the spirit and energy before Rome. The #1 'Florence' B&B on Tripadvisor is Agriturismo Savernano, which is actually outside of the city - sounds very interesting. Anybody have any other suggestions. Remember - we will NOT HAVE A CAR. Thanks. Oh - price point would be at or under $300 American.

And - thanks to all on Fodors - I have reservations at all my top choice hotels! Yeah! Of course, I am still second guessing my Rome choice, but that is a topic for another day.

Tobie_T

Why not just stay in Siena at a fabulous property? It's a gorgeous city, easy to train to from Florence, and offers restaurants, sights and lots of R&R if you find the right accomodation. We loved our time staying near Siena.

Castello delle Serre gets great reviews and is on my list for our next holiday. Hotel Santa Caterina sounds lovely too and of course there are many others......

http://www.tuscany.net/castellodelleserre/index.html

Hope that helps.

Dayle

But,

It seems you are absolutely against renting a car, so my advice would be to NOT stay at an agritourismo even if it is near a town.

Remember, in April you may not have ideal weather and sitting outside at the pool relaxing might not happen. Pools won't be open, not usually until May at the earliest.

I love Tuscany and could certainly spend a good day not leaving the lodging, enjoying the views, reading, walking. But, personally I wouldn't want to spend a full 3 days doing that. Even if you are near enough to a town to walk in and explore, most of them are small enough that 1 full day exploring would also be enough.

For the time of year and with no car, I think you would get much more out of your trip by adding days to your planned cities and hiring a driver/guide to do a day in the countryside.

Tobie_T

I guess Castello delle Serre is 24 km outside Siena----sorry. But there are lovely properties within a few km.

Here are some photos of Siena to give you an idea of whether or not you'd enjoy it:

http://www.terragalleria.com/europe/...ienna.all.html

butnotrmpt

I've posted other questions about this and gotten a variety of responses. Right now, I'm scheduled for 5 nights in Florence, hoping to take 2 day trips out of the city. But I guess I can't escape my earlier dreamy visions of a stay in a Tuscan villa somewhere. Oh well - more thoughts are still welcome of course, but chances are my current schedule of 4 nights Venice, 5 nights Florence (including the 2 day trips out of the city), 4 nights Rome will be it.

bobthenavigator

Without a car I would stay in one of the hill towns. Siena is the obvious, but is a larger town. My choices would be Montepulciano--train to Chiusi and bus from there---or Castellini in the heart of Chianti.

MaureenB

Can you find a villa in Tuscany that's close to public transit, and/or the villa will provide transportation from the depot? Don't give up on your dream yet! This assumes you're ok with stayiing at the villa during the days and nights, without a car.
>-

suze

Aren't there places you could bus to? if you're willing to stay put for a few days once you arrive (as mentioned above).

LoveItaly

Hello butnotrmpt. Family members stayed in a villa outside of the small town of Collodi.

http://welcometuscany.it/tuscany/pis..._pinocchio.htm

They really enjoyed Collodi and although a few members of the family rented a car the others did not and did not need one. They said the train station was just a 10 minute walk. It is very close to Lucca. You might want to check into spending a few days there. My family actually based themselves there for three weeks and enjoyed every moment. Since they rented a house I have no idea about the hotels there however. They said the residents were wonderful and they enjoyed having coffee in one of the cafes every morning and soon felt part of the town due to the warmth and hospitality they experienced.

luvtotravel

It sounds like you are looking for something outside of a big city with easy access to a big city. In 2006 I stayed here: www.villascacciapensieri.it/

We took a train from Florence, and then a short cab ride to the hotel. There are two bus lines that stop in front of the hotel for a 10-minute bus ride to Siena. The hotel was lovely and should be in your price range. Here are photos I took at the hotel:
http://www.travelswithdiane.homestea...13Tuscany.html

We chose this hotel because it was just outside Siena and offered free parking, but you can easily stay here and use the bus.

Sue4

Bookmarking for hotel ideas.

tomassocroccante

Take a look at Villa Poggio San Felice - villapoggiosanfelice.com - , a pretty B&B in a former villa complex, just outside Florence - in fact, inside the town limits. But it has the feel of a country villa. Could be great for you.

constant

Chianti without a car - here's what you need! http://www.chianti.info/chianti_without_car.htm