Seeking recommendations for Tuscany apartment in village with restaurants
 

Hi all,

Based on many recommendations from forum members, we have decided that for our 7 days in Tuscany, we want to rent an apartment in a village with restaurants so we can walk around into the night and enjoy wine without worrying about driving.

My problem is that I have been very hard-pressed to find this type of rental. Every one seems to be an agritourismo located outside of a town.

Your recommendations would be very much appreciated.

What we're looking for:

Studio or 1-bedroom apartment (just for the 2 of us)

It would be great if there was a balcany or terrace, however not required

Under 100 euros a night

Located in Siena Region - although I'm not set on any specific area. I have been looking at Montepulciano or Pienza, which both look good - but I am very open to suggestions.

If any of you stayed in an apartment that fits what we're looking for, please help point me in the right direction!

Thanks in advance.

I've stayed at an apartment in Pienza. There are quite a few to choose from. I stayed in the smallest apartment (La Serra), bit I was traveling alone. I would want one of the other apartments for more than one person.
http://www.ilgiardinosegretopienza.it/

On this website, click on rooms to rent and you will find quite a few apartments in Pienza. The links are directly to the property owners. There are also a few listed in surrounding towns.
http://www.portalepienza.it/

I don't know if the price will suit you, but I have stayed at the Villa Pecille twice and loved it both times. It is located in the village of Panzano, just a short walk to the excellent restaurants and the charming village.

http://www.tenutedipecille.com/Tenut...=Villa_Pecille

Here's a thread discussing a few apartments in Montepulciano:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...mendations.cfm

Pienza is a bit 'flatter' than Montepulciano.

This website also lists quite a few apartments. You will have to search a couple of ways (private homes, holiday homes, etc.)as you will get different results (not as much shows up if you just search by town).

http://www.cretedisiena.com/english/

I also like this site as it links you to owners or lets you send out a request for dates/prices to an entire area/town. There are apartments as well as b&b's. The province you are searching is Siena. This site lets you see the locations of each apartment/b&b on a map so you can just locations. After choosing a town, you will need to also choose centro if you just want to be in the center and not outside the town.
http://www.bed-and-breakfast-in-ital...fast_siena.cfm

This earlier thread about staying within walking distance might be helpful too.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...fm#dest-header

Here is another with apartments in montepulciano...slightly over your budget http://www.santantonio.it/en/doc-31-1.aspx

When we spent a week in an apartment in Montepulciano late in September, we ate at a restaurant (several dinners) just a block from our apartment - very good, very reasonable, and a very extensive menu. We subsequently learned that the restaurant also has several B&Bs and a small apartment "linked" to the restaurant - Trattoria di Cagnano (http://www.trattoriadicagnano.it/ristorante.en.php) - that, based on their website seem to be very nice and affordable. Given how satisfied we were with the restaurant (and it's very personable wait staff), I'd be surprised if their accommodations were not equally nice.

As an aside --- we (2 couples) had breakfast there almost every morning at a cost of 5 euros/person (that would be included if we were staying in their B&B), and it was a fine breakfast. One morning the "waitress" said she looked forward to seeing us the next morning and we told we'd have to skip a day due to an early train from Chiusi to Florence but she was all smiles when we told her that we'd see her the next morning. We felt like we were part of her family, and we didn't even stay with them.

Tt

Thanks everyone for your prompt replies. The more I read about Montepulciano the more it sounds like the perfect sized-village and location.

If anyone has a comparable village that comes to mind, I would welcome your suggestions.

Also, any other apartments other than the ones already mentioned? I am still hoping to find one with a balcony or terrace. Thanks again!

Knoxvillecouple - where did you stay when you were in Montepulciano?

We stayed in the one bedroom apartment in the Politian Apartment in Montepulciano 4 years ago and loved it. Had great views out of the front windows to the countryside; back overlooked a garden.

Parking can be tricky in Montepulciano, but we were able to use a lot below the street that runs in front of the apartment. We took day trips to Sant'Antimo, Montalcino, Pienza and Assisi (the last a long drive) and came back in the evenings to enjoy dinner in Montepulciano.

http://www.politian.com/apts.html

These apartments also seem to get good reviews:
http://www.appartamentialpoggiolo.it/

IMHO I think that Siena is so much more spectacular than Montepulciano.

We stay in small Tuscan towns but one May we purposly stayed in Sinea for a week because we wanted to "get to know" the town. We would venture out each day to all the amazing small Chianti towns such as Panzano, Radda, Castallina and more. All within an hour of Siena and spectacular. Each afternoon we would have a prosecco in the Campo and then dinner in one of the amazing restaurants in town.

It is also so central that you can go in all 4 directions to great towns.. and there is a bus to Florence that only takes an hour.

We stayed at B&B San Fracesco which was okay but not an apartment. I think if you were to search Apartment/VRBO Siena then used a map program to make sure it was within the walls you would find something good. We have a great restaurant list of Tuscany. If you are interested email us at [email protected]

Other ideas.

Radda has a couple of apartments within walking distance of the town. One owned by Porciatti's http://www.casaporciatti.it/. There 5 or 6 restaurants within walking distance.

Panzano is a great small town and there are 5 or 6 restaurant there.

Castellina, Radda, and Panzano are good places to start. Lots of rentals. www.chianti-and-more.com

I also like Siena, but IMO it shouldn't be compared to Montepulciano. Siena is a medium-sized city and the capital of a province. It gets lots of car traffic (with rush-hour jams) outside its strictly-enforced ZTL. The entire historical center of Montepulciano could probably fit into one contrada of Siena.

Neither would be the "wrong" choice. It just depends on the atmosphere you're looking for and where you want to explore on day trips.