marywhitcomb

Hi. Two couples are renting a house May 28-June 5 in Greve in Tuscany about 26km south of Firenze. We will have a mid-size car. Suggestions on what to see in the area as well as restaurants would be most welcomed>

Lorac1127

We were in Greve last week and just loved that town. The piazza is so warm and inviting and the shopkeepers were the sweetest people.

We stayed in Castellina and Montalcino and were in Greve for the day for a wine tasting/tour/lunch at a vineyard just north of town. A fabulous experience if you are interested at Castello di Verrazzano.

One of our favorite and most scenic drives which I highly recommend is from Siena to Montalcino on route S486...amazing scenery.

The towns which we enjoyed the most were Orvieto, Montalcino, Pienza, Greve, San Gimingnano, Cortona and, of course, Siena and Firenze.

We also very much enjoyed the Abbazias di Mt. Oliveto Maggiore and Sant Antimo.

Try to get to Market Day in one or more of the towns. All the locals come to shop, and we really enjoyed that experience...we went to the market in Castellina...small but fun.

ira

Hi,

You migt want to take your question to www.slowtrav.com. They are Italy experts.

annabelle2

Four of us stayed about 3 km outside of Greve in an agriturismo a couple of Junes ago. The helpful owners suggested two restaurants in the teeny nearby village of Montefioralle: La Taverna del Guerrino and La Castellana.

We ate dinner at La Castellana and REALLY enjoyed it. Delicious baby artichokes, porcini mushrooms, delicious pork -- one of our favorite meals and nights of that trip. Very nice staff, too.

The road there from Greve through the vineyards is a winding one, by the way!

Check it out through this website:
www.ristorantechianti.it -- click onto the Greve link.
Tel: 055 853134

I found the little "Top Ten Tuscany" guidebook (or something like that -- I actually lost it in Florence) was the best for the Greve area.
Have fun!

WendyLee

In September we stumbled upon a restaurant that was so unbelieveably good and so Tuscan! It's in a little town called Lornano, off the main highway between Florence and Siena (just outside Siena). It was small and quaint and yet classy. The food was incredible, noteably the Tuscan style chicken, the veal and you must try the white tuscan beans. There is nothing like them in this world! As anywhere in Tuscany, the house wine was incredible! We vowed that we would not eat in the same place twice and yet, we couldn't resist a second visit! Really was a highlight of our trip! The restaurant is called Bottega di Lornano and they have a website www.bottegadilornano.it Hope you can fit it into your trip! The countryside around the village is breathtaking as well! Okay, I'll be quiet now!!

jgita

Hi, We spent 2 weeks in a house in Greve in '98. 2 restaurants to put on the "don't miss" list: Lamole--just south of town there is a sign for a road that winds and winds up the hill,to the left, topped by the restaurant. Great view and great food. Same goes for Il Viscovino (sp?) in Panzano. Sitting in the piazza drinking coffee in the mornings is a treat there. Just behind Verezzano's staute is a great little bakery, and further to the left is a famous butcher shop. You are going to a wonderful and enchanting place. Say ciao for me...
jan

peyton18

Just got back from Italy myself...so, I'll apologize ahead for being a bit long winded...but, it allows me to relive the experience!

In Greve, I loved the enoteca "Le Cantine de Greve"---they have over 100+ wines to taste. You simply buy a card for X Euros and then you insert the card and then select which wines you'd like to sample. They have all the wines grouped by type (Chianti Classico Riserva, Brunellos, Super Tuscans, etc) You should also try Nerbone for dinner in Greve.

Catellina is close and I'd strongly suggest driving their and getting reservations at Ristorante Albergacchio de Castellina. It is rated one of the top 10 restaurants in Italy and it was very good. The owner and chef will greet you and most likely come to your table and talk to you.

Montalcino is one of my favorite towns; however, since the road is so scenic, it does take a little time in the car to get there from Greve. What you might consider, is getting a room for (1)night in Montalcino. I know that you said that you have rented a house...but, we stayed at the most quaint B&B (Palazzina Cesira) with fabulous & helpful hospitality (Roberto is a U.S. citizen that married Lucilla). They are also very reasonably priced. About 80 E for a room and a great breakfast and they are located in the center of town.

Pienza is about a 20 minute drive from Montalcino. I also would highly suggest visiting Pienza. My suggestions would be to drive to Montalcino and see a few vineyards, have dinner in Montalcino, spend the night and then leave to go to Pienza (another must see town)for the day (stopping at St Antimo on the way). You can then drive back to the house in Greve and stop at a few other towns on the way.

If you decide to stay in Montalcino--Taverna Groppola Blu & Re di Macchia are good restauants that are reasonable for the quality of food. Plus, I love Brunello and you can't beat the selection and the vineyards.

Siena is also a must see town.

Enjoy your trip! Regardless of what you end up deciding, I am sure that you will have a fabulous trip! Afterall--it's Tuscany, how can you go wrong!

bobthenavigator

Well said Peyton--you seem to be a real convert. Mary, find the post here entittled Helpful Information: Italy, and buy the small book named TOP 10 TUSCANY by Reid Bramlett.

peyton18

Thanks Bob! I take that as a big compliment coming from you!!! I have read many of your posts and suggestions before my trip.

I found this board to be very helpful when I was planning my trip and hope to be able to give back to the forum that enhanced my trip

dita

CAstellina was my home base last May in Tuscany. I believe Greve was no more than 15-20 minutes away.
Anyway, MUST SEE and definitely doable from GREVE are:
SIENA
SAN GIMIGNANO
CASTELLINA
PANZANO (Market Day and best butcher shop in all of Tuscany)Delicious food.
RADDA(market day and great view) Radda to Volpaia walk tour - highlight of our trip next to seeing Bocelli in Piazza IL CAmpo in Siena. Enchanting to say the least.
LUCCA - amazing walled city/town.
PISA - 1 hr max
FLORENCE - 1 day is enough

Best thing to do is migling with the locals, definitely experiencing the whole market scene, the more the better, buying great food at the market to picnic with while taking in the view and the observing the locals. Fascinating and what a life they truly have !

Don't forget your gelato breaks as much as you can. We had it daily , after dinner. CASTELLINA has the best Gelateria, comparing with Rome which was also good. Melon, Grapefruit, coconut....enough said.

ANTICA TRATTORIA TORRE restaurant in Castellina is awesome.
check out divinacucina.com for more Tuscany/Chianti restaurants.

marywhitcomb

thanks to all who posted. Any tips on driving during this week? We are flying into Pisa and flying back from Rome. We think we will take a train to Florence to avoid traffic parking. Any other suggestions?

kellib

I second the recommendation for Castello di Verrazzano. Wonderful!