Jean

Osteria Buonconvento in Sorrento! I've recommended this restaurant here a few times, but this is the first time someone else has mentioned it. We enjoy the atmosphere, dining with locals and tourists and singing along or listening to the music, and the friendliness and casual feeling. The food is good (especially the local specialties the owner/chef recommended), and prices are very reasonable.

Henry

Monday
Our destination today is Greve because it has an antique fair today. There is a traffic jam on the road to Montalcino. There are a lot of campers having trouble making the switchback turn. I have no idea where all the people are going to go in such a little town. We have the same kind of traffic jam in Greve. It takes awhile to find a parking spot. We have a good lunch at Trattoria Jolly. Pat finds the antique curtains she was looking for. On the way back we stop at Castellina in Chianti. Dinner is at La Crocina.

Tuesday
This is the only rainy day so far. We spend the day in Montalcino and have lunch at Porta Cassero. We pack and have dinner at the apartment. Packing takes awhile since I have added eight bottles of Brunello and olive oil from La Crociona.

Wednesday
We say good bye to Fiorella, hugs, kisses, tears. Drop the car at avis and get a taxi to Piazza Gramici where we get a bus to Florence, then a taxi to our hotel.

The hotel Regina http://en.venere.com/hotels_florence....html?ref=3926 . The hotel is in a great location especially if you like the market. The rooms are basic but clean. My problem with this room was the layout. The bedroom window was looking out over an airshaft. There was a smell coming from the airshaft, I think that there was a vent from a restaurant in the airshaft. Also, the common bathroom window looked right into our bedroom. So we had to close the window because of the odor and had to close the blinds because of the view. At 70 euro a night it was all right for one night. The management was friendly and accommodating.

Lunch was at Trattoria Garibardi located next to the hotel. Pat found many things at the market including an orange leather coat, it matched the purse and shoes she had already bought. After a quick tour of the Basilica of San Lorenzo and a look at the Ponte Vecchio we stopped at Il Bargello for a glass of Prosecco and to admire the Piazza delle Signoria.
Dinner was at Trattoria Bordino and was outstanding.

Thursday
Pat takes a last look at the market and we catch the train to Pisa and a taxi to our hotel
The Hotel Terminus & Plaza http://en.venere.com/hotels_pisa/san....html?ref=3926
was a very nice hotel within walking distance of the station. The rooms were modern and clean and the staff was very accommodating.
We had dinner at Lo Schiaccianoci across from the hotel.

Friday
They opened the breakfast room a little early so we could eat before we caught a taxi to the airport.

The flights home were uneventful except for a German airport security guard who got to know me more than I wanted.

cmeyer54

Henry - we'll be at le crociona in august - staying I believe in apartment A. have you stayed in that one? we'll have our two teens with us and hope they can cycle into town or just relax at the pool while we tour the vineyards.

Yorkyman

Nice post. We are planning a trip to tuscany. I have been told that most of the hotel accommodation in pisa is a bit hmmm. So we may stay in Lucca for 2 nights and take a day trip into Pisa. The ones i was look at were on http://www.hotels-rome-italy-hotels.com/tuscany/pisa/

Do you think it will be ok to run around pisa for a day on foot? or is there more to see there than one day will allow?

Henry

I thank everyone for the encouraging comments. Anyone who wants more information can e-mail me or post here. I notice that when I write a trip report it gets shorter for each day as the trip moves along.

cmeyer54,
Yes I have stayed in apartment A it is very nice. Your kids could walk to Montalcino, I have.

Yorkyman,
While there is probably lots to see and do in Pisa the only interest to me has been the piazza of miracles (where the tower and Duomo are).

Honeybear

Great info Henry. We are looking at doing two weeks in late October encompassing Milan, Venice, Florence/Tuscany and maybe, Cinque Terre. Any info on what the weather will be at that time of year? Also, any accommodations you could suggest would be greatly appreciated. What did you use to find your hotels, and time everything to the markets, etc?

Also, we were thinking of flying into Milan and out of Pisa. What was going on w/the Florence airport? Was the Pisa airport easy to navigate? Do you have to use Alitalia, or do us carriers go there?

We haven't been to Italy in too long, and really look forward to it after seeing your posts! Thanks very much.

Henry

Honeybear,
Weather is a crap shoot. Check your odds at http://www.weather.com/ go to world, type in the city and click averages.

For the end of October look at http://www.montalcino-tuscany.it/sagra_del_tordo.htm

I used Pisa because Florence was closed for repairs, it has reopened. I had no problems with Pisa. I flew Lufthansa code share with United.

E-mail me and I will send you day trip suggestions for Tuscany that includes market days.