Just got back from one week in Firenze and Tuscany area. Thanks to all the knowledgeable people who write on this board and helped me in making decisions, choosing places to eat, visit, etc.

We were very very lucky with the weather. There was absolutely NO RAIN, and while it was a bit too cold for our liking, and certainly very windy especially in the hill towns, we were grateful that it was at least not wet and we did not have to use umbrellas, etc.

We spent 6 nights in the Casci Hotel on Via Cavour 13 in Firenze. This is the second time I have been there (3 years ago was the first time) and I was happier than ever. I was welcomed as an old friend, the warm and friendly family who run the small (25 rooms) hotel are charming and gracious. We were three people this time and we chose to book one single and one double room. They were perfect, albeit the single was quite small but that is normal in European hotels. The rooms were just spotless and were immaculately cleaned every day. I believe sheets on the beds were changed every 2 days and of course towels were changed daily. The hotel is 2 short blocks away from the Duomo and even less far from the Accademia (David) and so for us, the location could not have been better. Breakfast was a huge buffet which included something for every taste, including eggs, cheeses, pastries, cereals, yogurt, etc.

We spent 2 days touring the Tuscan countryside with a driver/private guide that we hired named Luca Garapa of hillsandroads.com. We were extremely pleased with his expertise, his excellent and safe driving, his charm and wit and the places he chose to take us. On our first day out we went to several small medieval towns (Montefioralle, Greve in Chianti, Monterrigioni and San Gimigniano), wine tasting in a Chianti winery which was excellent (Fattoria di Cinciano). We were traveling with an elderly lady and so we were limited in how much walking we could do and using a guide such as Luca was just perfect, as he is licensed with his van to drive through just about any little street he could physically squeeze through with the car. In a different situation, we probably could have/would have walked more, but this way we could also see a lot of what otherwise would not have been possible.

On our second day tour with Luca, he took us to Siena in the morning, where we spent about an hour in the main square and the church. Then on through the winding hills and roads towards the area of Montalcino where we had a wonderful lunch in a small "ma-and-pa" local restaurant called Osteria di Porta al Cassero. Highly recommended. Good, real food where locals eat, not expensive and terrific house red wine. After some walking around the gorgeous town that we all fell in love with, we drove to a Benedictine Abbey that we visited and enjoyed the seclusion, quiet and beauty that surrounded it. We finished up that day with another winery visit and tasting (Altesino) where the wines (Brunellos too) were not much to our liking but the Grappa and the olive oil they make were outstanding and we purchased some of those.

Luca charges 35 Euros per hour for three people (the price is lower for 2 and under) but since we used him for 2 days and since we also used him for transfers from Rome to Firenze and back, etc. he lowered the price to 33 Euros for us. He charged a very reasonable rate as well for the transfers and it was a necessity for us, again because we travelled with an elderly person who would not have been able to handle the taxis, trains, busses, etc. that we would have had to use otherwise.

In Firenze, we had one memorable meal in an outstanding restaurant, where we had planned on going again but did not manage, called Quattro Leoni near the Palazzo Pitti across the Ponte Vecchio. The place is quite big inside but when we were there for lunch, it was packed and there was not one single table available (we had made reservations). The food was real, homemade, not expensive at all, service was wonderful and very friendly. Someone wrote a while ago about the pasta with pear and asparagus. Indeed it was something truly wonderful and unique and it is highly recommended. Not an everyday dish. Everything else we tried - minestrone soup, other pastas, house wine was great. And the deserts!!!! The cheesecake was just about the best we had ever eaten anywhere and the pear tartlet with chocolate sauce was also superb.

A restaurant that we were not happy with, and was actually recommended by our hotel was called Paoli. Too touristy, too fancy for what we were looking for, and too expensive. Food was tasty and OK but way too expensive, not recommended, around the Duomo area.

Much of the other food that we ate came from the wonderful San Lorenzo food market which was right around the corner from our hotel. We were extremely happy to buy fresh mozzarella cheese, foccacia, olive oil, olives, greens and tomatoes, pastries from one of the many bakeries that abound, and just have a wonderful picnic-type meal that of course included wine usually.

While we had made reservations for both the Uffizi and the Accademia, according to what I had been told, we actually did not need them. There was absolutely NO ONE at the Accademia when we got there ar 3 PM and there was a very short line at the Uffizi. I was not displeased that we had made the reservations, albeit it costs more to do that for entrance, but it may really not have been necessary.

I went for the first time to the Officina Profumeria di Santa Maria Novella, after reading so much about it on this forum. We were in awe of the beautiful rooms, the gorgeous smells of creams, lotions, perfumes, etc. and of course could not resist picking up several items, both for ourselves and as gifts. The prices are definitely not cheap but I think it was worthwhile. I am happy to report that, just as in the museums, there was practically no one in the store, and the saleswomen were not crabby or snooty. They were sweet and helpful and spent as much time with us as was necessary. A wonderful experience.

We went to Santa Croce and the Leather School there, where we saw magnificant craftsmanship and beautiful coats, bags, etc. The prices were very very high and I guess that if one was in need of a coat or bag and wanted something extra special, this would be a great place to buy. We did not feel like spending THAT much money so we just window shopped and enjoyed it. Salespeople were extremely obliging and helpful and are more than willing to make anything you choose in your size and have it shipped to you. I was not sure about doing that because you basically have to pay up front and then also pay a lot for shipping, but maybe others have done that and have had a good experience. For us, the looking was good enough.

Most of the rest of our time was spent just walking around, drinking lots of wonderful coffee, people-watching (an all-time favorite pastime), shopping and enjoying the wonderful week we had.

Thanks again for all the tips and information. I will be happy to answer any specific questions.

Ciao !!

Thanks for sharing, F.

My pleasure !!

Dear Flame,

Really enjoyed your report, especially the part about Trattoria 4 Leoni...that brought back delicious memories of my favorite pasta dish in Italy..Fiocchetti de Pera in Salsa di tialeggio e asparagi...we loved it so much that DH and I ordered a THIRD one to share after finishing ours...could NOT stop eating it...

Dear Traviata,

Thank you so much!! Indeed that trattoria Quattro Leoni is a gem!! I am so sorry we did not make it back that second time. But....... all the more reason to go again soon !!!!

Thanks for your review! I do have a question...
WE will be going to Italy on our honeymoon. Our original plan was
3 nights Rome
2 nights Montalcino
2 nights Florence
5 nights Venice

Do you think that we can combine Florence/Tuscany and stay 4 nights in Florence with day trips to Tuscany. We really want to go to Montalcino. Is it too far for a day trip from Florence? Thank you so much!

Dear CAAA101406,

Thanks for your comments. As I wrote in my report, personally I fell in love with Montalcino and that particular area. It is certainly NOT too far for a day trip from Firenze. However, I personally would choose to spend the two nights there in the area. As a matter of fact, those thoughts are what are guiding me in the planning (already!!) of my next trip to Tuscany. There are quite a few hotels which would probably be really romantic for your honeymoon there and I would go for that. When are you going? And congratulations !!!

Hi CA,

I spent 3 nights in Montalcino in Sept and loved it! I would highly recommend staying there for your planned 2 nights. You will have an entirely different experience if you stay overnight in a tiny, quiet hilltown rather than just day tripping it. Nice change of pace from the major cities too! Be sure to visit Sant 'Antimo abby for the Gregoria chants. It's just about 10 minutes from Montalcino. Also have dinner at Grappolo Blu. Excellent!

Congrats & buon viaggio!

I enjoyed your report, Flame. Luca also took me to that restaurant in Montalcino. Did you have the wild boar with white beans? Mmmmm....

Dear SusanP,

I am glad you enjoyed the report. None of us were as adventurous as to actually order that wild boar with Tuscan beans at the restaurant but Luca did. And he very nicely and generously offered us tastes. We all three did taste it and loved it. All the MORE reason to return!! Wasn't he fabulous?? When were you there?

Thanks Flame, and welcome to the Santa Maria Novella fanclub (she writes as she inhales her Melograno colonia.)

Dear Cigalechante,

Thanks very much. I did indeed fall in love with the Profumeria but not with that scent that everyone spoke so highly of, the melograno. But to each his own. I loved, and bought, the almond hand cream, the mint-y foot cream, the Russian cologne for my husband, some beautiful smelling room freshener and drawer scents. Mmmmmmmmm

Did the guide set the itinerary or did you ask him to take you to specific towns and he suggested sites or restaurants in those towns?

Sounds nice but probably too pricey. Of course, you don't have the hassles of parking if you rent a car (I presume he stayed with the car).

Seems like the shuttle tours would be somewhere between having a private driver and renting a car on your own.

Dear wco81,

Since we did not know much about Tuscany before, we did some research into the areas and places that we were interested in. And then I was in e-mail contact with Luca, our guide/driver and "discussed" with him what he might suggest. So it was a combined effort. As for the meals, we left it up to him. One day was great, in Montalcino. The other day in San Gimigniano was not very good, but he apologized because it was a Monday and apparently it is very hard to find anything open on Mondays.

Since renting a car was not an option for us and we could not have managed with trains, buses, or taxis, this was our only method. I did not think it was expensive for what we got out of it and indeed he stayed with us the entire day.

Glad you enjoyed Luca. He is simply wonderful. Sounds like a great trip. Welcome home. Dave

Dear Dave,

Many thanks. Indeed Luca is wonderful. He made our day trips very special.

Flame, I was there last Sept and used Luca on three days (actually he did two and his associate did the other one because he was already booked). I'm always anxious to sample the local specialties, it's almost always a good food experience.

wco81, Luca is actually much more reasonable than many of the drivers/guides. He charges 30 Euro per hour for 1-2 people and 35 Euro per hour for 3-4 people. In my case, I knew where I wanted to go and just consulted with him as to whether what I had in mind was feasible (although he set up the wine tasting for me). Or he will make up suggested itineraries for you if you're not sure what to do.

SusanP,

Was it Christian who did the third day of your tour? Where did you go?

Flame, No, I had Alioscia. He also did an excellent job. Rather that repeat all I did on the three days, here is my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34687434

You can skip to the Tuscany portion if you like!

OK good info.

However, my budget probably runs more towards the group tours, not the private ones. We'll see though.