I am arriving in Tuscany next week, staying just out of San Giminagno for a week. I am interested in hearing of the most popular small towns others have visited and why. We are travelling by car and have done the bigger cities before.

In the Chianti area there are wonderful small villages like Volpaia or Vertine. It's also very nice the square of Greve in Chianti (interesting market too).
Near S. Gimignano it's worth visiting Monteriggioni (with its medieval walls).
A bit further (south of Siena) the towns of Pienza, Montepulciano, S. Quirico d'Orcia, the village of Montichiello, the abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore (with Sodoma frescos),...

First, buy the book TOP 10 TUSCANY by Reid Bramlett. Then, search here under the name Stu Dudley for a great itinerary in south Tuscany. Do not miss Volterra and Montalcino--2 of my favs.

I second every recommendation made by bob!

Are you by chance staying at The Hotel Pescille about three kms. out of San Jimmy? We loved that place and stayed in the Bell Tower a few years back. Be sure to have a candlelight dinner outside, at the Mura Vecche in town. Ciribiri is also a good spot for dining.

alex2, I can't find Vertine - where is that ?

Vertine is a little village near Gaiole in Chianti. You will find it in:

www.viamichelin.com

On the way to Vertine you will find also the beautiful church of Spaltenna

I second the recommendation for Volterra. Absolutley one of the most scenic drives in Tuscany. Volterra is fascinating. Visit the artisans working with the alabaster, take some home, and get ready for a wonderful tuscan lunch at an unbelievably low price. Also we visited one of the most interesting chocolate and gelato shop i'd seen. Chocolate in very unsual shapes! They had all kinds of chocolate carpenter tools, couldn't quite figure that out! Also some very X-Rated chocolate. Just an unusual place and beautiful place. Breathtakingly beautiful scenic vistas. We're planning on returning this year to see more

We stayed near San Gimignamo as well and would also recommend Greve in Chianti as a lovely spot on the 222 drive. Have lunch on the piazza and visit the art shop a few doors down.

Another day we toured Siena and then went to Volterra in the later afternoon for the Etruscan museum, sunset and dinner. It is a beautiful spot.

Enjoy!

I recommend Volterra, Todi, Cortona, and Pienza but you really can't go wrong in Tuscany. The drive through Chianti is lovely too. Siena and San Gimi tend to be crowded so its nice to get out to these other towns.

Just another little query. When buying house wine does that usually come by the litre, bottle, carafe ? - forget the glass.

No 'tower' we are staying on a farm on the Certaldo road which overlooks the town

About ordering house wine: It's generally up to you. You can order "un litro" (a liter), "un mezzo-litro" (a half-liter) or "un quarto" or, more colloquially, "un quartino" (a quarter-liter).

In some restaurants, house wines are not "open" wines but are bottled. In that case, you can ask for a "bottiglia" (bottle) or "mezzo bottiglia" (half-bottle).

Finally, there is another phrase that you should know: "al consumo." The waiter plunks a bottle of wine down in front of you and says "al consumo." That means that you will be charged for as much as you have drunk of the wine. If you drink a half-liter from a liter bottle, you will be charged only for the half-liter.

Dc1...knowing how mobbed San Jimmy gets during the day when the tour busses converge en masse, when we last stayed at the Pescille, we drove to other towns (Siena, Volterra, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, etc) during the day..arrived back at San G at 4 or 4:30 usually, and then strolled the town before dinner...not a soul in sight...busses gone from the parking lots....most shops still opened.
Stu