We are staying in Chianti for a week starting Oct. 14. We have reservations at Isloe e Olena vinyard and another. We are traveling to Siena, Luca, Piza. Has anyone found an area tucked away from high tourists volume? Also does anyone know of any local festivals or neat shopping/resturaunt areas.

Last summer, our family stayed at an agriturismo near Terricola, just northwest of Volterra. It is an easy distance from Lucca and Pisa and an area that is almost untouched by tourists. Very charming hilltowns with some great restaurants. You can read about it in my trip report on the Slowtrav.com website:
http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=1088

We stayed in Panzano, just south of Siena a few years ago . . no other yank tourists, but quite a number of Germans. Very quite little village on the top of a hill, surrounded by vinyards.

I find Volterra to be somewhat unique among the various Tuscan hill towns.
BTW, do not look for Panzano south of Siena--it is south of Florene and about an hour north of Siena.

A mind is a terrible thing to lose . . When we drove to Florence from Rome, I thought we stopped in Panzano before going thru Siena . . regardless, it is a very pleasant little town.