Tuscany advice?
 

Hi. We are driving from Rome to Pisa (where we will fly home) at the end of October and have 5 nights to spend in the Tuscany region. I would like to stay in two towns during this time and take day trips each day. One of the towns I want to stay in is Sienna (probably for 3 nights).

Some of the places that I would like to visit are chianti, san gimignano, montepulciano, montalcino, volterra, pienza.

I'd love suggestions on what other town to stay in (maybe for 2 nights) as well as other towns/places to visit.

Also, I would appreciate any reccommendations on restaurants and wineries in that area.

This is my first time to the Tuscany region so it is a bit overwhelming.

thanks!!!

Stay in 2 locations--I would pick San Quirico and san Gimignano. Here are the towns to see and where to eat:
GOOD EATS IN TOSCANA---2008
I have never been called “ BOB THE FOODIE” , but here are some of the best places to eat in Tuscany based on feedback from many of my clients. Reservations are suggested for most!
$=inexpensive $$=moderate prices $$$= expensive

FLORENCE:
Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco $$ Across the river & very good.
La Giostra $$$ Excellent, but you must book in advance

SIENA:
Osteria Le Logge $$ Great place for lunch and near Il Campo
Cane e Gato $$$ A fixed price & menu for a true feast—allow 4 hours

LUCCA:
Buca di San Antonio $$ Best in town and near San Michele
Il Giglio $$ In the piazza of the same name---favorite with locals

SAN GIMIGNANO:
Il Pino $$ Very good typical Tuscan fare
Le Vecchie Mura $ Good value for a tourist town

MONTALCINO:
Taverna Grappolo Blu $ Popular with locals as well.
Ristorante Poggio Antico $$ Excellent cuisine 5km south of town at winery location
Enoteca Osteria Osticcio $ Best wine tasting & small meals in town

MONTEPULCIANO:
La Grotta $$ Near San Biagio church & very good
Café Poliziano $ Great place for lunch on shopping street

PIENZA: Latte du Luna $$ Best choice in this charming village

BAGNO VIGNONI: Osteria del Leone $ Good lunch choice in this spa hamlet

MONTICCHIELLO: La Porta $ Charming place with outside terrace

SAN QUIRICO: Trattoria al Vecchio Forno $ Good food & fair value

CASTELLINA: Al Gallopapa $$$ Creative & varied menu in Chianti

Siena...no! Don't stay right there in town; instead find a rental cottage in a nearby village....so much more comfortable, peaceful, and equal or less in cost than a hotel room in town. Since you'll have a car, you can easily visit all of the places mentioned. Siena is (and will be) squirming with tourists, and it should not be missed...but, why battle the daily hords of tourists for your five days in the most beautiful region of Italy. [One footnote: my wife was driving our rental car in Siena and got into a horrible squabble with a native Italian woman over a parking space in a public lot, frequented by tourists. Yes, it was a totally isolated experience, but one that immediately pops into our minds when we recall our visit to Siena! Italians are wonderful people, and Siena and the region are quite special! Don't miss it!]

Hi

My wife and I went to Tuscany last year and with a rental car we got to visit a few of the Tuscan hilltowns :-) Here is a trip report with pictures http://gardkarlsen.com/tuscany_italy_travelogue.htm . Maybe you can find some useful info there :-) Have a great trip :-)

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Lucca gets my vote, San Querico is up there. Think I would stay in central Siena 'cause it is a real pain to get into and the centre is basically walking only

Siena is a walled city with many restrictions on driving and parking inside the walls, so if you are planning day trips from there, you might want to stay right outside the walls at a hotel or villa with parking (like Il Giardino).

With only five nights to tour, I would suggest you stick with one "base" and visit other places from there as day trips.

The advantage of staying in Siena is a lot of restaurants, and if you are particularly interested in Siena's architecture, art and history, staying there as a base is better than a rushed daytrip.

But if your hope for touring the Tuscan hills is a rural Italian experience, you'll come closer to that picking a smaller town that is in the center of a radius of towns you most want see.

Second zeppole.
I've stayed in or near Siena several times. It's tough to park in Siena particularly late in the morning. Couldn't find a parking place near the Fortezza after a late start, about 10:30 am. So we toured the Chianti area that day. Loved Greve. That might be a great place to stay I think.

We had a wonderful dinner in Montalcino at Grappolo Blu. If they still have goat cheese ravioli on the menu, you must try it.

I don't have advice about where else to stay, although we did enjoy several nights in Montalcino and loved visiting Siena on a day trip. Its a bit of a drive from Siena to Pisa, so I would make that your first stop and then make your second stop some where closer to Pisa.

If you like art, near Pisa you may like to visit Pietrasanta. Nice video of the town here:

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/catego...p;ref_item=373

We stayed in San Gimignano during May of this year, which was a very good experience. Volterra and Siena are nearby. Very pretty drives. etruscan museuem in Volterra was excellent.

Bob mentioned some good restaurants. Nice video of Vecchie Mure in San Gimignano here:

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/catego...p;ref_item=368

With regard to wineries, I'd probably go to Montalcino.

If you can get a room at Hotel Santa Caterina, just outside Porta Romano in Siena, you'll have the best of both worlds. It's a very short bus ride (the stop is right out front) to the centro storico; an easy walk if you're so inclined, also. But the hotel has secured parking which allows you easy access to the coutryside with a car. And the views from the hotel are quintessential Tuscan.

Thank you all so much. It really is overwhelming when you want to see everything but are not sure what everything actually is.

We saw the Hotel Santa Caterina and that is one of the ones we were looking into staying at. Thank you for the advice as to not staying directly in the city -bilboburgler. We were thinking about that, but your point of it being very hard to get out each day makes sense.

Does anyone know how far a drive it is from Siena to montelcino area?

Thank you again!!

ames76,
I have a large file of places to see in Tuscany and how to get there. It is too big to post. Send me an e-mail and I will send it to you.


Henry

Siena to Montalcino is about 45 minutes. I agree with the suggestion to stay in San Quirico and San Gim (again, outside the city). Siena traffic was a hassle.

Get the Italian Touring Club map of Tuscany before you go. Money well spent.

Great info!! I'm taking notes.

Thanks so much. I'm going looking into San Quirico as to places to stay in that area.

Also - I definitely will need that map.

bookmarking: useful information!