Tuscany Experts Wanted!
 

Next Sept. we have 2 full days(excluding travel) to see a part of Tuscany. We will be coming from Cinque Terre and going to Venice. Will be traveling by train but we'll rent a car somewhere for Tuscany.We are interested in seeing picturesque scenery and small towns and staying just outside of a town.I realize we'll only scratch the surface, but in what area should we stay to maximize our limited time and still have fun and take it easy. Would love to stay on or near a winery. Any ideas? Thanks so much in adwance!

Lucca, San Gimignano, Volterra, Monteriggioni, Siena. Stay the night(s) at a farmhouse or b&b. www.tuscany.net is very helpful!

If I were you, I'd rent a car at Florence's train station and drive the incredibly scenic S222 down to the heart of Chianti region and settle into Castellina in Chianti. From there you can drive 30 minutes in any direction and have a ball! I promise you, you won't regret this as your first visit. You'll come back for more.

Great advice. Precisely what I did, and it was a glorious seven days.

Hello in nyc.

We stayed at the Antinori property, Fonte de Medici is the management of the villas, and just loved it, it's the Chianti region and we day tripped a lot....
I think the website is fontedemedici.it

Do not drive in either Siena or Florence as parking is very tough. Both are walking towns.

Volterra is nice town. Its merchants feature alabaster.

I just got back from Italy and drove from Rome to Florence and had no problems driving in either Siena or Florence. I'd highly recommend the place that we stayed at I Parigi. (http://www.italyhotel.com/it/firenze/iparigi/index.html) It?s a Vineyard and they also have Olive Groves and bottle their own Olive Oil (which is very good) & Wine. Its just outside of Florence (less than 5 mins) and has the most fantastic views. The rooms are fantastic and its only 100-120 Euros a Night. The family that runs it were very friendly and recommended two great restaurants. I'd also recommend the drive through Chianti, but be warned it?s a very curvy drive but you can't beat the beautiful countryside.

Thanks alot for all the info! Any other recomendations for small B&Bs or agritisimos(?) in the area for $60-$100 a nite?

I used the serach enginge venere.com to find the place that we stayed at. They have them at all price ranges.

Go to expedia.com and look in siena. You'll find rooms for $55. a nite.

We enjoyed staying at Villa Il Poggiale (www.villailpoggiale.it) outside San Casciano. It is also profiled on www.tuscany.net and Karen Brown's site. The property is lovely and the breakfasts are wonderful. It has a great location and isn't too remote (an important consideration when driving).

I stayed in an apartment at Fattoria Barbi a few years ago. They are a large winery a few km south of Montalcino, home of Brunello. I'm certain they have a website.