Tuscany for the climbing impaired
 

We are spending 4 nights in Tuscany in late April and are renting a car. I've been trying to decide whether to base south of Sienna and stick to that area to explore or stay closer to the Chianti region and wander around there. My big problem is that of the 6 of us, 2 have bad knees and would not be able to climb up into the hill towns that don't have parking or funiculars and even then, if the town is all climbing they will be miserable. Some amount of parking them at a cafe is acceptable but I'd like to try to include places where they can wander freely without too much stress on the knees. Finding some places like this will help me narrow my search so i can finally decide which part of Tuscany to concentrate on. We've done the big cities so that's not an option. Any suggestions for flatter charming towns would be greatly appreciated!

The first place that comes to mind for you is Lucca. I would consider Greve, very small, but a nice visit. Another good spot might be Arezzo, where you can see all but the highest reaches of the town without too much climbing.

In Umbria, Perugia and Orvieto both are fairly flat when you get to the top of the towns.

Do not discount using taxis to get up into hilltowns.

Lucca was my first thought also. Lovely town, good food, flat walking area. whole area is pretty.

In south Tuscany , Pienza and San Quirico are both flat and easy to navigate.

Also Castellina in Chianti near Greve.Lucca has a lot to offer, beautiful city.

Pisa is also quite flat.

the campo dei miracoli is well named, and IMHO rises above all the tat being hawked around it.

the cafe on the corner of the campo is surprisingly nice, as is the rest of Pisa, where most other tourists never go.

Do you have a handicap placard? If so, bring it with you. They are honored in Tuscany. Also, call a taxi for your handicapped folks. We even called one from the campo in Siena. It will make the good stuff much more accessible.

Maybe I should re-phrase that. We are fine with parking and taking cabs up the hill to a town if they are available. So, with that in mind, what towns are walkable once you get into them that would be likely to have a taxi available?

Greve, Pienza, Orvieto come to mind. Lucca is also wonderful if you are in that area. Siena, absolutely not.

I would say everything mentioned above.

I would stay away from Montepulciano and maybe Montalcino.

I think Montalcino would be manageable as you can park right at the Fortezza.

Montepulciano is very hilly, but has a little bus that runs through the town. San Gimignano also has a bus that goes through the town.