I will be in Tuscany on my honeymoon in late September. We are picking up a rental car Sunday morning in Florence and will return it Thursday morning. We are staying at Lucignanello Bandini (agriturismo) in San Giovanni d'Asso south of Siena.

We both love wine and would like to tour several wineries. We are also interested in the culture, history, scenery, and especially the food.

I was thinking we might stop in San Gimignano for lunch on the ride down from Florence on Sunday. On Monday visit some combination of Montalcino, Montepulciano and Pienza. Siena on Tuesday. Explore Chianti region on Wednesday.

Am I trying to do too much? Any particular recommendations for wineries, restaurants and anything must-see/must-do?

Thank you!

Possibly you're trying to do too much, but you could see how you feel when you're there. According to mappy.com, it would take 1 1/2 hours to get from San Giovanni d'Asso to the Chianti area. It would be a pretty drive, but covering some of the same ground you would have driven for your other destinations.

If you love wine, then you could spend an entire day in Montalcino and that area, and then spend a separate day visiting Montepulciano and Pienza.

There are also other beautiful towns closer to your agriturismo, unless you really want to visit Chianti country: San Quirico, Monteriggioni, Volterra, to name a few.

A good source of information about Tuscan wineries, I've found, is "The Food and Wine Lover's Companion to Tuscany," by Carla Capalbo. In addition to lots of other info, she includes details on many wineries near Montalcino, Montepulciano and in Chianti. On our last trip to the area, my husband (unlike me, a huge wine-lover) selected several small, high-end producers, then asked our inn if they could arrange tours at those places. If you're knowledgeable about wine, this is the way to go, IMHO. My impression is that some (many? all?) of those kind of producers aren't open for drop-in visitors.

The biggest vineyard in the area, or possibly all of Italy, is Castello Banfi. Their setup is huge, and very similar to tastings/tours that we've taken in California. They have two restaurants, as well. I think you have to make reservations in advance for the tours.

You can do searches here at Fodors for restaurant ideas for all of the towns you mentioned. One place I don't see mentioned here much is the wine bar on the Campo in Siena (great location!), Liberamente Osteria Wine Bar. The complimentary antipasti are as tasty as the wine.

What kind of restaurants do you have in mind (formal, casual, cheap, expensive, a mixture), and for lunch or dinner? If you're eating somewhere else for dinner, keep in mind that one of you will be driving on narrow, windy roads after dark to return to your agriturismo.

Have a wonderful trip!

Look at Fattoria Barbi south of Montalcino on the road to St. Antimo. Also, eat at Il Vecchia Forno in San Quirico about :20 south of your home base.

Something that worked for us last year with a similar itinerary was to leave Florence of road S2 to Siena exporing San Gimignano and Monteriggioni along the way. The next day we continued on S2 to Montalcino, then backtracked to Siena where we picked up the Chianti Road S222 back towards Florence. Stunning countryside and very little traffic.

You will love the villa complex at Lucignanello Bandini. We have stayed there on 4 trips. There is nothing else (stores, shops, restr etc) in the little grouping of houses and it is out in the middle of nowhere. However it is beautifully relaxing and the pool is to-die-for! Try to climb up (and I mean climb) to the pool every evening and toast the sunset. Enjoy - we certainly did.

kathyandrick, any suggestions for where to eat while staying at Lucignanello Bandini?

Thank you!!!!

It may take me a little bit but I will look through my diaries. Please email me your address so I can keep it.

My email is [email protected]

thank you!!!

Good eats can be found in San Quirico at Il Vecchio Forno--about :20 south.

Just thought I would top this up. We leave in a little over a week and can't wait!

Since this post, we've refined a plan a bit.

<b> Day 1 (Sunday)</b> Arrive in Florence late morning and pick up rental car. Drive to San Gimignano for lunch. Proceed on to our agriturismo in Lucignano d'Asso, arriving late afternoon. Dinner reservations nearby.

<b>Day 2 (Monday)</b> Explore Montepulciano and Pienza. Hopefully visit a winery (Avignonesi). Not sure which town to visit first and how much time to plan for in each.

<b>Day 3 (Tuesday) </b>
9am reservation at Isole e Olena winery in Chianti region (near Greve). Early morning! Head to Siena by lunch time. Spend the day and eat dinner in Siena.

<b>Day 4 (Wednesday) </b> Montalcino- tasting Brunello, visit Sant' Antimo abbey


Any additional advice would be much appreciated! Especially driving routes/tips, where to park, anything must see, any special shops to look out for, etc.

Thank you again!!

Hi MW,

What a wonderful trip you are going to have! Congratulations! I left on my trip a year ago today, how I wish I was there now.

Anyway, highly recommend visiting Sant'Antimo very early. I was there at 8:45 am for the full service. By the time it was over, the tour buses were rolling in for &quot;public visiting hours&quot;.
Have a glass of brunello for me!

Buon viaggio!

I agree---hit St. Antimo early. Also, skip Greve--too far for a good day trip and you have so much to see much closer.

Ah, now I see your your total itinerary. Let me suggest subsituting either Castello Banfi or Fattoria Barbi for your venture to Barberino. You can eaily do that on the day you visit Montalcino, allowing you more time to meander to Siena via the Crete Sensei and stopping at Abbey Oliveto Maggiore either coming or going. For Siena, enter the Porta Tufi gate from the SIENA SUD EXIT and find the big parking garage nearby. This scenario will save you more than 2 hours of driving. Good luck !

BK

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