I've been reading through so many guidebooks, I think my eyes are rolling back in my head! I have an idea of what I want to do through Tuscany, but would love a little advice on a few things. For the Tuscany portion of my trip, I am looking for relaxation, experiencing Tuscan life, beautiful sights and maybe a little bit of shopping for local goods (early Christmas shopping for folks at home), good food, soaking it all in and generally refreshing and filling my soul. Possibly some art/history, but will be getting my fill of that in Florence and Rome, so not as important to me through Tuscany. Most of eating out will be lunch/snacks through here, as I'll probably avail myself of my kitchen at Fonte Bertusi for dinner at home (I enjoy cooking with fresh, local ingredients). I'm imagining alot of casual roaming around villages and sitting in piazzas drinking espresso or eating gelato, while watching life pass by and swirl around.

This is what I'm thinking:

Monday am: Leave B&B in Florence - pick up rental car. I will be staying in an agriturisimo (Fonte Bertusi) outside of Pienza, but have two thoughts of how to get there. The more out of the way route - Volterra for a half a day and then on to Pienza. Or - the more direct route - drive through Chianti (mostly for the views, will be driving on my own, so wine tasting will not really be on the agenda) to Siena for a bit and then on to Pienza. I'm kind of leaning towards Volterra, but how realistic is that really?

Tuesday: Cortona for the better part of the day and then perhaps explore Pienza a bit before heading back to Fonte Bertusi. Maybe poke around Fonte Bertusi (depending on when I get back).

Wednesday: Definitely want to visit Sant' Antimo Abbey (hoping to hear the Gregorian chants) but then not sure of whether to visit Buonconvento or San Quirico - both sound lovely. Any opinions on either? Or should I pop up to Siena (if I don't visit on my way down from Florence)?

Thursday: Montepulciano (I believe it is market day!) and Chianciano Terme (a friend just visited and really enjoyed the spa treatments - I'm intrigued).

Friday: Check out of Fonte Bertusi - on to Orvieto - drop off the car, visit the town and check out the ceramics - catch a train to Rome.

Is this reasonable without running my little legs off or am I overreaching? Is there something that I've completely missed (as in "how could you go to Tuscany and not....?")

Thanks so much for any advice... I'm getting really excited for the trip!

Here's my take:

I would simply go to Fonte Bertusi in your rental car the first day. Take the scenic route out of Florence in the direction of Siena, but by pass Siena. Leave yourself plenty of time to stop and take pictures, or pull into a small town for refreshments. If you arrive early at Fonte Bertusi and can't wait to see more, go over to Pienza for some cheese shopping. The tour groups will be gone and it will be a nice time to see it.

Most Italian towns have one afternoon per week where their shops shut. Since shopping is on your agenda. find out which days those are for your target towns and try not to be in a shopping rich town like Cortona or Montepulciano when the stores are all closed. (It is very common for towns that have a big morning food market to close their shops in the afternoon of that day, but not always. Sometimes it is a different afternoon.)

Buonconvento is a very small flat town with one main street and easy parking that is very enjoyable for lunch. For many people, San Quirico (also flat) fits the bill of Tuscan town with nothing to do but sit in charming Tuscany. However, if it is a beautiful day, you might want to drive up to Montalcino just for the sky-high views. Whether or not you want to include Siena on this trip is up to you. It is a major tourist shopping center as well as art center, but it is not a pop-in pop-out kind of place, and you've already said the Tuscan portion of your trip isn't about art. You are unlikely to want march around Siena if it is raining. (Buonconvento has a couple of lovely small museums if it is raining, and the Abbey of MonteOliveto Maggiore also doesn't require sunshine to enjoy).

You should be prepared to toss your agenda out the window once you see Tuscany, not only because of weather, but because you might find you prefer to be there without an agenda, or you might find some town that for some reason fascinates you and want to linger and return. You might want to go to a cheese farm. Or you might meet somebody with a fun idea to go to the hot springs. I don't think there are any must-sees in Tuscany. It sort of is against the spirit of going there. It's just a bit like walking through the gates of paradise. You don't ask: "So what's next?" Take a look around.

You will have a great time whatever you do . Be sure to take into account that many towns are up the hill which requires some effort and time driving up .
I agree with pizzocchieri part of the charm is to improvise in situ, having said that if you can include
Volterra.

On your drive to your base, drive through Chianti, visiting a couple of villages and then stop for lunch at one of the many countryside restaurants with a view.

On Tuesday, I suggest skipping the trip to Cortona and visit some of the lovely villages and the countryside within 10-30 minutes of Fonte Bertusi. A good guidebook and/or the owners of Fonte Bertusi can point you in the right direction. Fonte Bertusi has a GPS you can borrow that is programmed with suggested driving routes through the lovely countryside. Make the most of where you are based and skip Cortona.

On Wed, you should have time to visit both Buonconvento and San Quirico.

The market in Montepulciano is not that great- I think you will be disappointed. You might want to visit Montepulciano on a day when the market is not going on and the town is less crowded. You will enjoy shopping in the town.

I agree, skip Cortona but do include Montalcino. Much closer and a better hill town IMHO. Try to have lunch at La Porta in Montichiello one day.

Thanks for all the good advice. Yes, pizzocchieri, I agree and will keep in mind that everything may change once I am there - one of the main reasons that I am traveling on my own... so no one gets upset if I completely change my mind once I get there!

I will definitely check on the store closure days - thanks for bringing that to my attention. Also, that the Montepulciano market day is less than impressive... any suggestions on who might have a nice or fun market day on a weekday?

The thing about Italian markets throughout most of beautiful small-town Italy is that they really are set up to meet the practical needs of the locals. Montepulciano is as pretty as it is because there isn't a Target store there. But Italians also would like to be able to buy an inexpensive plastic water pitcher without going to Rome to get it, and all anybody sells in their town is the 180 euro handmade one from Orvieto they are hoping you'll buy. Ditto scarves, baby clothes, tablecloths.

HOWEVER:

I did just read the other day this description of the Tuesday market in Chiusi:

"Southern Tuscany's hidden gem - smaller, quieter... Primarily food (great fish van) and some clothes."

The additional thing about Chiusi is that if what attracted you to Volterra was the Etruscan history, then Chiusi is an Etruscan town with the best small Etruscan museum in Italy, all with English labels. If you go to the market and the fish van disappoints you, you can stick your head into the Etruscan museum and in 35 minutes you will have seen some mysterious marvels (be sure to take a walk through the basement if nothing else). I don't know if you read this, but just this week, they found pyramids under Orvieto built by the Etruscans, and no one knows why they are there.

You can also go have lunch at Zaira if you are in Chiusi that long and also ask them if you can see their wine cellar -- which is actually an Etruscan passageway that has been in continuous use since Etruscan times. It's startling.

Chiusi gets 1/99th of the tourists everyplace you are going does. Sometimes people come through to see the museum, so you will see a glimpse of ordinary Tuscans who aren't in the tourist business going about their lives at the historic food market.

But don't let me put things on your agenda. You might wake up that morning and ----- ?

Rosecity,

Since you are interested in the Gregorian Chants at Sant' Antimo...I went for the same reason. It's very near Montalcino where I stayed for 3 days. The abby has a website that give the times of the various services. Some are full length mass and others shorter.

I went to the early 9am mass and stayed for the whole service. It was lovely and the church is simple, ancient and peaceful. There were only about 12 people there, half local worshipers, half respectful visitors.

Don't go during the time specified on the web site as "visiting hours" - that's when the tour buses roll in! However, if you want to be able to really tour the church and grounds, you might like to visit then.

Recommend visiting Montalcino rather than going all the way to Cortona. I've been to both. Montalcino has incredible views and lots of in town wine tasting. Be sure to have lunch at Grappolo Blu, excellent Tuscan cuisine to go the the Brunello!

Buon viaggio