Tuscany/Maremma - need help with itin challenges?
 

My mother & I are travelling for 10 days in Italy and would like to see some specific places.

I am concerned that we may be trying to see more than time permits.

Please advise what you would do/what areas you would stay over night and what you might skip, in order to see all without rushing through it and always checking in and out of hotels or chasing the sun. I know we can’t avoid doing this some of the time but I would love to set up camp for 2-3 days at one or two points.

What we know so far:
We will have a car rental.
We will start in San Remo, July 4.
Fly out of Venice, morning of July 15 – so 10 days total.

We will start with CT and the beautiful Italian Riviera , Lucca, Porto Ercole & Cap Albio (Southern Maremma) Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Siena, Montereggioni, Chianti, San Gimiagmano. (I wanted to visit Cortona but am willing to by pass on it for time sake, and read in a previous forum that there are other more beautiful and representative places to visit.)

1) Please tell me how you would tackle this (and yes, Southern Mareamma is a must see, for my Mom).
What towns would you sacrifice, besides Southern Maremma, if time restraints require it?

I am really concerned and know that there are other places we should visit along the way, opportunities to get lost and I would love to have the freedom/option to explore & absorb the culture while en-route.

2)I am not sure of distances (maps are only part of the story)
Can more than one town, realistically, be explored per day (I hope). If so which ones? and how would you cluster them?

3) After doing the coastal Maremma stuff - I was thinking of setting up a base in Montacino/Pienza area to visit nearby hill towns and then in Chianti en Greve to visit the more northerly places.

Is Southern Siena green or dry...I have heard that Chianti region is what one imagines and sees in pictures when Tuscany is represented but have read contradictions in these forums.

4) Lastly, do you know if traffic is bad in early July between CT & Lucca? And along the coast in Southern Maremma, Porto Ercole area?

Many many advance thanks for itinerary/routing suggestions and insight you can provide us.

Travelbugs

I will try to help but remember that it is just my opinion, and I will keep in mind that you can not skip the Maremma

1) Since you can't go everywhere, I would think about limiting the Riviera to the CT. I am not one of the people who think the CT is a must see, but since you are anxious to go there, I would stay put.

I would skip Lucca. It is ok, but not as interesting as some other places you plan to visit.

Look at a good map of Tuscany and try to pick just one more place to stay.

You now have spent several nights in Italy, starting with a couple in the CT, a few in the Maremma, and a few in the Pienza area. Let's say you only have 2 or 3 nights left. You still have to get to Venice.

Plan to travel from West to East.

2. Go to mappy.com or viamichelin.com where you can get realistic driving times between towns.

Can you see more than one town in a day? Yes, in the CT. Probably Pienza and another town in a day.

But how does this agenda of seeing more than one town a day fit in with your desire to wander, get lost, savor things, soak up the culture? It is a choice you will have to weigh carefully.

3. Are we talking a fourth base in Greve? Not possible I think.

Are you planning on spending any time near Venice or just going to the airport there?

Is the area south of Siena green or dry? Well, it kind of depends just where you mean. Some areas may be green, but if it is a dry summer, they may not be as green as spring photos would have you imagining.

It won't be brown, so don't worry.

4. In my experience, Italian traffic tends to build near larger cities. Your itinerary shouldn't be prone to an awful traffic.

I have also seen bad traffic jams in heavy rain, snow, and construction near Rome. The only traffic problem I've experienced in Tuscany has been in bad weather.

Really get a big map, use a route planner like mappy or viamichelin, and start eliminating places.

Since you are going to Porto Ercole, is the CT necessary? The Porto Ercole area will be lovely, and not as full of non Italian tourists as the CT.

Just my thoughts.

tuscanlifeedit makes many good points - I'll add my thoughts.

YES, I think you should be "concerned that we may be trying to see more than time permits". You're doing just that.

I've not been to Porto Ercole, but looking at pictures of it, might it be similar enough to the CT that you could edit out the CT?

IMO, with 10 days, I'd stay at a max of 3 places. They'd be Maremma, Val d'Orcia (Montalcino) and Venice.

I don't think traffic between CT & Lucca is going to be a problem.

Yes, I'd agree with Tuck. You're trying to do a bit too much. The Maremma is lovely and if you are at Porto Ercole you could take a short trip across to the island of Giglio (very similar to CT) where this year the sea has been certified the cleanest in all Italy. There is also a WWF wildlife sanctuary just north of Capalbio with untouched beaches and miles of virgin forest. Go to Talamone as well, a pretty old fishing village now a rather chic marina sort of place very popular with Romans.

Yes, in 10 days you want 3 destinations---you pick em but I agree with Tuck.

If you want to visit Porto Ercole, you might consider staying in Porto Santo Stefano. It's a beautiful little town with some great places to eat freshly-caught fish. The ferry for Giglio leaves from here. Near Capalbio is the magical Giardino dei Tarocchi, the Tarot Garden created by French artist Niki de Saint Phalle.

From here you can drive cross-country to Orvieto in a few hours - the road is pretty good, though it carries heavy lorry traffic - if you're interested in hill towns. You will pass through Pitigliano on the way, one of the most wonderful hill towns, and home of the great wine of the same name.

If you're interested, here are some photographs from the area: http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/c1524074_1.html

If you're interested in the Italian Riviera, you might consider doing the walk from San Fruttuoso around the hill to Portofino, rather than the CT walk. It's every bit as beautiful, San Fruttuoso is stunning against the high wooded hillside as you approach it by ferry, and you won't find yourselves surrounded by hordes of Rick-Steves-book-carrying Americans.

I don't think Porto Ercole and Capalbio are anything like the Cinque Terre. Different architecture, different people, different food. There are hardly any foreign tourists in Argentario and Maremma whereas the CT are packed. It takes about 40 minutes to drive from Porto Ercole to Capalbio. The drive is very nice and traffic should not be a problem except if you want to get in and out of Orbetello during the weekend. I have a house there so if you need any advice eg.restaurants feel free to ask.

I am traveling with my daughter, 23, to Italy for 13 days. We are going to Florence 3 days, Umbria area 4 days and then Maremma 6 days. Any suggestions on where to stay in the Maremma area? This will be our "beach/water" time. Thanks. We don't have an unlimited budget.

I'm interested in hotel or agriturismo suggestions for the Maremma area, too.

ttt

I stayed in Porto Santo Stefano in May. This is at the southern end of the Maremma. I stayed at Hotel La Caletta, right on the water, with their own 'beach'. I say 'beach' because they've brought sand in to make a beach on top of the seawall in front of the hotel. If you want beach/water/boats, etc, this is a good place to be. Easy short walk into the center of P.S.Stefano and to the ports. Easy trip by ferry to island of Giglio, which is very pretty. If you'd like to see some photos of the area, here's a link to my photos of the area. Just scroll about half-way down the page for Giglio, Orbetello, P.S.Stefano. http://jmstudio.fotopic.net/c1524074.html There are also photos from Capalbio and French artist Niki de Saint Phalle's Tarot Garden, if you're interested. These are also nearby. Capalbio is a lovely place for lunch and a walk.

I was fascinated by this part of Tuscany/Lazio and can't wait to return. Very beautiful, great food and wine, the only other tourists were Italians.

Thanks. The hotels were full and we are thinking of going to Praiano where I have traveled before. There are hotel availability and also the rates were good. Thanks again.