Tuscany suggestions?
 

Hello,

My fiance and I are planning on spending 3-4 nights somewhere in Tuscany for part of our honeymoon, I am looking for a place that would be a good base for exploring the area. We are probably going to have a car, and would like to take day trips to wineries, Florence, (not in the car!) and of the hill towns in the area. What would be a good place to stay? Siena? Lucca? Somewhere else? We would like to be somewhere near a decent sized town so we can walk or take a short drive to places for dinner and/or drinks. Thanks!

Sienna is great, it's a fairly large town however, and getting in and out with a car could be a hassle. You night want to consider Montipulciano, Pienza, Radda. Orvieto is also a good choice, but technically in Umbria.

The difficulty for you getting a helpful answer on Fodor's or any message board solely is that there are evangelizers for certain areas of Tuscany and certain ideas about Tuscany which may or not be right for you. Many people will tell you MUST stay at their favorite "digs" whether they are convenient to experiencing Florence or not. Some people will steer you toward or away from certain towns because they don't like walking up hill. Some will assume you want a fancy hotel because it is your honeymoon. (Maybe you do!) Personally, I would rather stay at a winery that serves dinner meals than stay in a town and visit wineries, but maybe you don't like being in the countryside.

So you really need to do some perusing of guidebooks first, on your own, and reading about how varied Tuscany is.

When you come back to post, you should include information like what time of year you are going, your budget, whether you don't mind being among lots of other tourists or find it more romantic to be off the beaten track , whether you want a pool, etc, etc.

And include the rest of your itierary!

But first check out some guides that give you an overview of Tuscany, which is quite a large place, some of it with seacoast, some of it wine country, some of it great art cities, some of it off the beaten track, some on.





Once you've done that, if you come back to post, it

Sorry for the garble at the end.

You'll get lots of shout outs for certain areas or places in 10 posts, but it's really no substitute for doing some basic research into Florence and the areas around it, and the differences between Siena and Lucca, or the wineries of Chianti and Montalcino, etc.

Terrific Zeppole !
You just killed any good input from at least 6 people who know Tuscany and are willing to help. This Forum is not about you. Just go away. We do not need your contrarian philosophy.

Here is my trip report with photos from 2005 trip (link below). Chapters Two through Four deal with the hill towns of Tuscany and Florence. If you want to see how we killed our rental car, Chapter One will give you the details (pay attention to what petrol your car takes), although that takes place in Umbria (also beautiful). My report might give you some ideas on what area you might want to base yourselves. Good luck, have fun and drink plenty of vino!

http://web.me.com/tomfielding1/Tom_%...taly_2005.html

((H))

pschwerdt,
This may help http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/hs_planning.htm


Henry

Good for Tom and Henry,
Both are experienced Tuscany travelers. Of course, it is always wise to read some guide books and form your own opinions as to where to locate in Tuscany. I have been doing that for 20 years. And, recently I decided to ask the experts who do this for a living. Here is their consensus:

LOOKING FOR THE BEST TUSCANY HILL TOWNS
Everyone seems to have an opinion on this topic, but I must admit that I did not have a quick answer whenI was asked the question. So, I decided to do some research with some of my favorite guide book publishers. I selected both FROMMERS and DORLING KINDERSLEY[ Eyewitness books] for their opinions. I was surprised that both publishers actually agreed on the top 7 hill towns in Tuscany. Here is what they say, and I have to admit that I do concur.

* SIENA: Clearly the largest of the hill towns; really a small city.
The impressive Duomo is still my favorite in Italy

* SAN GIMIGNANO: The epitome of Tuscan hill towns, it can be very crowded, but with good reason with its famed towers.

* VOLTERRA: This ancient Etruscan center is the loftiest of the hill towns, and has the best alabaster artisans in Italy.

NOTE: The above two are often grouped geographically and can be seen in a single day from many Tuscany locations.


* MONTEPULCIANO: Has a real medieval ambiance and is home to the filming of the TWILIGHT movies. Also, famous for its VINO NOBILE and has dozens of wine shops.

* PIENZA: The only “hill town” that is actually flat. It was designed as the perfect Renaissance town center by a Pope.

* MONTALCINO: My favorite wine town in Italy, home to the famed Brunello vino. Check out the enoteca at the local Fortezza

NOTE: The above towns are in close proximity as you drive EW along the south Tuscany road, SS-146. This area is my favorite part of Tuscany and includes other notable features such as the Abbeys at Sant Antimo and Mt. Oliveto Maggiore and the spa hamlet of Bagno Vignoni.

CORTONA: An impressive Etruscan hill town made famous by the Frances Mayes book and subsequent movie. Surely worth your time if you find yourself in eastern Tuscany, but is easily the outlier hill town on this list geographically.

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

Thanks everyone, here is some more info.

We will be there at the end of September, don't mind walking up a hill at all, actually we love walking. Don't want a fancy hotel, we are on a budget anyways. We like small hotels, apartments, and B&B's instead. Was hoping to stay around $100 USD per night if possible for accomodations. Love art, old buildings, small places to eat and drink, family run places...

We are also hoping to spend a couple of nights in Cinque Terra, and end our trip in Venice. (flight is home from there...)

Hopefully that helps.

Lol, bob!

Who is really trying to help the honeymooners here?

I suggested that the couple expand their information base. You want to narrow it.

The idea that Fodor's posters "know" Tuscany is silly. They like to reminisce about their trips, a lot of them taken as retirees. You seem to think this forum is about bobthenavigator. I think travelers deserve better advice. So sue me.

But if you've got some relevant advice to offer, why don't you offer it? I'm not against people posting, like you are. And I assume the original poster will be glad for any information -including something other than a rewrite of a packaged tour brochure -- not threatened by it, like you always seem to be.

pschwerdt,

See what I mean about needing a dispassionate guidebook. Lots of good websites will give a complete overview of Tuscany -- including Chianti, the areas arounds San Gimignano, Lucca, le Crete Senese, the val d'Orcia =- and the overview will be helpful to you.

Pschwerdt, if you haven't found a place - you might want to check out the Hotel Boscarecce, near Castelfiorentino, Italy. It is a small family-run inn, has a award-winning restaurant. and is located about an hour west of Florence. It is up in the hills, and I suggest you call ahead for directions if you stay there. But it is the most romantic hotel I have ever stayed in - and I don't usually look for those kinds of places.

And I apologize for the rude behavior of the posters above. This is your post, not theirs - they should take the disagreement somewhere else.

Ah, bob! I see we were posting at the same time. The typical cut and paste.

(Two days ago , bob just tried to arm-twist somebody who really wanted to see Cortona to go someplace else Will the real bob please stand up?


pschwerdt,

well, everybody has an opinion. I think anybody who believes there is a "consensus" on the "top Seven Hilltowns in Tuscany" is off their rocker. (Why not 8 hilltowns? or six?) What you've just been presented is the seven most touristy towns of Tuscany. Period. Yep - I'm a real contrarian.

If you want to see Florence as part of your Tuscan stay but don't want to drive into it as a day trip, your best bet is to stay somewhere near Siena, and take a bus in from there, or somewhere near Panzano in Chianti, from where you can take both a bus to Florence, and a bus to Siena.

Agriturismo Marciano might work very well for you if you'd like to stay near Siena with a car. It actually makes its own wine and serves dinner to its guests (it's not mandatory, but it can be a wonderful part of a Tuscan experience.)

Check it out:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...a_Tuscany.html

For Panzano in Chianti, another poster here recently stayed at this agriturismo. It does not serve food but it is only a five minute walk to the town of Panzano (uphill, you are warned!) She gave it rave reviews:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ti-tuscany.cfm

http://www.tenutedipecille.com/Prese...spx?lang=en-US

Lastly -- for more "contrarian" advice (meaning, not the few places bob has been) -- for your stay on the Mediterranean, consider staying a seaside town that isn't one of the five le Cinque Terre towns for a more authentic feel of life in Liguria, You can look on Tripadvisor for charming hotels in places like Bonassola, Moneglia or Camogli for romantic stays all on the same train line that can take you day tripping into le Cinque Terre.










In other posts, bob just tried to argue somebody out of seeing Cortona who really wanted to go there. But boilerplate advice is

More garble, sorry. My fingers get tired of warning people to keep the salt shaker at hand when reading Fodor's "expert" advice on Tuscany.

Sorry Zep, but you are totally overmatched by several frequent posters here when it comes to Tuscany. You should stick to Liguria where you are indeed expert.

You always seem to think that I prefer south Tuscany because of lack of exposure. Well, I doubt if anyone here can match my coverage of Tuscany over the past 20 years. I have stayed at the following Tuscany locations:
Florence---twice
Fiesole
San Gimignano--twice[once for a week at Agriturismo]
Siena
Chianti[ also an agriturismo]
Lucca--twice
Castelnouva Garfagnana
Bagno Vignoni
San Quirico
Montalcino
Porto Sant Stefano
West of Orvieto--for Pitigliano, Sovana etc

After that diverse coverage, and feedback from at least 100 of my clients, I have formed an opinion. It may be valid.

bookmarking

You might want to peruse Karen Brown's list of "value priced" accommodations.

http://www.karenbrown.com/List_Value...ice/page_1.php

You mentioned in your first post the desires to visit wineries and drive to towns for dinner and/or drinks. FYI, Italy's legal limits for BAC (blood alcohol concentration) is much lower than the U.S. (assuming that's where you're from). You do not want to drink and drive in Italy.

All I can add is: follow Bob the Navigator's advice! He planned a fabulous trip for us a few years ago which included Venice, Florence, and Tuscany...From hotel suggestions to type of car to rent, he did it all! It was great!

I am reminded that when planning my recent trip to Italy, Fodors Italy Forum turned out to be the biggest downer of the whole trip. Take what info you need, use it as a springboard to get some input elsewhere, and know that Italy itself is a joy and the people openhearted and lovely. You can't see everything, and you will love your trip no matter what you choose.

Thanks for the help everyone. And don't worry Jean, we have no plans to drink and drive in Italy.

Contrarian or know-it-all, I think we all benefit from different opinions, especially when the reasons for those opinions are explained.

Thanks to both of you, bob and zeppole. I know your take on Tuscany is helping ME plan MY trip!!!

pschwerdt, sorry for using your thread to address others :<

Congratulations, and have a fantastic, unforgetable time.

I'd like to help pschwerdt in the most neutral possible way, and although I'm not a Fodor's "expert" (yet!), I do work for the region of Tuscany so I know a few things about the area. I'm also human so I have preferences for certain areas, as anyone does, but I can say that they are all great (and I'm not paid to say that, they chose me for this job because I already thought that).

Intro aside: Tuscany offers a LOT of variety. There are flatlands, hills, hill-towns, mountains, seas, and cities. In 4 days you won't be able to see them all so you are right to ask for opinions. You can, however, get a good taste of what "Tuscany" feels like in that time, and it doesn't really matter if you learn the fine differences between what the hills near Arezzo look like versus those around, say, the Monte Amiata. Everywhere you look there's a little bit of everything - great art, wine, beautiful rolling hills.

Here are some things i'd take into consideration for any place:

-proximity to good roads for where you want to visit on day trips (for example, montevarchi is near the A1 highway which is good, while Volterra is adorable, but the road isn't great nor close to much other than San Gimignano).
-season: the countryside ain't great in winter ;-)
-acomodation: 100 USD won't get you far so it might come down to finding a place that looks perfect; if you fall in love with it maybe you should just go wherever that is.

Anywhere you go it's all going to look rosy to you on your honeymoon, and in general, Tuscany doesn't disappoint.

For inspiration, I suggest you check out photos of Tuscany on Flickr (there's some groups with really good ones) and maybe do some reading on the official website turismo.intoscana.it. I'd be happy to answer other questions for you when you have narrowed things down.
best regards, Alexandra

We love Lucca. Unlike many of the hill towns, every second accent isn't American, Australian or British. Great train service and access to the motorways. Last May we stayed at Apartment La Paolina, a lovely little two bedroom apartment located inside the walls, and only two blocks from the cheapest public car park inside the walls. It cost us 500 euro for three people for 7 nights.
We booked through www.bbplanet.it but you can also contact Chiara and Lee directly on [email protected] They are young musicians who speak English (Lee is American) and very hospitable. Chiara told us she can also recommend other apartments if she doesn't have vacancies.

Sarvowinner - I too love Lucca, and have been back several times. As a city to tay, walk around and absorb the atmosphere, I think it has few peers.

Having said that, I do not think it is a great base for exploring Tuscany as a whole. It is certainly close to Pisa, and the Garfagnana, but it a very long way from Siena (my favourite) and Southern Tuscany. Bob's list is, in my opinion, excellent.

I feel Zeppole can sometimes come across as overly contrarian about other's suggestions. Fodor's is, after all, a travel site and people are after advice and opinion. They may choose to ignore or disagree with it, but it doesn't make it less valid.

Agreed Lucca isn't not the closest to Siena & Southern Tuscany, which is lovely. Just a suggestion on based on the OP's accommodation budget of around USD100 per night, all in three to four days, with easy streets to walk around etc. In May, I found the accommodation in Siena to be very expensive compared to Lucca, also car parking was a lot more difficult & expensive. It took us 1 1/2 hours to drive from Siena to Lucca so a sizeable chunk of time but not out of the question for a day trip.

Interesting post - somewhat informative but also very emotional. I was just weaving my way through recent posts on opinions on day trips. I am staying in a house in NW Tuscany for 2 weeks(small town called Petrognano, closest train station Pescia, about 30 minutes from Lucca). I don't want to spend all day driving or taking a train but am thinking about Lerici, Parma, Modena, Siena and exploring other options. Last year was our first year there and we did the usual Pisa, Cinque Terre, Lucca and some small towns nearby as day trips. Priorities are great food, interesting wine bars or vineyards, great architecture, cooking, food markets, getting lost and not museums - any additional advice while I continue to weave my way through these posts?

Ciao! Fritch

Hi Pschwerdt (kind of rhymes with like Beschert --perfect for a honeymoon-related post)

Congratulations on ur upcoming marriage and honeymoon trip!

I am most definitely NOT an expert, having --other than passing through on a train--last been to this area 4 decades ago,.

so now,I'm seeking similar info as you from the numerous Fodorite helpers, for a trip next June

In the course of research for the "perfect" b and b not too far Florence, San Gimignano, Siena, etc etc, i found this:

http://www.casaledelcotone.com/

It's more than $100/night though. So maybe a bit of a splurge for three days?

For me, a pool is important --not sure how the temp is in September, or if a pool matters to you.

This b and b is 50 km from Florence--its proximity to other hill towns is listed on its website.,

Good luck, and let us all know what you find
.

We stayed just outside of Pienza for the Tuscany portion of our honeymoon in 2004.

http://www.ilcastellodispedaletto.com/index2_eng.html

We stayed in one of the farmhouses and ended up having the whole farmhouse to ourselves. We adored the place, and it was a great location for daytrips to Montalcino, Montepulciano, Siena, and Orvieto. Pienza found its way into our hearts - it is the place we talk about most when we talk about our trip to Italy. It's been 6 years, so I don't know what the prices have done in the intervening time, but the rates for the agriturismo was very reasonably priced when we were there.

Lots of good info!

Goodness, quite a pissing match here. Personally I have used the advise from Bob many times and the recommends are great.

We too spend a great deal of time in Tuscany absolutly love Radda. But that being said, Radda is a little too remote for a 3-4 day trip as it takes 30 minutes to get anywhere.

I would recommend positioning yourself in a central area such as Siena. (there is an inexpensive clean hotel just inside the wall by Porto Ovile called B&B San Francesco) You can rent a car via AutoEurope and the pickup is just a couple of blocks away. You can then loop in different direction each day. For example loop north east through the small towns of Castellina, Radda, Greve, Badia a Passignano one day. San Gim, Volterra etc another. Montalcino Pienza another. Bus up to Florence one day. You will get a nice overview of the country that way.

I have a great list of restaurants, drives etc. Just email me [email protected] and I'll get it to you.