alg

Hi all. Wondering if you might take a look at the two (admittedly quite similar) options below and tell me which you’d pick and why. This is our first visit to Tuscany and our primary interests are food and wine. We're also trying not to do too much and feel rushed...my main issue is how to fill Sunday. We’ll be based just outside Pienza.

Thanks!

Option one:
Sat- arrival day; Pienza
Sun- cooking class (with lunch) at the hotel; Monte Oliveto Maggiore or San Antimo; San Quirico d’Orcia…not sure about this day
Mon- 2 winery appointments; Montalcino
Tues- 2 winery appointments; Montepulciano
Wed- San Gimgnano or Volterra, Siena

Option two:
Sat- arrival day; Pienza
Sun- San Gimgnano or Volterra; Siena
Mon- Cooking class, Assisi
Tues- 2 winery appointments; Montalcino
Wed- 2 winery appointments; Montepulciano

alg

oops. Sorry for mispelling San Gimignano.

Also, if it's not clear, after the winery appts we'll be visiting the towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano -- not just passing by!

taconictraveler

I would hate to see you go to Tuscany and miss Siena, with its magnificent cathedral and the good government frescoes in the Mangia.

also, I am not a San Gimignano lover, so I'd do Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Siena, and stop there - cooking class if fine, wherever you do it, but I'd stay near the towns mentioned, and you can stop at Monte Oliveto Maggiore as part of another day, AND Sant'Antimo, enroute to Montalcino. Monte Oliveti Maggiore takes longer if you want to really see the Sodoma frescoes.

On the other hand, if you don't want ANY cities, just stay with the small towns I've mentioned. OH, and I also really like San Quirico

alg

Thanks for the response...my post must not have been clear. We are definitely doing Siena, either Sunday or Wednesday. We'll combine Siena with either San G or Volterra. I think.

DonnaD44

I like option 1. San Quirico d'Orcia is a lovely town and we love to eat at Al Vecchio Forno or Il Pozzo--both are good. For winery appts. in Montepulciano area--we love Avignonesi. They give a very informative tour, not just a run through so you can get to the wine tasting. In Montalcino, we go directly to the Fortezza where you can sample all the fabulous Brunellos and have them shipped home for you.
In option 2, I don't particularly care for Assisi. The Giotto frescoes in San Francesco are wonderful, but the town is a touristy mecca for busloads of nuns, monks and other pilgrims.

taconictraveler

Ditto to everything DonnaD44 has said. - except I haven't been to Avignonesi, but plan to do so this coming June, when we are back at last in the Val d'Orcia!!

adrienne

I would avoid San Gimignano on Sundays when it's packed with tourists. Middle of the week would be better. Voltera tends to close up Sunday afternoons although the shops and restaurants will be open.

I would not give up seeing Monte Oliveto Maggiore, San Antimo, and San Quirico d’Orcia so definitely option 1.

Get to Siena early as the lines for the cathedral are very long.

alg

I thought for sure you'd say option 2! thanks for the comments, I really appreciate the insight.

Oh, I had previously read about Avignonesi on chowhound and requested info! Glad to see another recommendation.

Lexma90

I'm not sure what I'd suggest between the two itineraries. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Assisi; I didn't think I would (I'm not Catholic or religious).

If you have to choose between San G. and Volterra. San G. is more scenic and beautiful, and more tourists. But they have a great restaurant, if you want a special experience for lunch, Dorando. Volterra has a very good Etruscan museum, if you're interested in Etruscan artifacts.

Do you already have your vineyard appointments? When we've visited them in those areas, they weren't always able to accommodate with specific times or days (these were smaller places), so you may end up rearranging your schedules for that. The place I remember in particular, because I love the name, was Ciacci Piccolomini. I didn't actually visit, only my husband did - he's the wine buff (I was horseback riding while he was drinking.)

Enjoy!

Jean

I enjoyed both Volterra and Siena so much that I'd have a hard time combining a visit to both in the same day from a base near Pienza. A route search on maps.google estimates more than four hours of driving. Substituting San Gimignano for Volterra results in about 30 minutes less driving overall, but that would still be too much time in a car in one day for me.

The day trip to Assisi is also a lot of driving. Google says 1.5 hours each way, and that's with no stopping for the views of Lake Trasimeno and hoping for no traffic slowing around Perugia. I don't know how much time the cooking class would involve, but Assisi's treasures would take priority over a cooking class for me. Another long day.