Venice to Chianti?
 

We will be leaving on a Wednesday morning from Venice, headed to Panzano in Chianti where we will have a 5 night self catering rental.

Any particular route for special villages or sidetrips, or shops, markets on a Wednesday to stock up with delicious goodies, which we should allow for a detour/special stop?

Panzano is charming, but when we were there in late October the tourists outnumbered the residents we saw. Six tourists (plus the two of us), four residents, one dog. I don't know what you were told about provisions available in the town, but I wouldn't arrive without the basics.

At the top of the town, there is a bar opposite the church steps. It has a nice terrace at the back with beautiful views.

All of my suggestions for sidetrips would be to the south. We very much enjoyed Castellina and had a great lunch in Radda one day at a Le Forchette del Chianti on Via Pianigiani (love that street name). The roads that form a triangle between Panzano-Castellina-Radda-Panzano are all beautiful.

If you wanted to take a longer day trip, consider Volterra which is very different in atmosphere than what you'll see in Chianti. Monteriggioni is also interesting, but that area was the only place (outside of Siena) where we encountered an afternoon traffic jam.

Ummmm, driving from Venice I certainly wouldn't head to Volterra to pick up groceries en route to my rental in the Chianti.

The answer to your question really depends a lot on when you plan to leave Venice. In that part of the world, stores will close midday for the "pausa" and outdoor markets will be gone by 1pm. It's about a 4 hour drive to Panzano from Venice, so I think your best bet for grocery shopping is to go later in the afternoon, when the stores re-open. They will stay open until 7pm or a bit later.

If you are a super-dedicated foodie and up for an adventure, you could forego renting your car in Venice and instead take a train to Bologna. Stow your luggage in the train station and walk to Bologna's food markets. Go beserk buying incredible ravioli, cheeses, etc etc, have lunch in Bologna (da Gianni), and then go back to the train station and retrieve your luggage. There is a car rental office down the street from the train station. Drive to Panzano in Chianti.

Food aside, if you are driving from Venice, stopping for lunch in Ferrara can be beautiful. It is not hard to find a parking place outside the walls (check around the Volano River). Food in Ferrara is unique. It's a very atmospheric town.

Have a wonderful time in the Chianti. Were it me, and I was getting tired of seeing other tourists, I would head east, not west, into the areas east of Arezzo and into le Marche.

You do not say which month you are travelling.This can make a big difference. I agree with Zeppole - Bologna is a foodie heaven but if it is end of July/August the heat and humidity towards noon can be unbearable.

Your month of travel will determine the optimum route.

During our stay in a villa between Panzano and Greve last fall, we did most of our grocery shopping at the Panzano COOP. There are wine stores, gelato shops, many good restaurants (e.g. Oltre il Giardino, Vescovino) and Mario the butcher also has a restaurant and the shop has wonderful meats. I would not worry at all about having to arrive with provisions although the groceries are closed on Sunday so be prepared. There is a Sunday market.

Our experience was very different from Jean's. We were there during the annual wine festival so saw many local residents. We found Panzano a charming village with everything we needed during our stay. For side trips, Florence would be my main suggestion. Take the bus from Panzano rather than driving.

Have a fabulous time.

We will be there the last week in September.

We will already have a rental car as we fly into Geneva. Are the markets in Bologna close to a train station? Could we leave the car at a train station/town outside Bologna and go shopping? Or outside Florence and train into Florence?

Or what about shopping in Ferrara, it sounds like an interesting stop.

Venice to Panzano takes about 4 hours. I presume that as it is a self catering you would expect to arrive between 4 and 6 in the afternoon. You will probably exit the A1 autostrada at Firenze Certosa and take the Siena superstrada for a bit before heading towards Panzano. You can stop at any supermarket COOP on the way which will satisfy all your basic needs. I am sure you will find one on route. I don't think there is one in Panzano but there is the famous operatic butcher - Dario Cecchini.

On route to Panzano you could stop at two of my favourite restaurants. The Baia del Re - exit Modena Sud (http://www.hotelbaiadelre.com/restaurant.htm) - where you can eat wonderful tortellini but especially bollito misto. If that is not of your choosing consider travelling a little further south exiting at Barberino di Mugello and stopping at Il Paiollo (3 minutes from the exit) where you can savour excellent Tuscan food. The restaurant is a favourite of Ferrari engineers who use the Mugello test track which is nearby. Have a look at all the photos on the walls of the restaurant. The owner is passionate about cars and if you strike up a good rapport with him ask to see his collection. He has a wonderful selection of cars in the garages facing the entrance to the restaurant.

Hmmm !
Volterra would be a great DAY TRIP---good idea, Jean.

Regarding Volterra, the OP's question is about where to go enroute on a Wednesday between Venice and Panzano in Chianti. I think Jean misunderstood.

But I have to add that that given the plethora of marvelous hilltowns and scenic places within 30 to 40 minutes (or less!) from Panzano in Chianti, the only reason I would recommend driving nearly one-hour-and-a-half to Volterra would be an exceptional interest in Etruscan history or being a fan of the teenage Twillight series. If those things interest you, by all means take the long drive to Volterra. But realize that you are going to be surrounded by fascinating towns in every direction a stone's throw from Chianti, including some hidden gems like Loro Ciuffeno and Lucignano as well as the more famous towns Tuscan beauty stops.

Regarding parking around Bologna, you need to be careful to stay outside the walls (to avoid ZTL's) and on the whole, it would probably just turn into a frantic endeavor -- which sort of defeats of the purpose of enjoying Italy.

Nochblad seems to have some nice ideas about where you might stop en route. If Ferrari engineers like a lunch spot, it must have easy parking.

No, zep, you misunderstood. Re-read my post. I was suggesting/commenting on day trips from Panzano.

And, yes, there are many lovely towns closer to Panzano, but I much enjoyed Volterra. There is much more to Volterra than Etruscan artifacts and the Twilight series. Ancient walls and architecture, Roman baths, aqueduct and amphitheater, a rocca, art museums, and locally-made handicrafts, esp. their famous alabaster. Bonus: The drive between Panzano and Volterra is beautiful, esp. if one goes via San Gimignano.

No Jean - you misunderstood. The OP was after a side trip on the route from Venice to Panzano I believe.

You're right, nochblad. I mis-took the request for "sidetrips ... on a Wednesday" for a general request for trips out of Panzano. Nevertheless, I can't imagine spending five nights in Panzano without taking day trips elsewhere. When we were there (a Wednesday), we found only two businesses open in the town and no place to eat or buy food.

To the OP, so you're planning to pick up a car in Switzerland and drive to Venice? Those are 2 places you don't want or need a car. The public transportation -- trains, boats, buses -- in Switzerland is superb, and takes you places you can't get to with a car. Some of the cutest villages are car-free. Then of course for Venice you'll need to park the car, probably for the duration of your visit. And there's usually a significant surcharge for dropping a rental car in a different country.

I don't know what you're doing between Switzerland and Venice. But you could pick up a rental car in Venice at Piazzale Roma at the end of the causeway into Venice.

I have heard that Ferrara is a wonderful town to see and it is on your way down from Venice or you could drive down in the morning and be there just in time for a great lunch around Panzano. Or if you want to make a day of it you could go down the coast to Ravenna and see the world heritage mosaics, then over to Bologna and down (very long day though).

There is limited general grocery shopping in Panzano and their market is on a Sunday morning. The Greve market is on Saturday morning and it is great fun.

Places to get groceries:

Panzano:
Dario's for meats
There is a nice wine shop in the main square

Greve:
They have a coop (general groceries) but it may be closed on Wednesday afternoon.
There is a wonderful bread store on the bottom of the square (wider part)
There is a great meat market on the west side of the square.

Radda:
They have a vegetable truck on Thursday morning
There is a great little shop called Porchati's Good meats, veggies, snacks etc.
They have a good coop there also, but again they are usually closed on Wednesday afternoon.

There are amazing restaurants in the area and the very best is Risto Lamole in a town by the same name. I have a great list of restaurants, drives, markets and wineries. Just email me at [email protected] and I'll send you a copy.

Personally I think that the towns you should not miss are:
Radda
Siena
Volterra
Pienza

Well things have changed just a little. I was ready to book the aprtment in Panzano, when I re-checked some emails, and started corresponding with Sergio at Il Cellese outside Castellina in Chianti. He kindly allowed us to book 5 nights (beginning on a Wednesday) and the apartment I wanted was actually available. Trip Advisor made Il Cellese sound like a lot of fun, and Sergio was incredibly patient with my many, many questions. So my husband and I talked and compared, and finally decided to book at Il Cellese instead of the apartment outside Panzano.

So my original question is pretty much the same, just slight change of final destination.

We will have a car that we pick up in Geneva, as Geneva is our cheapest non-stop. Flying into Italy is more expensive or has a connection (which I don't like doing on our way over)

We're going to drive a little over and hour to Chamonix, and stay one night there. We have always wanted to see this area to decide if we wanted to go back, so it looks like a good 1 night stop to get over jet-lag.

After that we will leave and drive to Venice (2 nights) then to Chianti (5 nights) Lucca (1 night, I want to see Lucca) and then 3 nights in Imperia where we have some friends. After that we'll leave Imperia and stay somewhere near Geneva Airport (maybe Annecy, might be too far) before our flight home.

Appreciate all the suggestions, I think lunch at Il Paiollo might be fun, but also like the idea of stopping in Ferrara. My guess is we will leave Venice fairly early so we should have time for some stops to wander around somewhere.

Thanks for the day-trip suggestions also. I think we will go to Volterra since we want to see San Gimignano. Don't mind the drive, especially if it's a pretty one.

We've been to Siena and Pienza. All the Chianti towns are on the day trip itinerary, maybe Arezzo (Loro Ciuffeno?). One day to Florence.

So now that I switched things on you, where do we pick up yummy italian food for our apartment? What about if we get off the main road and detour over to Barberino Val d'Elsa, anything cool there? Any villages outside Florence (west side of Florence) I think I've given up on a market, just looking for a neat town or village with some great food shops. I'm afraid the 2+ hrs from Ferrara to Castellina in Chianti prevents too much food shopping there for milk, etc so I'm looking for some options.

Forget the car until you depart Venice.

Sorry Bob, we already have the car booked so we can stop somewhere for one night on the way to Venice. Also, it was cheaper picking up and returning to Geneva then a pick-up in Italy and a return in Switzerland.

You didn't mention that you planned to return the car to Geneva thus avoiding the extra cost of picking up in Switzerland and returning in Italy.

I'm sure you realize that you can't take a car into Venice so will have to make parking arrangements while you are there.

Yes, when we leave Imperia and stay somewhere near Geneva Airport (maybe Annecy, might be too far) before our flight home. (Jan 1 post)

I do realize we will have to leave the car at a parking area outside Venice, I guess the main parking area is Piazzale Roma.