What is your favorite place to stay in Tuscany?
Apr 25th, 2006, 05:04 PM
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What is your favorite place to stay in Tuscany?
My husband and I will be in Tuscany for six nights in July, and are looking for accomodations. We're looking for a cozy B&B type of place that is beautiful and out in the country in Tuscany. Preferably with a pool if we could find it. We'll have a car so we will drive to various sights/wineries.
Also, would you stay in one place or two if you had six nights?
Thank you so much! We have about half of our trip booked and it's all due to the help we've gotten on this board!
Jen
Also, would you stay in one place or two if you had six nights?
Thank you so much! We have about half of our trip booked and it's all due to the help we've gotten on this board!
Jen
Apr 25th, 2006, 06:52 PM
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Here are some of my favs !
There are doens more. Always pick location first---Tuscany is big.
BOB’S FAVORITE DIGS IN SOUTH TUSCANY
The region from Siena and south is easily my favorite area of Tuscany. Here is a list of accommodations that I suggest in the mid-price ranges.
It does not include weekly rental properties—that is another long story. All prices assume a typical double room—most have more expensive options.
A. RURAL LOCATIONS: All have parking and good food choices nearby
1. Relais La Saracina www.lasaracina.it 260E
Lovely B&B near Pienza---very helpful owners---perfect location
2. Le Traverse www.letraverse.it 155E
Also a B&B just south of Pienza—hard to beat at the price—has pool
3. Lucignanello Bandini www.piccolomini.it 150[2] to 244E[4]
These are apartments in a lovely rural setting near San Quirico[pool]
4. Frances Lodge www.franceslodge.it 180E
Very nice B&B on a hilltop overlooking Siena ,only 3 miles away.
B. LOCATION IN A SMALL HILL TOWN, OR IN SIENA:
1. Palazzo del Capitano www.palazzodelcapitano.com 130 to 180E
Very nice small hotel in center of San Quirico—perfect location to explore.
2. Vecchia Oliviera www.tuscany.net/oliviera/ 130 to 180E
Nice 4 star hotel at the gate into lovely Montalcino---has pool.
3. Palazzina Cesari www.montalcinoitaly.com 80 to 110E
Lovely small B&B in heart of Montalcino—great value—2 nite stay minimum.
4. Hotel La Costa www.lacosta.it 100 to 150E
Small hotel with great views in small medieval village of Montefollinico
5. Palazzo Ravizza www.palazzoravizza.it 130 to 180E
Very nice & popular hotel in Siena with parking.
There are doens more. Always pick location first---Tuscany is big.
BOB’S FAVORITE DIGS IN SOUTH TUSCANY
The region from Siena and south is easily my favorite area of Tuscany. Here is a list of accommodations that I suggest in the mid-price ranges.
It does not include weekly rental properties—that is another long story. All prices assume a typical double room—most have more expensive options.
A. RURAL LOCATIONS: All have parking and good food choices nearby
1. Relais La Saracina www.lasaracina.it 260E
Lovely B&B near Pienza---very helpful owners---perfect location
2. Le Traverse www.letraverse.it 155E
Also a B&B just south of Pienza—hard to beat at the price—has pool
3. Lucignanello Bandini www.piccolomini.it 150[2] to 244E[4]
These are apartments in a lovely rural setting near San Quirico[pool]
4. Frances Lodge www.franceslodge.it 180E
Very nice B&B on a hilltop overlooking Siena ,only 3 miles away.
B. LOCATION IN A SMALL HILL TOWN, OR IN SIENA:
1. Palazzo del Capitano www.palazzodelcapitano.com 130 to 180E
Very nice small hotel in center of San Quirico—perfect location to explore.
2. Vecchia Oliviera www.tuscany.net/oliviera/ 130 to 180E
Nice 4 star hotel at the gate into lovely Montalcino---has pool.
3. Palazzina Cesari www.montalcinoitaly.com 80 to 110E
Lovely small B&B in heart of Montalcino—great value—2 nite stay minimum.
4. Hotel La Costa www.lacosta.it 100 to 150E
Small hotel with great views in small medieval village of Montefollinico
5. Palazzo Ravizza www.palazzoravizza.it 130 to 180E
Very nice & popular hotel in Siena with parking.
Apr 26th, 2006, 06:51 AM
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We really enjoyed our time at Le Traverse, just outside Pienza. Great location for exploring Tuscany and even parts of Umbria.
My pics aren't complete yet, but I put a couple preview shots up, taken from the grounds of Le Traverse.
http://www.steampark.com/italy
My pics aren't complete yet, but I put a couple preview shots up, taken from the grounds of Le Traverse.
http://www.steampark.com/italy
Apr 26th, 2006, 07:45 AM
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This is WONDERFUL! Bob, I've read many of your responses in other threads and the information you've provided is invaluable! And Brent, thank you so much for the pictures. I'm going to spend my lunch hour checking these out and wondering how I'm going to wait two months to visit!
Tuscany has been hard to figure out (as far as what areas to visit, etc.) so THANK YOU!
Tuscany has been hard to figure out (as far as what areas to visit, etc.) so THANK YOU!
Apr 26th, 2006, 08:02 AM
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My sister stayed just outside of San Gimignano at a working winery. Please find enclosed link. She said it was beautiful and San Gimignano is close to Siena, Chianti, Volterra and Florence. http://www.pietrafitta.com/
I am staying at a small B&B just inside the walls called Palazzo Al Torrione as Pietrafitta was already booked. It was very reasonable at 85.00 Euros per night including breakfast. We have a room with balcony overlooking the countryside so hopefully it will be nice.
I am staying at a small B&B just inside the walls called Palazzo Al Torrione as Pietrafitta was already booked. It was very reasonable at 85.00 Euros per night including breakfast. We have a room with balcony overlooking the countryside so hopefully it will be nice.
Apr 26th, 2006, 10:19 AM
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I think 2 or 3 nights in or around San Gimignano and 4 or 3 nights in the Pienza area would be ideal since Tuscany is such a big area. I can see the temptation to stay put in one place for 6 days, but splitting your stay between these two areas will might make your days and driving a little more efficient.
We really loved our overnight stay in San Gimignano at La Cisterna, right in the heart of the town.
We really loved our overnight stay in San Gimignano at La Cisterna, right in the heart of the town.
Apr 27th, 2006, 01:56 PM
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Bobthenavigator - your recommendations are great!
Bob and fellow Fodorites - I have a quandry. I have 3 days to see "Tuscany" in June. We will start our trip with Rome and Capri and end the trip in Florence. We have never been to Tuscany outside of Florence.
I am trying to decide whether to stay in Siena or a hill town like Montalcino or Montepulciano as a base. The hilltowns sound romantic with great views and a different experience. Siena sounds great too and I wonder if I will miss its charm if I visit it in one day rather than staying there?
Bob and fellow Fodorites - I have a quandry. I have 3 days to see "Tuscany" in June. We will start our trip with Rome and Capri and end the trip in Florence. We have never been to Tuscany outside of Florence.
I am trying to decide whether to stay in Siena or a hill town like Montalcino or Montepulciano as a base. The hilltowns sound romantic with great views and a different experience. Siena sounds great too and I wonder if I will miss its charm if I visit it in one day rather than staying there?
Apr 27th, 2006, 02:27 PM
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Yes, driving. I was leaning toward the smaller town too. Plus, being based in a hill town specializing in wine allows one to enjoy the wine without worrying about driving afterward 
So that brings me to: Il Giglo vs Dei Capitani vs Palazzina Cesari vs Vecchia Oliviera. No AC in June could be a problem. Unless these hill towns are known to be breezy (a Tuscan mistral?). I'm also partial to a place with a pool.
So that brings me to: Il Giglo vs Dei Capitani vs Palazzina Cesari vs Vecchia Oliviera. No AC in June could be a problem. Unless these hill towns are known to be breezy (a Tuscan mistral?). I'm also partial to a place with a pool.
Apr 27th, 2006, 02:35 PM
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We just got back from Italy Monday evening (first trip). We stayed in a delightful place in Pescia, just north of Florence. It's a working farm where they produce wine, olive oil & honey. They have B&B accomodations as well as apartments. The hostess and her wonderful helpers speak good English. We stayed in an apartment for a week and took day trips to Lucca, Pisa, the Cinque Terra and Sienna.
The name of the farm is Azienda Agricola Marzalla, but we found it on the web at http://www.initaly.com/agri/marzalla/marzalla.htm and they called it "Podere di Pescia Apartments". The website has lots of good pictures. They do have a pool and the countryside is beautiful.
The apartments have a saturday-to-saturday week minimum, but the B&B rooms only have a 3-night minimum.
Have a great trip!
The name of the farm is Azienda Agricola Marzalla, but we found it on the web at http://www.initaly.com/agri/marzalla/marzalla.htm and they called it "Podere di Pescia Apartments". The website has lots of good pictures. They do have a pool and the countryside is beautiful.
The apartments have a saturday-to-saturday week minimum, but the B&B rooms only have a 3-night minimum.
Have a great trip!
Apr 27th, 2006, 07:09 PM
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Why thank you very much. Believe it or not, these were all taken with a Canon S410 Digital Elph camera...essentially a small, but very nice quality, point-and-shoot camera. It does have a semi-manual mode though, which allows me to control ISO, but not aperature or exposure time. For low light and nighttime shots, I used the manual mode at 50 ISO and used the 2-second timer and nearby ledges or steps to get nice shots. Most shots were received a post-processing pass in Photoshop, but nothing major.
Best way to launch the gallery is from http://www.steampark.com/italy/launch.html as this will launch in a separate browser window without the usual toolbars, etc. Thanks again for the comments. Ciao! Brent
Best way to launch the gallery is from http://www.steampark.com/italy/launch.html as this will launch in a separate browser window without the usual toolbars, etc. Thanks again for the comments. Ciao! Brent
Jul 7th, 2006, 02:48 PM
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Brent...some of the most marvelous photos I have ever seen...I will definitely check out the camera you mentioned; however, I think the photographer (you) is the magic/artist in them. Great angles/set ups.
Would love for you to post your itinerary. Thanks for sharing.
Would love for you to post your itinerary. Thanks for sharing.
Jul 12th, 2006, 09:13 PM
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Thanks again for the kind compliments. Here is our itinerary. Some might think we tried to do too much, but we felt this itinerary worked very well. Plenty more to see on the next trip, though! 
Fri, Apr 07 Depart Seattle 11:15am
Sat, Apr 08 Arrive :: Venice 1:35pm
...Stay at Hotel Novecento (near Accademia)
Sun, Apr 09 :: Venice
Mon, Apr 10 :: Venice
...boat to Burano and Murano
Tue, Apr 11 Train to :: Florence
...Stay at Hotel Casci
Wed, Apr 12 :: Florence
Thu, Apr 13 Train to :: Cinque Terre
...Stay at Villa Steno
Fri, Apr 14 :: Cinque Terre
...Hike Cinque Terre
Sat, Apr 15 Car to :: San Gimignano
...Pick up car in La Spezia
...Stop in Voltera
...then on to San Gimignano
...Stay at Hotel Cisterna
Sun, Apr 16 Car to :: Pienza
...Stop in Sienna
...then on to Pienza
...Stay at Le Traverse
Mon, Apr 17 :: Tuscany
...day trip to Montalcino and surrounding towns
Tue, Apr 18 :: Tuscany
...day trip to Umbria(Perugia, Deruta, Assisi)
Wed, Apr 19 :: Tuscany
...explore Pienza and Montelpuciano
Thu, Apr 20 Car :: Rome
...Stay at Hotel Portoghesi
Fri, Apr 21 :: Rome
Sat, Apr 22 Flight Home Departs 12:05pm
Ciao!
Brent
Fri, Apr 07 Depart Seattle 11:15am
Sat, Apr 08 Arrive :: Venice 1:35pm
...Stay at Hotel Novecento (near Accademia)
Sun, Apr 09 :: Venice
Mon, Apr 10 :: Venice
...boat to Burano and Murano
Tue, Apr 11 Train to :: Florence
...Stay at Hotel Casci
Wed, Apr 12 :: Florence
Thu, Apr 13 Train to :: Cinque Terre
...Stay at Villa Steno
Fri, Apr 14 :: Cinque Terre
...Hike Cinque Terre
Sat, Apr 15 Car to :: San Gimignano
...Pick up car in La Spezia
...Stop in Voltera
...then on to San Gimignano
...Stay at Hotel Cisterna
Sun, Apr 16 Car to :: Pienza
...Stop in Sienna
...then on to Pienza
...Stay at Le Traverse
Mon, Apr 17 :: Tuscany
...day trip to Montalcino and surrounding towns
Tue, Apr 18 :: Tuscany
...day trip to Umbria(Perugia, Deruta, Assisi)
Wed, Apr 19 :: Tuscany
...explore Pienza and Montelpuciano
Thu, Apr 20 Car :: Rome
...Stay at Hotel Portoghesi
Fri, Apr 21 :: Rome
Sat, Apr 22 Flight Home Departs 12:05pm
Ciao!
Brent
