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What's your favorite Tuscan town?
We're headed to Tuscany in October, and I was wondering which towns people have enjoyed the most (and why). I'm especially curious about towns that aren't in the big guidebooks.
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I'm afraid my favorite is in the big guide books. I loved Pienza. Of all the towns/villages we visited, the people here made an effort to have flower pots everywhere. The town is flat, making it easy to stroll as many of the hilltowns are just that, hilly.
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(Nothing wrong with big guidebook towns... that's why I keep going back to Paris!) :-)
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Tuscany is one of the bigger regions of Italy, and it is packed -- and I mean PACKED -- with small towns, and these towns can differ from one another to an amazing degree. Castelnuovo di Magra is nothing like Pitigliano, which is nothing like Pistoia, which is nothing like Forte dei Marme, which is nothing like Volterra, which is nothing like Saturnalia, which is nothing like San Gimignano -- etc etc.
If you want to see ones that aren't in the (American) guidebooks (they're in Italian ones), just go there. Some of them are lovely, some of them a like strip malls. Where you going in Tuscany? Firenze? Lucca? Siena? Cortona? Monte Argentario? Maybe with a starter, people could point out some out-of-the-way place nearby -- although in some parts of Tuscany, the paths are well beaten. |
I think that's why I posted... I see so many towns on the map, yet so few in the guidebooks!
We're planning on booking 2 agriturismos for 4 nights apiece in the north and south of Tuscany. In S. Tuscany, we were looking at Siena, Montepulciano, Montalcino and Pienza. In N. Tuscany, we were looking at Lucca and Florence (where we've both been). |
Well, what are your interests?
There are great restaurant destinations in southern Tuscany (google Montemerano), there are hot springs (google Saturnalia), there are beautiful churches and monasteries (google "abbeys tuscany). But with what you've outlined, you've already got a full plate. Maybe you should just leave the rest up to following your own nose. Likewise in northern Tuscany, although you might enjoy sticking your head into Pistoia if you love Renaissance architecture and Della Robbias. But if you've had your fill of art gawking, head up into the Garfagnana on a clear day. October would be a beautiful time to do it. Despite the tourist impact, seeing Pisa is very worthwhile, and simple with a car. |
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We stayed in Montepulciano last fall. It's known as the Pearl of the Renaissance. It's pretty large w/ several restaurants and even a supermarket. We rented an apartment on the southern edge with beautiful views of the countryside. The town is a little severe - all grey stone bldgs., but that's fairly normal in hilltowns as they were basically fortresses. Some wonderful architecture though. The town is built along a ridgeline that climbs upwards quite steeply. Getting around is fairly strenuous. It's centrally located, which made it a good base for exploring the region, but also only about 15 minutes from the major north-south autostrada A1.
Pienza's lovely and we had a wonderful lunch at Terrazza del Chiostro. Drowning in honeyed sunshine looking out toward Monte Amiata. But Pienza has some newer buildings quite close to the historic area and it's a little small, still a favorite place of mine because of the perfect Renaissance square and gorgeous views. Siena is a bit overbearing w/very tall buildings, narrow streets and lots of hustle-bustle but love the Duomo and the Piazza del Campo. Montalcino is another major town. It's also fairly severe, but there are some park areas. I had a sense that it was much higher up and isolated than the other towns and in October/November there were some chilly winds. San Querico D'orcia was a sweet little town that's very central and close to the SR2 highway. As for sites of interest, we really enjoyed Bagno Vignoni, Monte Oliveto Maggiore and San Anselmo. To make your choice even more difficult, you could consider staying in a villa or inn that's near a town or towns. Probably a prettier setting than a hilltown but you will have to drive home after dinner... |
Note: Although the small towns of Tuscany are inviting for their beauty and charm, we found them problematic in that few of the Italians spoke English...and we spoke no Italian.
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A few of my favorites, all in S. Tuscany-
Pitigliano Sorano Montisi Trequanda Castiglione d'Orcia Rocca d'Orcia Pancastagnaio Castelmuzio Monticchiello Santa Fiora ... and not a town but a wonderful place to visit- Abbazia di San Galgano All have one thing in common- they are beautiful! |
slangevar,
I have a big file of places to see in Tuscany. E-mail me and I will send it to you it is too big to post. Henry |
Thank you, Henry - I just emailed you!
Zoecat - thank you - I'll look into all of those! It looks like I might need to just move there. |
Apologies for the double post, but I have to thank you again, Henry! I just skimmed your email with my boyfriend who visited Tuscany years ago, and apparently you mentioned things and places he loved, but had long forgotten.
I can already tell that your file will play a large part in our planning. :-) |
We stayed in Montalcino for 3 nights and San Gimignano for 2 nights. We visited Siena, Montipulciano, Pienza, San Quirco d'Orcia, Monticchiello and the surrounding area. Pienza was the town that captured our heart. We enjoyed the other towns a great deal but if I went back to Tuscany I would want to stay in Pienza. The town is compact, beautiful, and is surrounded by breath taking countryside.
My photos can be seen on: http://tinyurl.com/6rv6xs |
cft - your photos are gorgeous! Arg... I'm not going to be able to get any work done between now and October.
Looks like Pienza is a definite winner... JeanneB suggested an agriturismo that's about 5 km outside of their, so it may be a winner. |
Looks like a lovely spot...I've book marked it for future as we would love to go back to that area.
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A great agriturismo, just outside of Pienza and in the most beautiful area, is Fonte Bertusi. I have stayed there 3 times and plan to do so again next May.
http://fontebertusi.it/eng/default.htm |
We stayed at a lovely agriturismo just a stone's throw from Monticchiello, and down the road from Montepulciano.
Lovely views, peaceful surroundings and a good place to soak it all in! http://www.terredinano.com/ |
Kelly, thanks for posting your pix. We have many of the same shots from Orvieto and San Gimi, including the cat sitting by the window shutter!
Orvieto was our favorite. The people there were so friendly and proud of their city. |
sheri_lp - Terre di Nano looks incredible... can you tell us more about it? (e.g. does it match the photos on the site; how close is it to Montepulciano; how were the rooms/apartments; how was the food?).
It looks like their pool is open even in colder months, which is a rarity (and making it very hard for us to choose between this and La Fonte, if it's as great as it looks! |
Wherever you stay, make your way to Pienza at sunset. Bring your camera!
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mcheryl...loved Orvieto and would like to go back for a few days to explore that area more such as Sovano, Pitgliano and Civita di Bagnoregio. Too many places and only so much time and money:(
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Here is a link to my Tuscany photos: Pienza, Montepulciano, Cortona, Orvieto, etc.
http://travelswithdiane.homestead.co...17Tuscany.html |
slangevar - I went to Terre di Nano in October and the pool was open but not sure how heated it was. We had lovely weather so you could have gotten a little sun. The property is about 1 mile from Monticchiello, and about 20 minutes or so from Montepulciano.
The property has a B&B option or a self-catering apartment option, which is the one we chose. We stayed in La Terrazza, the two-bedroom upstairs apartment with a huge terrace with wonderful views. We were out there every morning with coffee and every night with wine. The kitchen is fully equipped and they offer dining there but we found ourselves cooking for ourselves when we went out for the day to pick up things in the local groceries. You can also buy their wine and olive oil too. I traveled with my mom and sister and we all loved it. The owner/manager Georgio was very accommodating and very prompt with email replies in the reservation process, so we had no trouble there. We also took advantage of StuDudley's driving tour of Val D'Orcia and we were in the midst of the most beautiful area. One day we took a nice unplanned drive toward Cortona and found the area very easy to get around. Great for exploring! |
CFT...great photos!
Zoe & Sheri...both of these places look wonderful. I also love the southern area of Tuscany... Montepulciano....Montalcino...Monticchiello. last October we stayed at Montorio, on the slopes of Montepulciano. www.montorio.com I have a ton of info/images posted on my blog...under the November/December archives. http://baileyzimmerman.blogspot.com I love Tuscany in the autumn...the colors were spectacular!! Have a great trip! |
Bailey - Montorio looks amazing.
It just proves one thing: So much Tuscany, so little time! |
great links, thanks!
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Guidebook towns & cities: Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Pitigliano, Sovana, Montepulciano and (I hardly dare mention it) S. Gimignano.
Non-guidebook towns: Barga, Carrara (wonderful & totally neglected - one of the best Romanesque cathedrals in Tuscany), Massa Marittima, Certaldo (hardly any "real" sights, but incomparably pretty!!), Monteriggioni, Torri (this one is REALLY unknown), Arezzo, Castiglion Fiorentino (no sights, picture-perfect small town air), Sansepolcro (important little museum, otherwise much like Castiglion Fiorentino). |
luvtotravel...I so much enjoyed your journel and photos. I'm going to dream of pecorino tonight!! It brought back such wonderful memories. You've got a very good eye...your photos are amazing. Thanks for sharing them.
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Such beautiful photos! It's going to be hard to narrow ourselves down to 8 or under towns when we're there in October.
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Sheri-lp - we wound up booking a room at Terre di Nano, so thank you for your recommendation!
I hope it's okay - Giorgio asked where we learned about TdN and I mentioned you, along with the email address you posted here. Maybe you'll get a thank you/discount out of it? |
Hi slangevar,
Below is link to my Italy trip report. Go to "Day Eight: The Five Best Hill Towns That People Do Not Visit." We were based in San Quirico, and on this day we drove to Arcidosso, Roccalbegna (really liked it), Sovana, Sorano and Pitigliano (buy some inexpensive, yet pretty good wine at one of the caves). A long, but very fun, day. There are photos on the blog (report). We just had some friends recreate that journey from m our trip, and they loved it. http://travelswithmaitaitom.typepad.com/travels/ ((H)) |
maitaitom - this is brilliant - thank you so much! These places are right around where we'll be staying for the bulk of our trip, and we're really excited to concentrate on the lesser known Tuscan towns. Thank you!
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Roccalbegna is very rarely (if ever) mentioned on this board. It's out of the way for many, but the roads into and out of it are scenic, and the views from atop the rocca out onto the roofs of the town and surrounding countryside makes it worthwhile, in my opinion.
If you have time, visit the guy at the TI. He was like the Maytag repairman of TIs and was happy to share his local knowledge of wine with me. I think if I had stayed another 15 minutes, he would have adopted me. Some people will say that this is too much to do in a day, but I have another view. After a long day of hill town-hopping and walking to the tops of castles, the wine at night tastes all that much better. Have a great trip. Have some Pecorino in Pienza and put it on my account. ((H)) |
Lucca is lovely. We spent 28 days there and although it rained 20 out of 28 days, we still loved Lucca and found it charming. The food is great, the location is great for day tripping, and I love the ancient walls that have been turned into public green spaces. I was training for a marathon when we were there and I ran around the walls every morning, it's one of the best memories of my trip! We stayed in a wonderful apartment there right next to San Frediano with a great view. Email me if you'd like the info!
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Roccalbegna is also one of my favorites. The drive is beautiful (I wish I could live in one of the valleys nearby).
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Hey Slangevar - that's so cool! It's perfectly fine to remind Giorgio of me! (he's quite memorable himself...lol) I know you'll have a ball.
The drive isn't so bad from the Montepulciano side. San Biagio will be on the right side as you drive by, and right after that, look to your left for a little turn off and a Fiat store (a one-story dealership or garage with a Fiat sign). It doesn't really look like it's a road, and I drove by it a couple of times because there's no actual sign for via di San Bartolomeo as in their directions. Just turn left at the Fiat store, go down that narrow dirt road and after a few miles, you'll see the sign and the driveway will be on the right side. From there you're only a mile from Monticchiello and a nice restaurant called La Porta with excellent gelato...dang it now I wanna go back! |
Gelato that's only a beautiful, mile-long walk away?! I wish we didn't have to wait until October!
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La Porta is worth that walk for more than just its gelato. Wonderful restaurant.
When we were there on a cold November night, two couples sat down at the next table. We were the only ones in the restaurant. They were Americans and we began talking. One of the men looked soooo familiar. They were from California, we from Alabama. But I lived in Calif for 20 years, so he and I kept trying to think where we might have known one another. When it became apparent he was somewhat of a celebrity (manager of a major league ball team), I simply assumed I'd seen him on TV...and that was almost that. At some point I happened to mention the town where I live now. He suddenly said his brother lives there...and said his name. Voila! His brother is best friends with my niece's family and has been to my house many times! So amazing. They look just alike, including the heavy brushy mustache. So that explained why he looked so familiar! After that, we had even more fun! |
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