slangevar

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.

luvtotravel

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.

slangevar

(Nothing wrong with big guidebook towns... that's why I keep going back to Paris!)

zeppole

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.

slangevar

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).

zeppole

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.

zeppole

Garfagnana images

http://images.google.com/images?q=ga...a=N&tab=wi

gdinla

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...

mkdiebold

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.

zoecat

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!

Henry

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

slangevar

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.

slangevar

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.

crazyfortravel

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

slangevar

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.

crazyfortravel

Looks like a lovely spot...I've book marked it for future as we would love to go back to that area.

zoecat

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

sheri_lp

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/

rncheryl

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.

slangevar

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!