My husband and I are planning to visit Tuscany in June 2006. We want to stay in a small-to-medium sized village where it would be possible to (a) walk or bike to vineyards or other villages for lunch; (b) take a couple short day-trips to areas of natural interest; and (c) walk to a different restaurant each night for dinner. We aren't particularly interested in art or museums. We want to enjoy the out-of-doors, scenery, exercise and local cuisine. Which towns and accomodations would you recommend?

Will you have a car? Sounds like not.

Why don't you check out the area of Saturnia?

Were I interested in bicycling around Tuscany, I would do a google search for "bike tours Tuscany." Even if you don't want to take a group tour, such websites usually post their itineraries. It will give you a good idea of which are the most pleasant bike routes -- as opposed to which have too many trucks or hills to be enjoyable. Sometimes towns in rural Tuscany that look side by side on a map are actually many miles apart -- one at the bottom of a mountain and the other at the top.

Sounds ideal but I am not sure where that would be. A car is really needed to see the best of rural Tuscany. You may want to look at Pienza or San Quirico if walking several miles is in your range.

Actually, I was just thinking Magliano in Toscana might be perfect for you, unless you insist on seeing the famous places in Tuscany.

Magliano in Toscana has half a dozen restaurants, I think. For vinyards, Scansano might be close enough.

A national park (which is a bird sanctuary) is nearby.

Why don't you try working this backwards -- which is to say, why not identify the wineries and pretty sights you want to visit in Tuscany, and then check out the nearest towns?

Also, perhaps you should consider staying in Umbria instead of Tuscany. Bevagna might be nice for you, and you could bike to Spello and Montefalco. The most scenic parts of Umbria, however, are in the hilliest parts.

Although it's a city, Lucca is a famous cycling destination because you can bike ride atop the city walls.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. Yes, we do plan to rent a car, which we would use for occasional day trips. However, we don't want to spend half of our vacation driving around. Also, we're not interested in seeing the popular tourist spots. Any further recommendations, especially now that you know we'll have a car, would be greatly appreciated! I should also add that my husband is interested in fly-fishing.

We too are looking for the best place to stay in Tuscany for our honeymoon in June 2007. specifically, we will be in Tuscany June 14-17th Bobthnavigator, you seem to be the expert in this area? We would like to stay in a town where we can visit Florence, lots of vineyards and other activities as well as good restaurants, bars, etc. We really don't want something too rural, we are young and active! It appears that you've recommended Sienna in some of your other posts, would you recommend this for us as well? Thanks to all!

We will have a car, sorry I forgot to add that!

To desireepratt:

You might be better off starting your own thread - you'll get more responses, I believe.

Since you'll have a car, getting in and out of Siena will be tough. Therefore I suggest somewhere in between in the Chianti region - Castellina, Radda or Greve. From there you can readily visit Florence and Siena, as well as San Gimignano and Volterra. And 'lots of vineyards' too!

I would heartily recommend LUCCA. It is the Tuscan biker's paradise when it comes to level, flat streets with little or no hills compared to other Tuscan towns. You can easily catch a train from Lucca's convenient station (across the street from the city walls) to Florence, Siena, etc. Lucca is one of my most favorite Tuscan towns and has lots of charm and history. Plus you can do a night "passegiata" (walk) around its famous city walls that encircle the town.

We loved Montepulciano and found it convenient for day trips to many other towns.

Hmmm ! We have 2 posters here--I am not sure who to answer first.
Tuscany is a big place with a ton of diversity. Unless you have a week or more you really need to make some tough choices. First, the best part of Tuscany to me is not close to Florence. So, here is my list of places I most often suggest to my clients. I hope this helps.

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.

bob: I have emailed La Saracina twice in the past week (a week has gone by since the first was sent) and have not heard back. Do you know if they are closed now? I cannot find anything on their web site that states they are closed.
Thanks

Hello, everyone. This is "stephandblake", the original poster. It looks like most everyone is suggesting towns south of Sienna. Why is that? Or rather, why do they suit our needs better than towns between Florence and Sienna? Recall that we're looking for a small-to-medium sized village where it would be possible to (a) walk or bike to vineyards or other villages for lunch; (b) take a couple short day-trips by car to areas of natural interest; and (c) walk to a different restaurant each night for dinner. We want to enjoy the out-of-doors, scenery, and local cuisine. Thanks again for your help. I'm sure your input will help to make our vacation a fabulous one!

Hi stephanddrake,

You don't say how many days you plan to be in Tuscany. Walking to a different restaurant each night will depend on how large a village you choose. Most of the towns and villages I've visited in Tuscany and Umbria are what I would call small towns or tiny villages.

Siena is one of the largest towns and like most hilltowns, it would be a very steep bike ride to other places. I liked Siena, but we did not stay overnight there. I liked other towns much more, such as Orvieto (Umbria).

Greve in Chianti might be about what you are looking for. It's not a large town, but one of the larger villages. From there you could walk to different restaurants and bike t wineries.

Biking in Chianti is hard work. I was surprised that it is much more mountainous than I expected. Areas not under cultivation for olives and vines are heavily forested with lots of undergrowth. The only people I saw biking in Chianti during our 4 days there were those professional team types. Twisty, narrow roads, sometimes with tour buses coming along. Not my idea of fun biking!

We stayed in a tiny, tiny village called San Sano. A few stone homes, a small hotel and a trattoria. That was it. No tourists except for those at the hotel. We loved it!

Lucca is a larger town and may fit your requirements. I have not been there. Search here using the word "Lucca" in the search box and you'll get lots of threads.

I stayed in Montalcino this last trip and loved it. It was perfect for me. Several restaurants there (although I only needed one - Grappolo Blu)! There are many wineries in the surrounding area. It is near to the abbey Sant'Antimo and one of the highest mountains in Tuscany (can't remember the name).

Montepulciano is the larger of the towns in the area.

I'm not giving you any exact recommendations, I know, because many of the towns/villages in Tuscany COULD fit, but I'm not sure any would be EXACT. They are all wonderful though!

Buon viaggio!

Life is a compromise.
Chianti is close to Florence. Greve or Castellina would meet your concept.

But, that is not the best part of Tuscany. Get and read the book TOP 10 TUSCANY by Reid Bramblett. He lists the 10 best hill towns--none are in Chianti except Siena and maybe San Gimignano if you stretch a boundary. What you are describing is in San Quirico or Montalcino. Both are 2 hours south of Florence. Why not split th difference and stay in Siena and day trip to Florence by bus. But, it is a town of 75000 people--hardly a village.

stephandblake:

How about San Gimignano (it's larger than a village, of course) and its surrounding area? Within easy reach is Volterra, Certaldo and Monteriggioni.
The Chianti region can be visited by car. So can Siena.

Bobthenavigator......Why do you prefer the area of Montalcino to Greve? I'm trying to understand the difference between the two areas. My husband and I will likely spend one week in Tuscany and would prefer to lodge in one place. Thanks again for your advice!

I, too, much prefer the area around Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino to the Chianti area - seemed more scenic & these towns had charm beyond what we experienced in, say, Greve. Along with Bob, we also recommend La Saracina having stayed there twice (& would return again tomorrow if given the opportunity).

As far as not hearing back from La Saracina, perhaps the owner, Simonetta is out of town herself. She runs this 6 room b&b with her sister's help. The internet connection there with its remote location was slow and iffy most of the time. Don't be alarmed - just keep trying & be patient. It's worth the wait! Happy planning...

Three primary reasons:
1. It is more commercial. It is called " Chiantishire" for a reason. Beause of proximity to Florence it has been overun by Brits and Americans for many years. It just has a less medieval look.
2. The terrain is more scenic in the south. More open spaces and fewer hardwood trees to block views. Ask any photographer.

3. The villages are more medieval and less modern in the south.---but even that is changing as the hordes venture further south. I counted 42 tour busses in San Gimignano one day in early Oct. 1996. It has gotten worse since then.

It is all good ! I just like the old world feel to places like Montepulciano and San Quirico.