Where to Stay in Tuscany
 

Looking for romantic, upscale hotel/inn centrally located in Tuscany for day trips...

Help!!

Day trips to where exactly? It makes a difference.

And how? If you have a car, then it gives a different set of answers than if travelling by public transport. If the latter, then Florence as it has the best transport links and easy day trips to Pisa, Lucca, Siena, Arezzo, Bologna or even Rome.

If you have a car, then it still depends on what you wish to see. If most of your wishlist is Southern Tuscany (Montepulciano, Montalcino, Cortona, Pienza etc then somewhere around, or south of, Siena makes sense. If you include Florence ,Lucca, Pisa in your list, possibly something more central like Chianti (Castellina, Greve, Radda) may be more suitable.

We will have a car...We are starting in Rome...taking a train to Florence - spending 2 nights and then renting a car and spending 3 or 4 nights in Tuscany....

So what towns in Tuscany do you want to explore?

We've been told San Giminiagno, Lucca, Siena, Chianti area...Forte des Marme for the beach one day....Pisa if possible...

I have two great reccommendations for upscale hotels with character.The first is in Castellena in Chianti,PalazzoSquarcialupi http://www.palazzosquarcialupi.com/english/albergo.htm
It is aconverted 15th century palace in the center of a quaint town.The town is centrally located in the middle of the Chianti wine region.

The next hotel is located just outside Montalcino. It is a 11th century fortress situated high on a hill overlooking a beautiful valley. It is a great place to stay with great rooms, pool and an on-site restaurant.....The name is Castello di Velona. http://www.castellodivelona-siena.com/

Thanks...I am going to look up both...another one given to me was in Singaluna...I was concerned that it was out of the way... the name is Locanda Dell Amorosa...anyone hear of it? I was told to stay in chianti by two different people

Amorosa is a lovely property if that's your budget, and it's in a good location for exploring Siena and San Gimignano but too far IMO for a day trip to Lucca or Pisa. If you mean Forte dei Marmi, that's too far also. IMO, Sinalunga is too far from any coastal town for a day trip.

I would say you need to decide which is more important to you, the hotel or the places you want to see in Tuscany. It doesn't sound like you've done any research yourself and only sought opinions from people who've been to various places in Tuscany. That's not the way I'd go about planning a trip. For me, the sights and towns are more important than where I sleep. I would decide on what I want to see in a relatively small geographic area and then choose a hotel in a location convenient to those few sights/towns.