kellbell

I was thinking we should take advantage of our drive between Rome and Florence to get in a bit of sightseeing and dining before we arrive at the villa outside of Florence.

A lot of folks mentioned that Montepulciano is a town worth seeing in Tuscany, so I thought that our drive north might be the right time to stop and eat. Do you agree? If so, any recommendations on where to eat in Montepulciano?

Where else should we stop as we drive up the A1 toward Florence, keeping in mind that we'll "do" Siena and Arezzo later in the week.

thanks!

-Kellie

ekscrunchy

I did a lot of food research before I went to Montepulciano in January and had a list of places to eat, only to find that on Sunday and Monday nights, all of the places on my list were closed. At the top of that list were Diva e Maceo and Borgo Buio; so while I cannot recomend these first-hand, I think they would be good bets to try.

tcreath

We loved Montelpuciano but arrived there, by car, on a market day and it was very hard to find a place to park. The vendors set up shop in a few of the parking lots near the bottom of town and there were people and cars everywhere. DH got so annoyed he wanted to leave! I'm not trying to be discouraging, but its something you may want to consider, especially if you were to arrive on a day like that after flying for hours (assuming you are coming from the US) and being jetlagged.

Pienza is another great town. I actually preferred it to Montepulciano because its smaller and more compact, and its an easy and short drive from Montepulciano. But really, you can't go wrong either way. The whole area is stunning and both towns are worth a look and would make for a great stop.

Tracy

kellbell

Thanks for the suggestions -- and the warning! I can see my DH reacting the same way due to jet lag and frustrations associated with driving in Italy for the first time (I'm predicting that we will get lost trying to get out of Rome!)

I wonder if Saturday will be a market day??

Any recommendations for places to eat in Pienza if we do stop there?

Thanks!

-Kellie

SeaUrchin

I think you are biting off more than you can chew so to speak. After flying into Rome, renting a car, getting started, etc. I think you will find you don't want to drive too far off of the A-1 to eat. I've done it and I wouldn't. Remember you have to locate the villa, etc. I would stop at one of the roadside grills along the A-1, they have good panini and coffee.

If you do some research for a city/town right alongside the A1, think of opening times, etc. I wouldn't tie myself down with trying to get to a certain place on time for lunch.

Budman

Thursday is market day in Montepulciano. I believe there is a listing of market days on slowtrav.com

ekscrunchy

Montepulciano market day is Thursday.

SuQue

We stopped in Orvieto , a wonderful hill town that is right off of the autostrada.

knoxvillecouple

Kellie -

I saw that you had another thread about sticking together at FCO while you get your rental car - good advice that. Also, don't fret about getting out of Rome if you're going immediately to Tuscany/Florence from FCO. It's a snap since you never drive into Rome itself - you stay on the beltway before you catch the A1 north toward Firenze. If you are staying in Rome before going to Firenze, I'd reconsider getting your car immediately upon arrival - I wouldn't drive in Rome if you can possibly avoid it - no need for that stress.

As far as restaurants, it depends on how much time you have on your way up to Firenze. We stayed near Orvieto and I have a bias for that beautiful town - the Duomo is incredible, and there are great eats there. We ate at Ristorante dell’Ancora (Via di Piazza del Popolo, 7, Orvieto; http://www.vinit.net/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?ID=2368), which was delightful. We ate alfresco, with a nice antipasto, pasta and wine. The setting was beautiful – no particular view, but the vines overhead provided shade and cooling relief on a somewhat warm day, and the company was wonderful. Other Fodorites rave about I Sette Consoli - at the top of the funicular and a few blocks walk in Piazza S. Angelo - but it is considerably more expensive than Ristorante dell'Ancora.

Have a great trip.

KC

vetralla

Forget the stess to arrive the same day in Tuscany /Umbria. Stop along the seaside highway from Fiumicino at Tolfa , S. Marinella or Santa Severa. Be sure your luggage is not in view while you enjoy your first leisurely lunch in Italy. There are many B&B or seaside hotels you could stay at too. You can also turn inland at Tarquinia and stop for lunch in Vetralla where I live and from where I write guide books and historical research . There are lots of B&B or private apts. even for l night.
Mary Jane
www.elegantetruria.com

tcreath

Figures we arrived in Montelpuciano on the one market day of the week! Still, good to know because the traffic situation was a mess.

kellbell, we basically did as SeaUrchin
suggested. We were in Umbria a few weeks ago, and picked up our car at FCO. Getting out of FCO and on our way was extremely easy. You shouldn't have any problems. We had planned to stop at a couple of towns but jet lag and our first driving trip of Italy paid its toll on us. We ended up stopping at an Auto Grill for panini and pizza. Our goal was to make it to our agriturismo during the daylight hours, and we were glad we did because it certainly wasn't the easiest place to find.

Best wishes on your family getaway...I'm sure you are going to have a wonderful time!

Tracy

kellbell

I'm my mother's daughter in terms of trying to cram in as much as possible when I travel someplace. Given we are traveling with our little guy, flexibility is the rule and not the exception.

I wish we had the luxury of not rushing from FCO to the villa, but we are meeting up with other family members and won't have a crib for the little one with us. So, we'll land at FCO and get on the road immediately.

Out of curiosity, how far are Montepulciano and Pienza from Rome? DH mentioned that we can just visit during a day trip from the villa, but I thought that it might not be good planning to go back that far south after just having driven up from Rome.

Also, I just saw the forecast for the week and it appears that it might be showers Monday - Thursday. . . so, I'd want to take advantage of the nice weather on Saturday once we arrive.

But point well taken about getting to the villa in daylight so that we don't get lost!!!

Panini and pizza will work just fine for us!!

-Kellie

tcreath

LOL Kellie...DH and I are wonderful at attempting to cram too much into a vacation. We actually went to Montelpuciano, Pienza and San Quirico as a daytrip from our Umbrian apartment, and it made for a long but wonderful day.

I use viamichelin.com to get mileages. According to that site, it is 124 miles from Rome to Pienza, and 117 from Rome to Montelpuciano.

Best wishes!
Tracy

kellbell

Thanks Tracy. . .

I find those mileages to be interesting, given that I was told it would take 2.5 hours to get from Rome to the villa, and the villa is halfway between Florence and Arezzo. I thought Montepulciano and Pienza would be closer.

I'll check out the site you recommended for mileage.

I'm predicting we spend a small fortune in gas on this trip!

Fibonacci2358

Ditto about watching your luggage. We met a family in Florence a couple of years ago (2001) that were had ALL their belongings from their van when they stopped for breakfast after arriving in Milan. The Milan police told them that there were gangs that preyed on tourists like that. I've never heard of that happening from the Rome airport, but you do need to be cautious about tempting thieves no matter where you are. I always try to have NOTHING showing if I have to leave the car.

SusanP

I wouldn't want to do all that driving right after arrival with jetlag, but if you decide to do it, I believe it's around 2 hours to Pienza. If you decide to stop there for lunch, I can highly recommend Osteria Sette de Vino. If you're in the center square where the Cathedral is located, with the Cathedral to your back, go down the streen directly opposite to Piazza di Spagna and you will find it. Just order the Grilled Pecorino Cheese with bacon and/or the Tuscan bean soup with bread and you can't fail to be happy! Mmmmm...

SusanP

Obviously, I meant street, not streen!