Would you choose San Giminagno or Castellina in Chianti as base for northern Tuscany?
Jan 31st, 2004, 12:33 PM
#1
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Would you choose San Giminagno or Castellina in Chianti as base for northern Tuscany?
We wish to stay in either to see Florence and do some touring around in March. We have a car and will be there for 2 days-only one day in Florence. Which of these 2 towns would you choose as base?
Jan 31st, 2004, 01:19 PM
#2
Castellina-in-Chianti is a great location for exploring the region and is in a beautiful area, too. I'm not sure how green it will be in March, but it is an exceptionally pretty area. We stopped by San Gimignano, and it seemed to be further away for exploring the region. Although you can't really go wrong with either one, I think Castellina is a better and more convenient choice.
Jan 31st, 2004, 03:53 PM
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Have I understood your question correctly? You are staying a total of two days in Tuscany, one in Florence and one in San Gimignano or Castellina to tour northern Tuscany? Two days in Florence alone are barely enough, and two additional days in northern Tuscany will only scrape the surface. I would suggest you rethink your plans and give more time both to Florence and to Tuscany.
Feb 1st, 2004, 06:15 AM
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We are staying 3 days in another location in southern tuscany and then wish to move north,closer to Florence, to see some of northern Tuscany. We are breaking it up so there is less driving each day. We may stay longer than 2 days if the weather isn't good enough to see cinque terre (I was planning 2 nights there.)
Feb 1st, 2004, 06:29 AM
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I would actually choose San G, but I don't base my recommendation on location. San G has more to offer in ways of restaurants and such, and would be a great place to come home to after a day of exploring...it would give you an opportunity to enjoy a long leisurely dinner and drink wine without having to worry about driving home.
I don't want to give you the impression that Castellina doesn't have restaurants - it's just that San G seems to have more of a selection and has a little more "going on" than Castellina.
We stayed in a TINY town about 20 kms outside of Siena, and while the location was fabulous we really wished we had stayed somewhere with more options for our evenings after a day of exploration.
I don't want to give you the impression that Castellina doesn't have restaurants - it's just that San G seems to have more of a selection and has a little more "going on" than Castellina.
We stayed in a TINY town about 20 kms outside of Siena, and while the location was fabulous we really wished we had stayed somewhere with more options for our evenings after a day of exploration.
Feb 1st, 2004, 06:50 AM
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Sorry to put a damper on your trip, but we went to this area of Tuscany in March & it rained & was COLD every day. Perhaps it was the weather, but we thought San G was uncharming & unattractive.
Feb 1st, 2004, 11:57 AM
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CFW
id the poor weather make you feel that way about more towns than San G? Or was it particular to this town? Would you recommend winter coats for this time of year? Or was it unseasonably cold when you went? We will be there in the latter half of the month.
id the poor weather make you feel that way about more towns than San G? Or was it particular to this town? Would you recommend winter coats for this time of year? Or was it unseasonably cold when you went? We will be there in the latter half of the month.
Feb 1st, 2004, 02:12 PM
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I am not sure if I understand you correctly. Are you planning to stay in either SanG. or Castellina and visit Florence from there? You must be joing! Why would you do that? Why not stay in Florence if you want to see Florence? There is so much to see, and so little time! why would you want to spend your valuable time driving? In March, Tuscany will look nothing like the photographs. No wildflowers, no sunshine . . . Think about it.
Feb 1st, 2004, 06:38 PM
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You'll need raincoats & warm sweaters underneath. I think the weather is generally rainy in Tuscany in March, which is why it is so green then. I don't know if we would have liked San G any better any other time of year. We just did not find the villages in Tuscany charming. We love France, love Spain, but for some reason we did not have the same feeling in Tuscany. For the short time you have, & given the time of year, I'd stick to Florence.
Feb 1st, 2004, 07:32 PM
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We went to Italy last March and spent 4 nights in San Gimignano. The weather was brisk, but sunny - no rain at all - and we loved staying there. We left every day and returned about 5:00. We found a wonderful restaurant and liked it so much we ate dinner there every night. And we loved our hotel. One day (it was a fair/ market day - or maybe a feast day) we spent the whole day there. Lots to see. I can't talk about Castellina in Chianti as we did not get there, but I can highly recommend San Gimmingano from our experience!
Feb 1st, 2004, 07:36 PM
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I'd definitely prefer Sand Giminagno to Castellina for a base.
The idea of staying there and only doing a day trip to Florence is not so bad as some might think. Some people love busy cities -- others prefer the quiter villages -- particularly at night. If I had only two or three nights to do this -- I think I'd chose staying in San Giminagno and visiting Florence in the day, also.
The idea of staying there and only doing a day trip to Florence is not so bad as some might think. Some people love busy cities -- others prefer the quiter villages -- particularly at night. If I had only two or three nights to do this -- I think I'd chose staying in San Giminagno and visiting Florence in the day, also.
Feb 2nd, 2004, 05:39 AM
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Brahmama:Which hotel and restaurant in San Gimignano did you love and why?
Thanks Patrick, we live in a big city and have no desire to stay in one while on vacation. Prefer the charm and calm of a small town.
Thanks Patrick, we live in a big city and have no desire to stay in one while on vacation. Prefer the charm and calm of a small town.
Feb 2nd, 2004, 06:50 AM
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Hotel La Cisterna is lovely. Ask for a room with a balcony and a view of the valley. The restaurant at the hotel is very good ,too- also has a beautiful very Tuscan view.
Look at google for the website of San G. Also do a search on this forum.
Look at google for the website of San G. Also do a search on this forum.
Feb 2nd, 2004, 08:26 AM
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Yes it was the La Cisterna! I think it was room 58. Wonderful view.and a gorgeous sunset. Wish I were there right now!
We ate at Cheriberi - just a short stroll from the hotel. We also enjoyed our meals at the hotel - but Cheriberi treated us like regulars.
Happy traveling in Italy!
We ate at Cheriberi - just a short stroll from the hotel. We also enjoyed our meals at the hotel - but Cheriberi treated us like regulars.
Happy traveling in Italy!
Feb 2nd, 2004, 08:53 AM
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Put me down as a dissenter on San G. I didn't like that town at all. Way too touristy and almost Disney-esque. Castellina, on the other hand is v. nice and is a good base from which to explore the beautiful chianti region.
Feb 2nd, 2004, 09:27 AM
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I would suggest San Gimignano. You will be away from the town during the day when the day-trippers are there and in the evening, it is charming. We ate a several good restaurants in SG but had more difficulty finding a place to eat in Castellina. Castellina is charming but pretty dead at night - especially in March, I imagine.
Feb 2nd, 2004, 09:34 AM
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sera, out of curiosity, how many nights did you spend in San Giginagno? Or are you basing your opinion of its touristiness as a day tripper? In my opinion, mamc, has accurately described it. We didn't know that SG was even supposed to be that touristy until our third and final day there when we returned in the middle of the afternoon to find it swarming with tourists. Every other day we left for our day trips early and returned in the late afternoon and found it one of the most lovely villages ever to spend the evenings and nights in.
Feb 2nd, 2004, 10:10 AM
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We loved staying in San G. We were there in July (height of tourist season). We cleared out during the day and explored other cities, got back after 4pm and the crowds were pretty much gone. A beautiful city with great people, cute shops and a decent restaurants. I'd def. stay there again!
