burnma01

I am helping my parents plan a trip to Italy in late October/early November. They will spend 4 days in Rome then 1 week in Tuscany. While in Tuscany they will spend 3 days in Florence.

The other 4 days are up in the air. What is a good home base for them in the countryside? I am looking for a 5 star villa/hotel in the country. They would like to drive around to different vineyards and small towns most of the days to get a real sense of the culture/food/wine.

Thanks!

kybourbon

They might want to consider staying in a small town, such as Pienza, instead of in the countryside at that time of year. I wouldn't want to be driving back from dinner in the dark.

STLDon

We are going in late October and using Pienza for a base for Tuscany

dunnelli

We stayed at this beautiful refurbished castle outside of Montalcino ( in the heart of Brunello country)The name is Castello di Velona. It has a wonderful restaurant on premises, and is within minutes of some fine wineries and about 20 minutes from the village of Montalcino.

http://www.ehc.it/castello-di-velona-montalcino/it/

michele_d

May I suggest starting the trip in Florence, then renting a car for their time in Tuscany, then dropping the car in Orvieto and taking the train to Rome and flying home from there. This way they might have a bit of warmer weather in the north as opposed to starting in Rome.

anna_roz

Villa Poggiano outside of Montepulciano is fabulous. La Saracina a little closer to Pienza is very-very lovely. We stayed at both (different trips) and loved them.

gailscout

La Petraia near Radda is a stunning refurbished farm that is 4 stars in our opinion. Creative food by Susan Grant and comfortable modern rooms with stunning views and Wifi. Bathroom in our room, forno, was very tight. An 4 day experience we will never forget and hope to return soon.

Maltesec

My suggestions:

1) Villa Le Colline - http://www.villalecolline.com/ - in Impruneta, which is not a hotel but a luxury private villa to rent, just few minutes from Florence, so it can be a base to visit the city and also to go and see the Chianti countryside.

2) Monsignor della Casa - http://www.monsignordellacasa.com/ - a 5 star hotel in Mugello, 20 minutes from Florence. Mugello has an amzing nature and very few tourists. You can practice all kind of activities there (truffle hunt with dogs, walking, wine cellars tours and so on). Hotel has a wellness & Spa center as well.

3) Borgo di Pietrafitta - http://www.borgopietrafitta.com/ - in the heart of the Chianti countryside. This hotel is composed from several houses or, rather, an entire village (borgo in Italian). So you can choose your accommodation between villas, apartments or suites. From your window, whatever will be your choice you will see vineyards.

I hope some of these information will be helpful to you. Ciao

Ackislander

Hunting is a really big deal in Italy, particularly this part of Italy -- pheasants and other birds and wild boar. If they stay in the country or even on the edge of a town, let them know that they will hear hunters a lot, especially early in the morning.

Tesana

i can reccomend http://www.castellodicasole.com/hotel , my brotherinlaw has a villa here. 5 star all around ...just opened, and a restarant on site. the concierges there can arrange all that you need.

Tesana

also , here is guide i can 100% reccomend !!!

http://takemeoutintuscany.com/en/1001/home.htm

Paola and Stefano are VERY professional! this is private tours, to what ever they like.

they will not be disappointed. enjoy some food, culture and vino and don't worry about the driving !!!!

Mimar

Michele_d assumes your parents are flying into and out of Rome. If possible, it's better to fly out of Pisa, an easy train ride from Florence. Then the time in Tuscany is after Rome, before Florence.

Personally I'd probably reverse this, fly into Pisa and out of Rome. Assuming they're arriving after a long, overnight flight, they'll be jet-lagged and sleepy. I'd prefer to save the intensity of Rome for when I was more awake. Not to speak of the many sights in Rome.

But if your parents already have their plane tickets into and out of Rome and don't want to change, tell them to be sure to return to Rome the day before their flight home. Transport interruptions -- strikes, breakdowns, traffic jams -- are all too frequent in Italy. And it's very expensive as well as inconvenient to miss that flight home.

There's always the option of arriving in Rome and taking the train to Florence immediately. It's a good use of that first sleepy day.