# Tuscany



## GregT (Aug 29, 2013)

All,

In a few weeks, a small group of us (6) are going to Tuscany for a week.   I would appreciate any local knowledge?

We are staying at Gaiole en Chianti for 3 days, and then moving to Bagno Vignoni for 3 days.  We start and end in Rome for a few more days on each side.

Accommodations were surprisingly difficult to secure -- I thought Italy was having economic difficulties?   The difficulties for us were securing high quality rooms at a reasonable price per night.  We ended up around 300 Euro per night, which was more than we expected  

We have a driver who will take us to different towns and wineries as we are all wine fanatics.

Would appreciate any suggestions on towns, etc, that we should not miss.

Thanks!

Greg


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## mjm1 (Aug 29, 2013)

Greg, sounds like a fun trip.  The only other city we have visited in that area is Siena.  Took a day trip there from Florence and enjoyed it.

Rome will be nice too.  We took a guided tour, which we don't usually do, to Hadrian's Palace outside of Rome. The guide was very good and we enjoyed the trip. Obviously, there are a lot of things to explore in Rome.

Have a great time.

Mike


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## buzglyd (Aug 29, 2013)

Go buy a developer HGVC unit and tell is how you like it. 

Someone has to make owner reservations for us.


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## Passepartout (Aug 29, 2013)

You're waaaay out of my league, but it sounds like a helluva lot of fun!

Jim


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## DanM (Aug 29, 2013)

Just got back from Italy, but the farthest south I got was Florence. If you haven't been, I would definitely plan on a day trip or two. The Cinque Terre region on the coast north and west of Florence is also worth a day, just for the scenery. Take a train to Monterosso and walk around. Sorry I don't know about places much closer to Siena.
As for prices, the exchange rate was 1.33-1.35 dollars per euro during my trip and I can say without hesitation that the Euro is grossly over-valued. One to one would have made much more sense given relative purchasing power. We seem to be propping up the EC. Nothing to be done.


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## HatTrick (Aug 29, 2013)

buzglyd said:


> Go buy a developer HGVC unit and tell is how you like it.
> 
> Someone has to make owner reservations for us.



:hysterical:


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## WalnutBaron (Aug 29, 2013)

I'd highly recommend a visit to the Tuscan hill towns of Cortona and San Gimignano. Cortona is the home and inspiration for the author of the book and movie "Under The Tuscan Sun". San Gimignano is a beautiful and Old World village filled with good Chianti wines and Tuscan olive oil.

The hill towns originate from the feudal times when feudal lords would build their castles on the tops of hills surrounded by open pastures and fields. This provided excellent defensive positions from which to see--and fire upon--oncoming marauders bent on destruction.

Today, many of the old fortresses remain--not as defensive means, but as walls around villages filled with charm, good food, and unforgettable memories.

Enjoy!


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## GregT (Aug 30, 2013)

Thank you all for your responses!

I think I will pass on the HGVC - Tuscany property, although I appreciate the encouragement.......this is a once in a lifetime for us, and we are excited!

Great suggestions on Cinque Terre and also San Gimignano and Cortona -- I know we have S.G. on the list, and will look now at Cortona.

Thanks again!

Best,

Greg


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## channimal (Aug 30, 2013)

schedule a tour and lunch at http://www.verrazzano.com/en/

beautiful location and the food is phenomenal and included in tour pkg.  Breathtaking sights and very good wines


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## beach.bar.bob (Aug 30, 2013)

We were there last August for our second visit...Great time!! 
Not sure how close our venues are to where you'll be ... but here's what we did in hopes that you can find something that works for you - other than one less day in Cinque Terra and skipping Pisa I wouldn't undo a thing! 

We started in Cinque Terra for three days/three nites - stayed in Spazio and took both the train and the boats up to visit the five hill towns...one day too many for me. Then stayed in a beautiful 4 bdr farm house on a hilltop in the heart of Tuscany part of the Castello di Casole resort/game preserve. Unbelievable. Restaurant at the newly opened main resort is really great if you're in the area. Views to die for. 

From there we took a variety of day/evening trips:
- Several wine tours/tastings including Badia a Passignano, Casanova di Neri and La Fiorita estate.  If you are wine fanatics I strongly suggest you check out Casanova di Neri...one of the highest rated vintars of Brunello
- Lunch at Boccon di Vino in Montalcino - excellent. 
- Dinner at Restaurant La Pergola in Radicondoli - quaint local pizzeria in an off the main path hill town.
- San Gimignano...well worth the time
- Dinner at Restaurant Molino il Moro in Colle di Val d'Elsa - fun outdoor rooftop venue...expensive, great food...but Italy means great food. 
- Sienna - well worth it...even better if you can arrange a local guide. Interesting back story here about the Palio. 
- Combined day trip to Pisa and Lucca - everyone tells you don't bother with Pisa, but we all go anyway...well...don't bother. Lucca was interesting but a bigger town...a little more commercial than many of the hill towns. If you like to bike this is a winner. 
- Volterra...this ended up being my favorite hill town. We had a great local guide...Annie...she lives in town.  Her husband Francesco arranged all our wine tours/tastings. Excellent find. They can be reached at info@tuscantour.com 

Then we finished with a full day in Florence. Those that hadn't previously been visited the Uffizi Museum and also took in The David. The rest of us enjoyed an afternoon at the outdoor cafes - vino and bierra!  A great finish to a great trip. 

On a previous trip we also visited Todi and Assisi - Wouldn't place them very high on my list. 

You'll enjoy Rome too! 

Hope this helps in some small way. 

Enjoy! 

bbb


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## Bill4728 (Aug 31, 2013)

Need to Hi-jack this thread (sorry)

Has anyone done one of the vespa tours in Florence?  My DW saw them in a book recently and thought they sounded great. About 100 eur for half a day in the towns around Florence. 

Also when we last visited Florence we stayed at the Hilton which is about 3 miles from the city center. While a great new hotel it was too far from the city center. So we are looking for recommendations for hotels in Florence's city center. 300 eur is about our limit per night. 

TIA

PS we don't leave till April so no hurry.


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## WalnutBaron (Aug 31, 2013)

Rome, The Eternal City, is a place like no other. I highly recommend the tours of The Forum and The Colosseum as well as The Vatican Tour, which includes the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.

One quick story about Rome: the drivers are CRAZY, so do not rent your own vehicle. Take the taxi. The taxi drivers are also CRAZY, but at least they're driving their own cars so you just have to hold on for dear life. On our last day in Rome, my wife decided to film our 8-minute taxi ride on her cellphone. It was hilarious! Scooters whizzing in and out of traffic, and drivers trying to invent their own lanes (since there are none in Rome, and traffic lights are but a suggestion).


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## Bill4728 (Sep 1, 2013)

WalnutBaron said:


> Rome, The Eternal City, is a place like no other. I highly recommend the tours of The Forum and The Colosseum as well as The Vatican Tour, which includes the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.



Baron

What tour guides would you recommend?


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## WalnutBaron (Sep 1, 2013)

Bill4728 said:


> Baron
> 
> What tour guides would you recommend?




I would highly recommend Dark Rome Tours. You can find more info on their website: http://www.darkrome.com


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## GregT (Sep 2, 2013)

beach.bar.bob said:


> We were there last August for our second visit...Great time!!
> Not sure how close our venues are to where you'll be ... but here's what we did in hopes that you can find something that works for you - other than one less day in Cinque Terra and skipping Pisa I wouldn't undo a thing!
> 
> We started in Cinque Terra for three days/three nites - stayed in Spazio and took both the train and the boats up to visit the five hill towns...one day too many for me. Then stayed in a beautiful 4 bdr farm house on a hilltop in the heart of Tuscany part of the Castello di Casole resort/game preserve. Unbelievable. Restaurant at the newly opened main resort is really great if you're in the area. Views to die for.
> ...




Terrific, thank you for the suggestions -- we are indeed wine fanatics so will add several of these to the list....

Best,

Greg


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## Jaybee (Sep 2, 2013)

I agree with this. I enjoyed visiting Rome & Florence, but most of our time was in Tuscany, Sorrento (from there we took a day trip to Capri). I know you'll love it.



WalnutBaron said:


> I'd highly recommend a visit to the Tuscan hill towns of Cortona and San Gimignano. Cortona is the home and inspiration for the author of the book and movie "Under The Tuscan Sun". San Gimignano is a beautiful and Old World village filled with good Chianti wines and Tuscan olive oil.
> 
> The hill towns originate from the feudal times when feudal lords would build their castles on the tops of hills surrounded by open pastures and fields. This provided excellent defensive positions from which to see--and fire upon--oncoming marauders bent on destruction.
> 
> ...


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## Carlsbadguy (Sep 2, 2013)

HI Greg,
Looking at a similar trip for next year so would be interested in what you find out.  We are looking at a cruise from Venice and spending the week prior to the cruise in Tuscany.


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## 225chs (Sep 8, 2013)

Greg

Hope this post catches you before you leave or at least before you arrive in Bagno Vignoni

Southern Tuscany is my favorite area in Italy and it probably is no surprise that brunellos are my favorite wines.
Some towns that I recommend are Siena(a must), Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza. Altho further away, since you have a driver Orvietto is a must as well.
The vineyard that is most popular(but beyond my $ means)is Castello Banfi with lunch at La Taverna. Last time there I visited Altesino and enjoyed. Need reservations, but I just stopped on a whim and they gave me the taste and tour
Montalcino is of course the home of brunello, Buy at Enoteca Il Barlanzone from Simone, the owner and tell him Buddy says Hello. Eat at Re Di Macchia
Montepulciano is the home of the Nobile de Montepulciano and vin santo. Walk through the wine cellars and eat (if you like meat) at Aquacheta
Pienza is a small town, home to a Pope which is what makes it interesting. Known for their pecorino cheese. Delicious. Go to the town next to Pienza, Monticchiello and have dinner at La Porta. One of the best meals I have had in Italy. You must make reservations ahead of time
Lastly the best meal I had in Southern Tuscany was at a roadside B&B in the middle of the forest not far from where you are staying. It is called Il Lecci

Enjoy


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## Pat H (Sep 8, 2013)

I loved Lucca and as someone else said, don't bother with Pisa.


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## amycurl (Sep 8, 2013)

I would second San Gimignano and Siena. These are probably amongst my top three places in Italy (and I lived in northern Italy for a time.)

Try to figure out how to get the olive oil home. Even the stuff from the fancy olive oil shops in the US pale in comparison (both in quality and price) to the stuff you can get from San Gimignano. 

*sigh*

*is very jealous*


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## Talent312 (Sep 12, 2013)

Tuscany is what I imagine heaven should be.
It's where I want to go when I go toes-up.

In the meantime, I can only endorse the other's hill-town lists:
San Gimignano, Volterra, Sienna*, Orvieto...
I add Pisa just for a photo-op of your peep holding up the tower.

*In the NW corner, near the car-park exit, there was a wine shop that shipped to the States.
.


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## tmcasey (Nov 17, 2013)

I'm going to second Lucca.  It is a wonderful walled city, much fun to visit. We also enjoyed visiting the older section of Montecatini Terme (its at the top of the hill) - the lower town is more modern.


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## beejaybeeohio (Nov 19, 2013)

*just returned*

Lucca- spend a day here definitely. Be sure to find the pay station for your blue-lined parking space.  We didn't see one near the space we found and were 28 euro poorer after paying the fine.
Pisa- we arrived in early evening, climbed the tower, had dinner.  I would say if you are that close don't skip it, just choose a less crowded time.  We were too late to visit the Cathedral there, which I'd have liked to see.
San Gimignano- wandered here several days and still didn't explore it all.
Siena- lot's of walking because we parked about 3/4 mile from the closest parking. The outskirts of Siena belied the amazing centro. 
Volterra- met friends for dinner after a 6pm walking tour in the dark.  Glad we toured because we'd have missed significant sights such as the amphitheater and Etruscan gate otherwise.

Enroute to Florence we meandered up Rt 222 in Chianti country.  Fabulous scenery.  We stopped at a winery for a tasting- the only time reservations are needed are for vineyard tours.

Climbed towers in Pisa, 2 in Lucca, and the bell tower in Florence- @1000 steps up.  We followed our time in Tuscany with a 13-night Adriatic cruise and probably climbed up another 2500 steps in ports-of-call.


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## radmoo (Nov 19, 2013)

We were in Gaiole in Chianti in 2008, stayed with Elena at Borgo Argenina.  What an amazing time.  We spent  several nights there after 3 nights in Venice, then drove to Umbria and then back to Florence for 2 nights.  We were advised to visit Volterra over San Gimignano.  Loved Volterra although I am sure SG is equally lovely.  We also visited several wineries in Montepulciano which is region known for Barolo wines.  I would advise just stopping in at a local alimentieri aka grocery, purchasing some picnic staples ie bread, salami, cheese, wine and having a picnic in a picturesque spot.  Those are truly some of our most memorable meals.  

Sienna is an amazing town but let's face it, the entire area is amazing.  Spend some time visiting and speaking with the locals as that is how you get the true flavor of the region.


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## Ron98GT (Nov 19, 2013)

Deleted Post


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