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3 nights Montepulciano

Posted by (Coconut Grove, FL) on

My wife and I, both early 70's and willing, after a month long journey through Ljubljana and Bled, tour the eastern Adriatic by small ship with the guitarist Richard Thompson, the on to Venice, Verona and the Veneto, Ravenna and Florence where we stay 5 nights and have full days planned, we drive to from Florence to Radda for 2 night and then move on to Montepulciano **for a 3 night stay** before dropping our car before noon in Orvieto where we overnight before leaving for Rome by train for 5 nights and then flying on to the eastern Mediterranean for an open ended stay.

My day 1 is plan is tour Montepulciano in the am and drive heading south and west of Montepulciano in late am to pm to Monticchiello → Pienza → picnic somewhere→Bagno Vignoni→ back to Montepulciano.

Any thoughts regarding this plan?

Any suggestions for drive/stops on day 2 drive from our home base in Montepulciano?

We are not into winery tours but enjoy tasting wines. We are looking for direction for a pleasant rural drive with direction.

Thanks.

Steven

Posted by
282 posts

You might consider dividing your first day for the am in Montepulciano and pm in San Gimignano. Then devote a full day to the Heart of Tuscany tour in the RS guidebook which covers your original plan plus more, finishing at La Foce Gardens. It will be a wonderful two days. I am afraid you will short change yourself by only providing a half day to the Tuscan countryside of Monticchiello, Pienza, Bagno Vignoni, etc.

Posted by
34 posts

Thanks so much for the thoughtful suggestion! I really appreciate your input. We gave a lot of thought to pacing and priorities and decided to focus our full day on the Val d’Orcia — Monticchiello, Pienza, and Bagno Vignoni — with scenic drives and time to enjoy the countryside without rushing. It’s more our style to go deeper in fewer places rather than cover too much ground in one day. San Gimignano is beautiful, but we’ll save it for another trip. Thanks again for sharing your perspective!
We’re also spending some time around Valiano and looking to round things out with a scenic day trip in the Cortona region. That’s where we’re especially seeking advice — we’re active but in our late 70’s and both have some limitations walking steep hills or standing for long periods. So we’d love ideas for towns or routes in that area that are rich in atmosphere but also manageable in terms of terrain. We’ll finish the trip with a night in Orvieto before heading to Rome.

Posted by
107 posts

With Richard Thompson?!! How fabulous. The first time I saw him perform (solo) I kept looking for the other musicians. Surely he couldn’t be creating all of that beautiful sound! As a redhead, I have a special affinity for “1952 Vincent Black Lightning.” Have a fantastic trip!

Posted by
282 posts

Sorry, I day tripped to San Gimignano from Volterra, not Montepulciano....
You might look at Michelin Map 358 for Tuscany to sort out the green scenic routes you might enjoy in the areas you want to visit.
I will vouch for the scenic route between Arbia and San Giovanni d'Asso by the way of Asciano and the Abbey di Monte Oliveto Maggiore (where a talented Nonna manned the lunch kitchen). Unfortunately it's the opposite direction from Valiano and Cortona. The route SP 34 just north of Cortona or the SS 416 from Lago Trasimeno might work for you.

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