Agriturismo in Tuscanny

We have great suggestions, but every one requires a car. In fact, most traveling and visiting through Tuscany requires a vehicle....

What kind of experience do you hope to have? If you are content just hanging around the agriturismo, you might be able to scrape by, but that would severely limit the kind of experience you would have in Tuscany. What do you want from the agriturismo? How many will be in your party? What are their ages? My recommendation would be totally different for a family of four with two children under 18 than it would be for a married couple in their '60's. Why do you not want to rent a car? How long do you plan to be there?

If you want to see Tuscany without a car, I suggest you stay in town and take tours to the countryside. A smaller town like San Gimignano, Volterra or Montepulciano would be more quiet, but would have limited opportunities. You could pretty much see the sights in a couple of days. Siena would be have more things to do, but would be more expensive and busier.

We stayed at an agriturismo just outside Greve and had a wonderful experience. That was our home base. It was a winery and we spent the day after our arrival as a slow day and just took the tour and did the food and wine pairing. The rest of the time we were making day trips in our rental car or taking the bus to Florence. I highly recommend staying at an agriturismo in Tuscany, but mobility afforded by a rental car is key to fully enjoying the experience.

Thank you. There will be the two of us traveling and I will take your suggestion to rent a car. Is renting in Siena a good idea? Since this is our first trip to Italy, I would love your input your favorite places.

Thanks again,

What are the rest of your plans ? Where will you be traveling before and after a location in Tuscany.

That will determine where you should go and what advice you may get from these great posters....

If you don't want to rent a car, you should stay in Florence (1st choice) or Siena (2nd choice).

Agriturismo stands for agrarian tourism, basically the experience of staying in an old farmhouse, that has been converted in a B&B type lodging for tourists. Farmhouses are located in the middle of the countryside and are not served by frequent public transportation, often they are truly in the boonies and aren't even walking distance from the closest bus stop. Even if you can get a taxi to take you there, then you'd be stuck there for the entire stay unable to visit the many Tuscan attractions.

I presume you or someone in your party knows how to drive and does so in your home country. So I don't see the reluctance to drive a rental car in Italy. In continental Europe they drive on the right side of the road, if that is important to you.

Rent a car from the city you are coming from just before going there.
Rome? Florence? I don't know.
Just make sure you don't rent it while you are in those big cities, but as you leave from those big cities.

Thank you. There will be the two of us traveling and I will take your suggestion to rent a car. Is renting in Siena a good idea? Since this is our first trip to Italy, I would love your input your favorite places.

Where will you be arriving and departing? We flew in and out of Rome and rented the car at FCO. That simplified getting to and back from Tuscany, plus it gave us a chance to see a little of Italy outside the area where we stayed. It wasn't the fastest way to get to Tuscany, but we took the scenic route which was a great way to be introduced to Italy again after 50 years.

My recommendations would depend on how much time you have and where your interests lie. If you have more than a week, even if you book an agriturismo, I suggest you spend at least two days in Florence. You could keep your room at the agriturismo and stay overnight in Florence. If you are an art lover, the Uffizi is a must. Standing in front of "The Birth of Venus" or "The Three Graces" is an experience you'll remember forever.

If you like churches, then there's always the Duomo in Florence, although the Siena Cathedral is as interesting if not more so.

We also had a memorable experience attending vespers at Monte Oliveto Maggiore. The vespers are celebrated in Gregorian Chant by the monks. We, along with a local woman, were the only non-resident congregants. The monastery was lovely and very peaceful.

The towns of San Gimignano and Volterra were charming. I slightly favor Volterra. You could make a day of visiting both. We saw San Gimignano in the morning then visited Volterra. We stayed long enough to enjoy a spectacular sunset.

If you love wine, you'll be in heaven. We stayed at the winery Castillo di Verrazzano. They not only produce great Chianti and a wonderful Super Tuscan, but also true balsamic vinegar, honey and wild boar salami. We did their food and wine tasting at lunch. Be sure to bring an empty stomach and at least three hours of time!

We also scheduled in some unstructured time. We set off one morning with no particular agenda and just let the day unfold. It was wonderful to make discoveries and not feel pressured to stick to a schedule.

I hope this gives you some ideas. Be careful not to overbook.

Thanks again for all of the advice. We have a 3 week vacation planned. After Florence and Siena, we want to stay a few days in Tuscany, maybe Pienza, Montepulciano or Montalcino. So I guess renting in Siena would work. We have researched a lot of Agriturismos and look forward to the Tuscan adventure.

We will have seen The Cinque Terre but am wondering (besides the Almafi Coast) if there are any recommended coastal towns before ending our stay in Rome?

Grazie!

And yes, we love wine!