Booked . . . and now hesitating

My 2 cents: I think Varenna on Lake Como would be a better place than Vernazza to recover from the jet lag, esp. in April. Gorgeous setting with the lake and the mountains. Very relaxed vibe. Ferry boat options to hop over to Bellagio or elsewhere on the lake.

As for staying in town over at an agriturismo, I'm a HUGE fan of staying someplace where you can indeed walk out the door and go explore on foot. (I'm also not a fan of driving in Italy because the winding roads mess up my back, but that's just me.)

As for where to stay, there's no shortage of wonderful choices. Siena comes to mind, but there are literally scores of other places you could stay for a couple of nights. (FWIW, in our experience, whenever we've done two nights in one location, we've wished it had been three. Two nights means only one unbroken day, after all.)

Do you have a couple of good guidebooks for Tuscany? That would help you figure out where you might most enjoy staying.

Happy travels and good luck.

Vernazza should not be too bad in April, but if you are open to a non-coastal location, take a look at Pavia, only a bit over an hour by car from Milan. Although you can get there by train, it might be easier to just get your car in Milan and drive there, then on to San Gimignano.

We like staying in small towns for the very reason you mention: walking out the door to dinner no worries about drinking at dinner, etc. I would keep the car and move to Montalcino as a base for all 4 nights. Great location of driving day trips and fabulous dinner options.

Thanks for the input, all valuable info which has all but cleared my hesitancies! We will venture to Vernazza, then on to the agriturismo near San Gimignano for 4 nights to tour North Tuscany. Then, taking the advice to stay in a town for the other 4 nights, possibly Montalcino . . . but we welcome any other recommendations for towns in South Tuscany.
Again, thanks much.

We stayed in Montepulciano- loved it.
Visited Montalcino for a few quick hours during day- not overly impressed.

We enjoyed Pienza, San Quirico, Bagno Vignoni and Montecchiello

We did the same as Christine and had the same feeling, but we always find we always end up looking more fondly on the places we stayed overnight than the ones to which we daytripped. I'm sure you can't go wrong with either Montepulciano or Montalcino. We enjoyed the others she mentioned also, but as the towns get smaller, the restaurant choices and so forth become fewer, so for a four-night stay I'd pick a slightly larger town.

Pienza, Montalcino and Montepulciano are all fabulous. We stayed in Montepulciano, enjoyed it. Next time i’d choose Montalcino. Every inch of Pienza is a Kodak moment, gorgeous, but it felt less “real”, more Disney-like, than the other two.

Laurel, what do you think about staying in Santa Margherita instead of Vernazza? My sister stayed there and loved it. Less touristy than Cinque Terre.

we always find we always end up looking more fondly on the places we
stayed overnight than the ones to which we daytripped

Same here.
We happened upon a Pecorino Cheese festival in Pienza and had such a great time that day- we decided then we would stay in Pienza next trip. It's much flatter than Montepulciano- and we aren't getting any younger!

I agree that one tends to like most the town one stays in. Montalcino had a quietness in the AM we liked, great sunset views, peaceful at night after day trippers had left, easy parking, lovely restaurants.

As to Santa Margherita Ligure, it is kind of a big town versus Vernazza. Camogli is a nice small alternative but location depends on what you want to do. Are you active hikers? Or would you prefer a scenic trip by ferry? Just walk around the villages and chill on a terrace?

Laurel, hmm... much bigger would not appeal to me. Thanks.

What great alternatives! I'm researching and so appreciate the honest input!