We will be spending a day in Florence, before coming down to do a several night stay in the Tuscan countryside. Our plans are a bit fluid- there are several places we would like to see, but we plan to play it by ear, to see how tired we are from the rest of our travels. I do know that we definitely want to see Siena, and we would also like to get over to see Assisi (I know it's not in Tuscany, but it's the closest we'll be to it).
We have several vacation rental in mind- there are a couple near Siena, and a few near Cortona (and one in Cortona itself). We're uncertain whether to go with Siena, as we definitely want to see it (and we might rent a car there), or Cortona, which is more central to everything we might want to see.
We know that we want to stay somewhere with "a Tuscan feel" but can't decide what will really do that- the rustic stone building? (all of the rentals are). The more rustic interior? (about 1/2 are, 1/2 are a little more modern) Being out in the countryside with no neighbors but sheep (1 or 2 are) or having a host that provides "extras" like baked goods, or olive oil from their farm (1 or 2 do this). I know no-one but us can answer that, but I would welcome the opinions of people who've actually been there.
We've also looked at amenities- a couple have a pool. We'll be there in mid-June, but me and the girls are kind of wimps about getting into an unheated pool unless it's really hot. There is one location with a hot tub (we are very fond of hot tubs- unless it's really hot). From what I've seen the weather when we'll be there is about 80- does that seem accurate? And, does it tend to be humid, or breezy, or....?
Thanks in advance- whenever we decide on one, we flip-flop to one of the others!