I am looking to stay in a small town near Florence for a few days in June. Montevarchi is between Florence and Arezzo and looks like a good spot to be based for five days or so. Has anyone ever visited there? Where did you stay? There seem to be option in town and in the surrounding countryside. Can I rent a car there or do I need to rent one in a larger town and drive there? Any insight or thoughts will be appreciated. Or suggestions of other places will be great too. I like that Montevarchi is on the train line to Florence. Thank you in advance for any suggestions or info.
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2349 posts
Haven't been to Montevarchi, but Arezzo is a great place to spend five days. Great transportation connections. Much smaller than Florence.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16387 posts
If you rent a car why do you need to stay in a town with a station?
First decide what you ant to visit, then choose a town that is best for that purpose. I’m not particularly fond of Montevarchi but I guess anyplace would work if you want to be there. Maybe you like Prada shoes (Prada has their outlet in Montevarchi).
Nearby the village of Loro Ciuffenna is really cute, albeit small. Maybe Arezzo, would offer more to do.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4657 posts
It has been some time....2002, but we got an apartment in the hills outside of Montevarchi, so know it slightly. We rented a car in Florence but used Montivarchi for train day trips back to Florence and also Piza. The car we used for Sienna and the hill towns. We were happy with the experience, but still burst into laughter when we think of the frustration of the town's dead end one way curvy streets. We had a turn to make into the train station and inevitably we missed it as it was not marked and right after an underpass. Getting back to the station was always frustrating. Parking was often a bumper car experience getting out of the lot.
That being said, we thought it was a good location for access to other places. We never visited the town itself, but I would certainly consider it as a home base. When we were there the high speed trains were not in yet. You might even be able to do all day trips by train now. Even then, service to Florence was frequent and no hardship.
There must be websites where you can ask if it has rental cars. EDIT. Looks like Florence is the closest rental town. Even Europecar doesn't recognize Montevarchi.
I like an apartment if 5 days, so I did a quick check for that area. Rentals seem to be outside the town. But booking dot com shows hotels in the city.
The Valdarno valley just west of town was very u touristed at the time we went there, and I don't here much about it today. If you can sort out the car, it could be affordable and lovely to be out of the town. Our little apartment in April was over the wine barrels of the home owner, had a large kitchen fireplace and in the morning I woke up to sheep bleats and rolling vineyards. Up the road was a town time forgot. Bombed during the war, only about 3 homes were habited and the rest was returning to nature.
For someone who doesn't want a popular high end Tuscan experience, this could be the perfect area.
Posted by
Portland, OR
83 posts
I am not too familiar with Montevarchi, but as another suggestion, check out the Montepulciano/Pienza area. You will definitely want a car to explore the area. If you decide you like the area and need any suggestions for places to stay, restaurants, things to do, just let me know!
Have a great trip! -TJ