Month-long stay in Tuscany

You'll probably get more helpful responses if you define "reasonable" in specific dollar or euro amounts. Happy travels.

By reasonable I mean something that would be comparable to accommodations in the US at $80-$100 a night. What area of the Tuscany region would you recommend? A location that is close to a village that we could walk to. Is there an area where you could take local transportation to do day trips?

Dear Myra,
if you rent a cottage, you will want a car to get around. Public transport is not very good in the countryside. And getting lost with your car in the Tuscan countryside is just about the best way to discover it! In the end, you always find your way back home. Staying for a whole month is great, you might want to choose two or three different farmhouses, lets say one between Florence and Siena, one in the Val d'Orcia near Montalcino, Pienza and Montepulciano and one in the area of Lucca and PIsa. Staying in a farmhouse is not only cheaper than a hotel, it also gives you personal contact with the owners and therefore in insight into loca life which I partiuclarly appreciate.

Yes be careful about the romantic thought of the country side and wanting to get a coffee - can be a difficult proposition! I think you can find a small rental for a month in your price range, but I would highly suggest a car which could be substantial for a whole month. Sort of like the idea of Katharina of breaking it up, maybe at least 2 spots. Tuscany is so different from the south of Siena to the mountains near Barga, etc. It would probably be nice to have a mix of both and explore the differences in the wine and food even in the Tuscan region. Or perhaps spend a week in a place like Siena or Florence (or even Lucca or Arezzo) where there is a lot to do and see, you can walk, but you can also get good day transportation to other towns, and the the rest of the time out in the country somewhere.

I would also recommend a car. If you want to see "villages", then you may have some difficulty exploring them without a car. 1 month is one place sounds great, but Tuscany has a lot to see, so I agree with earlier poster about breaking it up. 2 weeks in northern Tuscany and 2 weeks down south? This way, your commutes to different villages will be shorter. When I stayed at Agriturismos, we spent a lot of time on the farms, touring the vineyard with the owners and just hanging out with my wife and daughter. It's a great experience, you'll love it. Get a car, though, you won't regret it.

Thanks for all the tips. If we rent a car, how are the road conditions and signage? Is it easy to get around? We have traveled Europe extensively but never have rented a vehicle.

Myra T-I-I. This Is Italy. Don't expect road signs to help. The number on the map for the route number won't appear on the signs, more often than not. You need a detailed map. The Italians put up signs leading to major towns but not to smaller ones. You need to know ahead of time what towns are on your route. The signs may not be on a signpost - they may be on the sides of buildings before or after the intersection, down by the gutter or up one or two stories on the side of a building. I remember well coming to an intersection near the Villa D'Este and getting to a square where 3 different roads all had signs pointing away different directions all with the one word sign "Roma" and an arrow pointing down their road. GPS can be a real stress buster. We love ours. That being said, driving Tuscany can be great fun. Part of the fun can be getting lost, just like walking in Venice. Planning ahead is the key, and not expecting fast travel. Enjoy. Wish I were there.

We have just returned from a 5 day farm house stay in Montepulciano and had a rental car. If you are going to be in Tuscany and want to do day trips then you are going to need a car. With that said you will also need a GPS as we would have been very lost without ours. Most of the roads were marked pretty well but the part that we had trouble with was where to park. Most of the hill towns you had to park outside the walls and we had problems finding parking. Also, beware of the ZTL signs which also added to our frustration.

Signage is terrible, because as Nigel says, This is Italy, after all. GPS makes that a moot point (mostly), so make sure that you take one with you (or hope that your rental comes with one. This could be a gamble.). We use a Garmin Nuvi with Euro maps (update them before you head over there) and you should have no trouble at all getting around. Driving through the Tuscan countryside is stunning, so you'll love.