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Poggibonsi as a base?

Posted by (Seattle, WA, US) on

Hi all!

In a previous thread when looking for a potential base in Tuscany, Poggibonsi was mentioned, but there's not much in the way of info when I search except for it being used as a transit point for San Gimignano. A brief background. A group of 15-20 looking to spend a week in Tuscany, hoping to stay at a villa/agriturismo. While we may have cars, with a group this big I wanted flexibility for people to take trains and bus to explore on their own. It looks like Poggibonsi is a nice hub location with daily rail service to Florence and Siena and bus to San Gimignano. Plus access to wine tasting and other things in Tuscany.

Anyways, I'm looking to see if anyone has stayed in or around Poggibonsi and how that was, especially for using public transit and rail. Also, if people have experience with cab service there if staying outside of town (for things like coming into town for dinner).

I have been to Siena and that is an option we're looking at as well, but that will be a different thread. Thanks for any input on this!

Posted by
42 posts

Hi, we stayed at an agriturismo just outside of Pogibonsi
We rented a car in Siena
so we could get around the country side.
If not every one wanted to do the same thing, some people would take the car, and others would stay at the agriturismo for the day. There was a pool, bikes to rent, and hiking near by. So plenty to do.
The name of the Agriturismo is Il Segretto di Pietrafitta. Lovely place, breakfast and dinner was included.

Posted by
1635 posts

Poggibonsi was destroyed by Florentines in 1270 and never recovered. As there are almost no sights in Poggibonsi, tourism is not so strong there. It is on the train line between Empoli and Siena, decent service, and buses to Florence, Siena, San Gimignano call there. There should be also buses to Volterra but the road is very slow. The town is centrally located, but moving in the area is generally slow and having a car is a definite plus.
Nearby Colle val D'Elsa should be a little nicer, but has no rail service so access is more difficult.

Posted by
1026 posts

The only thing Poggibonsi has going for it is convenience. We stayed outside Castellina in Chianti for a week and constantly passed through Poggibonsi on our way to other places but were never tempted to stop.

With all the amazing, beautiful places to stay in Tuscany I can't imagine choosing Poggibonsi simply because it has a train station and a bus interchange. Instead I'd choose someplace amazing and just admit that the inconvenience is part of the slower pace of Tuscan life. Stay for a while and you may find that staying put and enjoying the beauty around you makes more sense than constantly running around. At least that was my experience - hope you find the same.

Have a great trip, rural Tuscany is as beautiful as advertised,
=Tod

Posted by
2085 posts

Agree that Poggibonsi itself is not particularly charming or interesting. We’ve stayed in a country house nearby several times and did not particularly enjoy any of our attempts to explore the city for meals or sights. But I do remember long drives to explore other places.

Posted by
15829 posts

Poggibonsi was not only destroyed by the Florentines in the XIII century, but it was destroyed even more by a bombardment by the Allied Air Forces in December, 1943 (and also during the ensuing ground battles in the subsequent months until its liberation in July 1944). So the city is now a not so ancient industrial town. There was a famous song from the 1980s entitled "Poggibonsi", which I think describe those WW2 events.

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