I plan to rent a Tuscan villa in the fall for a group of about 15 adults arriving at different times from various locations in the US. Most are inexperienced with international travel and will not be renting cars. (I know, it helps to have a car in Tuscany, but that’s not happening for these folks. We’ll hire tours from our the villa.) I haven’t finalized the location of the villa yet, and it partially depends on accessibility from the airport. Thanks for any input.
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
16660 posts
You might ask the owners /managers of the villa if they have some resources? Might not be the first time that non-drivers have had to get to their property.
You sure you don't want to find a place to house all these people in Florence instead? That would eliminate costly transfers further out into the countryside + enable them to do some city sightseeing of their own on foot?
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8358 posts
We've stayed at an agriturismo outside of San Gimignano, and the region is quite beautiful. We rented a car and had absolutely no problems navigating from place to place. Tuscan roads are well paved and well marked but just crooked. I like the area north and west of Siena--around Poggibonsi, Certaldo or San Gimignano because it's close to Florence and other great hilltowns.
Unless your accommodations are within walking distance of a town, you're going to need to rent at least one vehicle to ferry people around. And you'll need food, drink and other supplies too.
Have you found a good tour operator?. A group of 15 is just one or two people more than most large van/buses can easily handle.
If I was going with such a large group, I would be looking for accommodations that can provide a chef for your entire stay. It'd make your trip much more enjoyable--and the food would be just great. See: http://www.agriturismo.com/agriturismi/toscana Such a trip might require your booking the place to stay 6 months to a year in advance--depending on the season.
Posted by
Colorado Springs
3030 posts
The logistics of what you propose to do will be a nightmare unless you base yourselves in or near a transportation hub like Florence or Siena, from which you could train, bus, or just take day tours into the countryside.
My suggestion would be to look in the foothills outside of Siena - close enough to rely on taxi service to get you to and from the town while still being able to enjoy the peace and quiet of your villa.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Great resource for villas with most services you’re looking for.
https://www.tuscanynowandmore.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkrrkutvS9gIV5XxvBB3SGwQGEAAYASAAEgJGIfD_BwE
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Great suggestions all. Just to clarify, I will be renting a car because I’ve been to Tuscany before. I will probably be the only one. Thanks much for the advice.