Hello! I will be traveling with my husband, 17-year-old daughter, and another family of three, very good friends, to Italy next June. We want to visit Florence and Siena and possibly some of the surrounding towns. Some of us have been to these places, and some have not. We are all excited for the experience! We want to stay somewhere in the countryside, day trip to our places of interest, and have a home base to come back to to relax and enjoy the evening. We will have a car. We would prefer not to cook, though that is negotiable. We would prefer a pool. Recommendations for inns, b&bs, villas, agritourismos that are less than an hour's drive to both Florence and Siena? At this point, I am not sure of the budget exactly, so please share any place that you have been happy with. Thank you!
Posted by
Richmond, Virginia
46 posts
We just got home from visiting Italy and stayed in San Quirico, which is about an hour from Siena. We loved the farmhouse we stayed at. The host was incredible and the views from the house are the best I've ever seen. It was a great location for a home base of Tuscany. Look it up- Agriturismo IL Poderuccio, Castiglione d' Orcia. I can't say enough about this place- They make wine and olive oil, which they will share with you. It was heavenly and even better than the pictures!!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16200 posts
This is nice. In the countryside but very near Poggibonsi, therefore exactly half way between Florence and Siena (about half hour from either). They have a restaurant too, in case you don’t care to drive at night sometimes.
http://www.hotelvillasangiorgio.it/en/
The next one below is inside the walls in “downtown” Monteriggioni. Monteriggioni is also located along the Siena to Florence freeway, but closer to Siena. Perfect if in the evening you’d rather stay in the famous medieval walled town rather than drive out to dinner (there are a couple of restaurants and wine bars inside the walls. It’s more upscale than the previous one, so the price is higher.
http://hotelmonteriggioni.net/it/
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area
5697 posts
We stayed at Borgo Casato in Castelnuevo Bergardegna when visiting Siena -- marvelous restaurant, views over the hills, pool.
And affordable!
Posted by
11671 posts
Panzano is half way between Dlorence and Siena, charming town. Look at Podere Felceto. Or you want a villa, contaxt Karin Sietz at Chianti and More. We had an excellent experience renting from her. If you do rent a villa, I highly recommend one with a pool. We went in June and the mids jumped in as soon as we returned from day trips to hill towns.