Can someone suggest a route to take in Tuscany. We are interested in sight seeing and wine tasting. We will be staying in the area for three nights and renting a car. We have yet to decide where to rent an apartment. That will depend on the "must see" attractions/areas. We'll be there in April. Thank you.
Posted by
Florence
362 posts
Lora "Tuscany" is a pretty big area - Chianti, and the Chianti Classico Zone are an easy answer - but it really depends on what kinds of other attractions you mean. You could go near the coast in the Maremma, or east of Florence to Chianti Ruffina, or South of Siena around Montalcino, etc. What else do you want to see/do besides wine?
Posted by
OP
Mercer Island, Washington
30 posts
We are interested in driving around, taking our time to enjoy the landscape, visiting (mostly) small wineries, interacting with locals as much as possible, possibly taking a cooking class, visiting open air markets and bringing food back to the apartment to cook, also renting bikes, hiking.
What and where were the highlights of your trip? We are looking for suggestions.
Thanks again,
Lora
Posted by
Denver
799 posts
It sounds like wine is your primary focus. If that is the case, the plan your 3 nights around the type of wine that you prefer. In Chianti, it's Chianti wine. In the area of Montalcino and Montepulciano, it's Brunello and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Pretty much everywhere in Tuscany is beautiful, and has sight seeing and great places to drive around.
Keep in mind that in Tuscany, unlike wine regions in the U.S., it's not as customary to just drop in on small wineries. There are some where you can do that, but those are more the mom-and-pop sign-by-the-side of the road kind of places. And for those small places, it's generally customary to actually buy a bottle (or more if you like) if you stop in for a tasting. For the kind of wineries whose wine you might see in the U.S., your hotel (or possibly apartment owner?) can help you to set up visits to the wineries that you're interested in.
Posted by
Wichita
831 posts
Lora,
This may give you some ideas http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/tuscany/hs_planning.htm
Posted by
Florence
362 posts
Ugh - I just had a huge response here to you and accidentally cut it - and no undo/redo in the form box!!!
Anyway - here are a few near/in Montalcino:
New favorite: Fattoria Resta http://www.florencewinemerchants.com/events-tastings/fattoria-resta-martin-del-nero-orcia-2006.html
Very near Altesino:
http://www.altesino.it/en/vino.php?id=1
I would maybe seek out this place
http://www.collelceto.it/estate.htm
The wine is great and the owner is a nice guy - I met him once in a restaurant here in Florence.
Also - I don't know if they do visits - but Valdicava is one of the best wines out there:
My original response was more about the Chianti Classico zone - where I think you would probably find everything you want -