Tuscan Farm House Accommodations

The best websites for Agriturismo accommodations are:
www.agriturismo.com
www.sgriturismo.it
www.agriturismi.it
www.agriturismiitaliani.it
www.agriturismo.net

A complete list of websites is below:

http://www.freeonline.org/dir/c-305/Agriturismo

Choose carefully. If you are interested in day trips it is important that you plot the exact location on Google Maps and use Google to calculate the estimated travel time to the destinations you plan to visit. Some facilities are in very remote hard to reach locations that will take you a long time just to get to the closest major highways. Try to find something near the freeway that connects Siena to Florence.

AC is important to have in August. Some locations may be on ventilated hilltops or near rivers, which may make them livable at least at night, but overall August is very hot throughout Tuscany. The construction dates back centuries usually, although all have been remodeled. A characteristic of ancient homes in Italy is the thickness of the stone walls, which are generally at least two feet thick. That provides some insulation from the hot exterior, but the top story, under the terra-cotta rooftop, gets hot like an oven regardless. The lower story is always cooler. The websites I provided list amenities like the availability of AC and also whether the place has a pool (almost all do have a pool).

I highly recommend Agriturismo Marciano in Siena but they book up fast and far in advance. We’ve stayed there twice and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. Look at their reviews; they consistently receive high ratings and for good reason. The A/C worked well too.

Tim,
Will you have a car on this trip, and are you aware of Italian driving rules? IDPs, ZLTs and other rules of the road. Or are you planning on public transportation? This could make a huge difference on lodging recommendations.

Thank you for your replies.
Roberto, I appreciate you for pointing out the construction of the buildings, especially reminding me about top floors being much warmer than the ground floor living space.
Regarding location and finding a place to stay that's along the highway between Florence and Siena... My initial thoughts are driving to day trips (San Gimagnano / Volterra, San Quirico d'Orcia/Montepulciano/Montalcino/possibly Pienza) and driving to a nearby train station (whichever it might be) for train to Florence and onward to Lucca for another day trip, and figuring out what is best way to get to Siena from wherever we "live" for the week -- train, bus, drive and park outside the city.
That said, is being on/ near the autostrade is imperative? Or can I look into areas along SR 222 (including Greve in Chianti) ?
And can you tell me how much difference there is between Regional roads (SR) and Provincial roads (SP)?

Sheron-- I'll look into Agriturismo Marciano. Thank you.

Gerri -- Yes, we are planning some driving. I understand staying at this type lodging almost requires it. I'm also getting familiar with Italian driving rules. I plan to stay well away from ZTLs by staying outside cities that have them (pick up vehicle outside of Florence before continuing to the accommodation, taking public transport to Siena and Florence), and I am aware of IDPs any of the prospective drivers will need.

You can stay wherever you like, but you need to be aware that some Agriturismo may require several km of curvy slow narrow roads before you get to the main highways. I remember taking two American ladies to an Agriturismo near Greve along the SR222 which required to drive on a two mile driveway (luckily paved, but not all are). It took 20 min just to drive from the driveway entrance to the house. If you plan day trips, you should choose accommodations carefully because driving those roads at night, at a max speed of 15 mph, after a full day sightseeing gets old quickly. If you choose carefully you can get to your destinations much more quickly. Getting to Volterra is no fun during the day, with all the curves, let alone at night.
There is no significant difference between an SR (Strada Regionale) and an SP (strada Provinciale) other than the government agency responsible for the maintenance (Regional Government, or Provincial Government). The SS (Strada Statale) are under the jurisdiction of ANAS (the State road agency), and some are divided 4 lane highways. Just understand that Italian two lane highways tend to be narrower and have no shoulders on the sides compared to American roads. In Tuscany, which is hilly or mountainous, they tend to have lots of curves too and you will be lucky if you can drive over 25mph in most segments. Watch for bikers as well. Road biking is a national pastime and everybody has to share the same narrow highways with no bike lanes. Try not to run over bikers. That would ruin your trip even more than a ZTL fine.

Roberto is being kind when he calls these roads curvy... think hairpin turns and the bikers like to use your lane... coming at you or in front of you.

We love this lodging, enough that we've returned 3-4 times. It doesn't have AC, but at 1600' there's always a cool breeze. Nice pool and the owners are wonderful. Very centrally located, you can reach 2/3s of Tuscany from here in a little over an hour. You're close to Umbria too.

http://www.borgorapale.it

Look at their Sofia apartment. Price too fits your budget.

Their PDF has lots of great info.

It's more south then what you want but it's the dream place, between Buonconvento and San Quirico D'orcia
http://www.agriturismopoderecunina.com/fr
They have AC, fits your budget I think. The best people, reviews are outstandaing, we stayed there for a week 2 years ago.