Tuscan Hill Towns

Rob:
Orvieto, Montalcino and the drive between Montalcino and Montepulciano are all worth your time. In one day? IMHO that's a lot of travel time and not much time to really experience. If you have time, I'd make it two separate days: One to Orvieto and one for the drive between M & M. Orvieto deserves at least a few hours of your time after the long drive to see the duomo and wander the streets, admiring the views. Have lunch, check out the shops, then back in the car: easily a 6-7 hour day including travel time to/from Cuna as that is 90 minutes or more each way. Ron in Rome has a nice posting about Orvieto http://www.roninrome.com/%20shopping-dining/orvieto-day-trip-from-rome that may interest you in your planning. We stayed in Montalcino and spent much of one day driving to and from Montepulciano. Along that route, Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia are also worth your time. In fact, we thought Pienza more charming than Montepulciano. Montalcino is lovely, though small, and it has a fine Etruscan museum as a balance to the wine culture. If you love Brunello di Montalcino, this is a marvelous place to visit. Check out the enoteca on the main street with 100 wines available via a computerized tasting system! And across the street is the nicest leather goods store we saw in three weeks in Italy. We stimulated the Italian economy at those two shops during our stay in October! Still savoring the wine. Yum! Have fun! When are you going?

We will be there in the middle of June. Unfortunately we only have one full day to travel south. I am planning one day for Siena and San Gimignano. I figured one day south, and one day north would give us a good feel for the area.

Hi Rob! As much as I love Orvieto, it might be a stretch to make it a day trip. The roads around Montepulciano aren't as easy to navigate as they might appear on the map - a GPS would be really helpful if you decide to go that route. Also, Montepulciano entails quite a lot of walking up hills which might be a challenge for your Mother. For a more relaxed day you might consider just going to Pienza and San Quirico d'Orcia as Laurel mentioned. Save other parts of Tuscany and Orvieto for a future trip.

Thanks for the info! How about we start the day in Pienza, then travel to San Quirico d'Orcia, and finish the day in Montalcino, arriving back in Cuna for dinner? It sounds like I should plan lunch in San Quirico d'Orcia. Anyone have a hot lunch spot I should be aware of?

San Quirico d'Orica is cute, but Pienza is more of a substantial stop for lunch. Here's what I'd recommend: Cuna to San Quirico, about 40 minutes. Stop for a coffee in the cafe on the piazza and walk around while the town is lively in the morning. See the beautiful park/garden, and stop into the huge Italian homegoods store. (I still wish I'd bought a cruet set I saw there!) San Q shuts down for the riposo after lunch, and wakes up again about 3:00. San Quirico to Pienza, 15 minutes. See the view from the terrace, visits a cheese shop, etc. Check RS guide for what interests you in Pienza. It is a lovely town! We likes Trattoria Latte di Luna in Pienza for lunch. You may want to make a reservation depending on the time of year. Pienza to Montalcino, about 30 minutes. Parking can be a bit of a walk, but I think you'll find the pay lot at the Fortezza convenient. (There are some free spots too. Depends on when you get there.) The Slow Travel website has a good Montalcino Travel Guide. Just Google it. Montalcino back to Cuna is about 45 minutes. If you want a nice little side trip, 15 minutes from Montalcino is the Abbey of Sant'Antimo, or you could return to Cuna via Asciano and Monte Oliveto Maggiore. There's a lot of walking to get to Monte Oliveto, though, so it depends on your desire to do that. The Asciano side trip would add about 25 minutes of driving time. Check operating hours on the abbeys. They do close for a few hours midday. Allegedly this route is only about 2 hours of driving, but you will stop here and there for pictures. (Buonconvento is cute, too, on your way back to Cuna) It will make a nice full day of touring for you! Do a Google map but be prepared to find your turns not by road/street/highway names, but by directional signs to towns. The passengers' alertness will help the driver immensely. Have fun! I am already plotting our return!

Laural has a good plan! Sounds perfect--I agree that you'll find better lunch options in Pienza but I'd get there well before noon because many shops close after noon (except restaurants!)

The drive is very beautiful, Pienza is in between & is worth a couple of hours. At every turn the scenery is spectaculare. I strongly suggest you to have a GPS. I drove 3000KM in october & it was indispensable.

Two very good restaurants: Pienza-Latte du Luna(or Lunnetta ?) and San Quirico:Trattoria al Vecchio. In SQ we saw capers growing on the stone wall that surrounds some of the town. Have a great trip!