Hi there. I'd love some recommendations for an agriturismo in Tuscany. We will be there for the week after Christmas. Anywhere around Siena and Montepulciano would be great but open to anything! Would love an authentic family vibe. We are huge foodies - love cooking, fresh produce and of course... vino! Thanks in advance.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16185 posts
No matter where you choose to go consider the following:
1. You need a rental car (due to agriturismos being located in remote location not served by public transport)
2. The car must be equipped by law with winter tires and/or chains between 11/15 and 4/15 in most Tuscan highways. Mention it when renting the car.
3. Most agriturismos are closed in winter
4. Make sure the one you choose is located near major highways and are easy to reach. Use Google Maps to determine EXACT location. Choose one not too far (in terms of driving time) from a major town.
5. Avoid facilities with dirt roads driveways (or you will need to rent an SUV
www.AgriturismoMarciano.it is very near Siena and gets good reviews. Check it out but there are hundreds more in the Siena province.
Check agriturismo.com or .net or ..it
Posted by
Rural Georgia
2212 posts
Greetings! We stayed in Chianti just before Christmas in 2015. We had a great time!
We stayed at Castillo di Verrazzano and but other than one night, we had the place to ourselves. Marco and Isabella took great care of us. The breakfasts were wonderful and we got a chance to spend time visiting and getting to know Marco. We took the combined tour and food and wine pairing for lunch, as well as had dinner there one night, along with two Christmas parties. The bus driver group adopted us and we had a great time drinking wine and telling stories.
This is a very nice time to visit. Mornings could be a little cool, we had frost a couple of days. However, it warmed up to the lower '60s by the afternoon. We had sprinkles one day and the rest of the time was either partly cloudy or brilliant sunshine.
Everything we wanted to see was open, but I'd double check about the holiday week. We used it as a base to explore Radda, Gaiole, Castellina, Chiusure, Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra and we took the bus for a long day trip to Florence.
When we picked up our car in Rome, we made sure it had the needed safety equipment, including a vest and tire chains. Driving through the countryside was great, just be sure to strictly adhere to posted speed limits. ZTLs were well marked and easily avoided.
We also had dinner a couple of times at La Cantina in Greve. The meals were great and it was only us and local citizens there. Alessandro, the owner, took us under his wing and taught us some essential Italian phrases. We got to meet Mama Lorena, his mother, who speaks no English but gave us a warm welcome in Italian. They also have cooking classes if you are interested.
We too were after an "authentic family vibe" and our desires were more than met.